the end of the road

randy pausch's last lecture was a lesson for everyone. how to live life to the maximum and seize every moment as it comes.the professor of computer science at carnegie mellon university agreed to give this last lecture when he was diagnosed of terminal cancer of the pancreas.there is a tradition at carnegie mellon of inviting a faculty member to give an annual lecture in a series called 'journeys' in which the faculty member is expected to speak on what he/she has learnt from life and what wisdom he/she wishes to pass on if it was the last opportunity. in the case of randy pausch,the last lecture was really a last lecture because he had a only a few months to live.

delivered on 18th september 2007,there were 6 million people who viewed the lecture online.he spoke to an audience of about 400 students and faculty members.the entire video is available on "you tube" and I would urge everyone to see it. it is absolutely absorbing.the title of the lecture was "really achieving your childhood dreams". randy pausch has a great sense of humour and he is also a great showman.he starts of with his ct scan slides and shows how his pancreas have been invaded by the deadly tumours.and then he starts a series of press-ups and tells the audience that apparently he is fitter than many of them. showing no signs of weakness or exertion for a man who has given up fighting the disease. his death was certain in a few months. "we cannot change the cards we are dealt. just how we play the hand". the exuberant last lecture was full of lessons like overcoming brickwalls.they are really not obstacles but they are there to make you perform better. to seize every second. time is precious and is running out.the terminally ill professor made millions of people all over the world sit up and rethink life.his lecture and the book that followed has changed innumerbale lives,touched american politics and has set off a publishing phenomenon.

his friend jeff zaslow, co-author of this book and a columnist of the 'wall street journal"(wsj) posted a 5 minute video in the wsj's website. it took off like a rocket.randy pausch even appeared on an oprah winfrey show which was watched by more than 10 million people.

the cocky and arrogant professor had a huge fan following in the campus.he had a loving wife jai and doting children-logan,chloe and dylan.a complete family man,he acknowledges his gratitude to his parents who allowed him to dream.the last lecture was actually for his kids.he wanted them to dream like him.and for them to know when they grow up as to how much he loved them.

ganesha goes green

today is the last day of the ten day long ganesha festival. as usual ganeshas will be submerged and a tearful farewell given to the lord with the crowd chanting in full throat -"ganpati bappa mourya, putcha varsha parat ya". the remover of obstacles,one whose blessings are invoked before any auspicious thing is started, lord siva and goddess parvati's intelligent son and the most popular deity among hindu gods and one who is well known internationally for his elephant face will be immersed in the waters and eagerly awaited till the next year.

when "aum ganeshaya namah" is chanted, we are saying let wisdom prevail in what we do. wisdom seems to have dawned finally.there was a difference in the celebrations this year. in the past, the repercussions of celebrating ganesha festival without caring for the environment was so visible.however, this year,thanks to the zeal of environmentalists,there was a marked change in people's attitude and there was an awareness and concern to perform the festival with minmum damage to the environment.

pop(plaster of paris) idols release co2 reducing the oxygen level in the water and harm marine life. the paints on the idols further aggravate the damage.water bodies being sources of drinking water at many places get poisoned by the paint and deposition of floral offerings. there were many organisations which made their celebrations eco-friendly. some recycled all ganesh offerings. others created artificial ponds for immersion of ganesha idols. some made the idols from paper pulp. newspaper and mud mixed together.the newspaper acts as a binder.then with the pulp and use of hands the idol is made.painting is done with natural colours extracted out of turmeric and mud.some made ganapati out of clay.some even had silver ganapati idols and immersed them in a bucket of water and wiped them clean.to be kept in a safe place to be brought out the following year.some even ran workshops to educate people on keeping the festival ecofriendly. about 20,000 ganesha idols were made by school children using mud and vegetable dyes.

the bmc set up a website www.ecoganapati.com jointly with fropper.com to provide details of ecofriendly ganeshas,location of artificial immersion ponds and other ways of celebrating the festival in a green manner. e-coexist.com promoted sales of eco-friendly ganesha idols. there will be a cleanlilessness drive,the website said with students and fropper.com members on the coastal front to clean up the mess.

a god who refused to marry because he felt no woman was more beautiful than his mother. a god whom no woman wanted to marry because he had an elephant head. said to have two wives though-riddhi and siddhi.material propsperity and intellectual growth.a god whose every part has deep meaning and significance. his trunk,his large ears,his third hand,his singular tusk and whose posture of sitting on a rat with one foot on the ground and the other resting on his knee convey esoteric meanings.

our beloved ganesha has now become an e-god.the obstacle remover has brought wisdom to the people.let us hope this movement picks up and that ganeshas pollute less and make the environment greener and more greener.

'the last lear'

shot in 40 days flat on a relatively low budget(bigB charged only 10% of his normal rate),the arindam chaudhuri production was a treat to watch.the movie was premiered at toronto last year and was released last friday at mumbai(wonder why such a long time-gap), after scaring the guts out of the producer and bigB. jaya bhaduri's off- the- cuff remark that for her hindi came first and then only marathi did not go well with mumbai parochialists and politicians. they all jumped into the fray criticising jaya bhaduri and allowed hooligans to go on a rampage tearing billboards of 'the last lear' and burning effigies of jaya bacchan and even threatened to stop the premiere of 'the last lear'. bigB apologised on behalf of his better half and truce was called and peace was soon established. the young nephew of the shiva sena supremo bal thackeray,raj thackeray, who led the assault yet again on behalf of the marathi manoos won yet another battle. and film star muzaffar raked up another controversy saying that he was upset that his trademark hairstyle was copied by bigB in the movie without his permission! not only that, his looks and mannerisms were copied by rituporno ghosh for the character of harish mishra. these distractions soon blew away and the film was being shown to packed houses over the weekend.

the movie begins on a divali night with fireworks and crackers bursting.an auspicious start.but then the protogonist(harish mishra alias harry) is in a state of coma. veteran thespian(amitabh bacchan) who plays the role of harry seriously injured his spinal cord when he did a stunt.harry(bigB) is a 75 yearold retired stage actor.one who breathes,drinks and eats william shakespeare.his ambition was to act as king lear in the play which was to be staged for which he did a lot of painstaking research and went under king lear's skin.just before the play was to be held,someone from the stage crew had commented about his live-in companion (vandana) which upset him so much that he gave up theatre altogether in a huff. living in an old and ancestral north kolkatra mansion with closed circuit tv in his room, he lives in a time warp.he is a personification of vanity and arrogance. sporting silver hair,the diehard theatre person ridicules movies and says he would never act in a film.you can show only the face or the hands and if you want to show the whole body of the person you have to take a shot from a distance,he tells siddharth(arjun ramphal) who wants to make a film titled "the mask" with harry in the main role.siddharth's younger brother,a journalist interviews harry before he decides to act in the movie.while discussing shakespeare,harry is shocked that the youngster referred to the main character in "midsummer night's dream" as oberoi instead of oberon.and he never forgets the gaffe.forced out of retirement,the ageing and decadent actor decides to make a movie debut albeit with some reluctance.siddharth is overjoyed that he has found the right actor for his film.

shefali shah as vandana,preity zinta as harry's co-star shabnam,divya dutta as the nurse ivy,arjun ramphal as the film director siddharth-all perform their roles to near perfection. credit goes to director rituparno ghosh for extracting the best out of each actor.there are some very funny scenes like when both harry and siddharth see on the cctv at harry's home,the activity in front of the old mansion. the movement of people doing different things at different times. siddharth feels that this itself can become a story for a movie. every now and then there is a passerby who relieves himself against the compound wall of the mansion. the scene where harry implores siddharth to allow him to do the stunt of falling from the cliff much against siddharth's will is very touching. after all has he not paid a hefty sum to hire akbar, a stuntman.he,however, relents when harry goes down on his knees and begs of him and tells him that after all he is like siddharth's father.should he not accede to his wishes? a fatal mistake by siddharth. because harry breaks his back doing the stunt.

is there any message that arindam chaudhuri wants to convey? what is shakespeare's lear doing anyway? actually there is no connection between king lear and the last lear excepting probably the common factor of age and arrogance in the characters of king lear and harry.theatre acting is very different from acting in a film,the director seems to say and the harassment of young maidens by their suspicious boyfriends does not appear to be very uncommon.ivy and shabnam share this fate in the hands of their respective boyfriends. about which we come to know when vandana,shabnam and ivy share their dinner on the night of the premiere sitting in the drawing hall of harry's home. harry is lying in a serious condition in an adjacent room after the accident. frequent flashbacks unfold the story till the climax when harry mutters some shakepeare dialogues.how relationships change! the selfish director,siddarth, who never turned up to see his main hero after the tragic fall in stark contrast to the sympathetic co-star shabnam who skips the premiere to be with harry also shows different people exhibiting different feelings and emotions.the old are difficult people to handle;they are irritable,cranky and vulnerable. and some men take advantage of their age and susceptibility. women more often are at the receiving end and do not get a fair deal.relationships are complex and not easily understood and explained.

in sum,a remarkable movie to watch.bigB's performance when he quotes shakespeare with great panache and elan was for me something unforgettable. a well-knit team of actors who raise the bar with their outstanding contributions and make the film truly a delight to watch.

the jury is still out whether the film will be a commercial success. for me that is besides the point. it is a job well done.

hot,hotter,hottest

it is not the climate that i am referring to.nor the glamorous filmstars.it is the quintessential south indian hot drink that goes under the the name rasam. taken in between sambhar and thayir sadam(curd rice),any south indian meal is incomplete without rasam.it has to be hot.both temperature wise and in chilli content.the andhraites excel in making their pappu chaaru as hot as as it can be. they also prepare theeyati chaaru(sweet rasam). made with dal without dal,the key to the taste of rasam is the selection of the spices.the numerous variations include-mysore rasam,tomato rasam,lemon rasam. pineapple rasam(a popular rasam in my family),vayppambu(neem flower) rasam(my favourite), drumstick rasam,baby onion rasam, ginger rasam,milagu rasam,buttermilk rasam and so on and so forth.

the story goes that once the mysore maharajah gave a banquet in honour of some visiting dignitary.his hebbar iyengar cook was a super chef. the chef's sambhar was so tasty that the kitchen ran short of it due to the huge demand. when informed of the stockout, the maharajah immediately called the chef and asked him to come up with something very fast.the chef who was at his wit's end got a brilliant idea. he very innovatively created with the sambhar left overs the now famous rasam. needless to say it was a super hit with the guests.

during the first world war when the british troops were stationed at bangalore,one evening the tamilian cook in the barracks' canteen prepared a soup for his 'saar'.the englishman found it delicious."what do you call it?",he asked excitedly. "milagu tanni soup, saar",replied the cook meekly. thus was born the now famous mulligaitawny soup,an anglo-indian favourite. it is plain milagu (whole pepper) rasam served with rice.

wow! what a rich melange of spices! asafoetida,mustard seeds,fenugreek seeds, and cumin seeds.curry leaves and coriander leaves to top it all.with tamarind giving the required tanginess and split red gram,turmeric powder,ginger,garlic if you desire,coriander seds,peppercorns salt and ghee and even a small stick of cinnamon and rasam podi for added flavour,you can reach seventh heaven with your taste buds fully gratiated.no wonder it is called sattumadhu (sadam plus amudu), which means rice with nectar, by the tamilians.

simple to prepare and very high on the satisfaction count this simple mixture of tur dal water, juice of a small ball of tamarind, tomatoes( i like it in big chunks,though many prefer small ones),onion and garlic (for those who crave for that flavour),green chilli and salt with a final tadka(sputtering) of pepper,cumin and mustard seeds,split black gram and desi ghee(rarified butter),fenugreek seeds,methi and hing. it is a 20 minutes' job and when served piping hot can be savoured as a drink or mixed with rice and taken as rasam rice as it is generally done. one could also add vada to the rasam and make it a rasa vada,which i find the punjabis love.a favourite in wedding lunches and dinners,one needs a fair amount of skill and dexterity to manouever the rasam on a plaintain leaf.otherwise you could end red in your face with your neighbour looking daggers drawn for making quite a mess.

"in vain our hard fate we repine. in vain our fortunes we rail. on millagutawny we dine,or congee(kanjee) in bangalore jail." this was composed by an english prisoner during hyder ali's rule in 1784.as early as 500 bc,the aryans were eating "supa",a sanskrit word that described the extracts of cereals and various pulses which were later flavoured with ginger,pepper and pomegranate. the rasam has a long long history and loved by commoners,prisoners and kings. if you have not had this liquid appetiser, just don't wait. just get it and slurp. if you are one of those who haven't indulged in the finer things in life,this is your moment. embark on a journey of senses and discover the world of rasam.

narielpaani(coconut water)-the miracle drink

it is a fantastic drink. absolutely safe. no chances of any contamination. no chemicals. nothing spurious about it. and the latest research reveals that it helps patients recover from chikungunya, typhoid, cholera, jaundice etc. called elaneer in tamil nadu, daab in bengal and narielpaani in maharashtra, this super-heatlhy drink has everything going for it. i am not saying this. it is the world health organisation (WHO) which strongly recommends this drink.

it is a diurectic. it has pottasium and small amounts of sulphur,phosphorous and copper. it has vitamin C. besides, it is a beauty aid as well. it is excellent for hydrating the skin. deepika padukone swears by it. and so do yana gupta, kareena kapoor and ameesha patel who are all narielpaani buffs.

it is a great detox. it has negligible fat and calories.

make it a part of your daily routine. it will work wonders on you. a common sight in front of our hospitals is the humble narielwala. my narielwala,rajesh from kerala (actually rajen but made to rajesh by the mumbaikars) knocks on my door every morning with a broad smile on his face and a nariel in his hands- full of the miracle drink. god bless him. i know that my day has been made.

the patron of the poor-khwaja moinuddin chisthi

"khwaja mere khwaja,dil me samaja........when i heard this sufi number in 'jodha akbar' i went into a trance. and it continues to haunt me.what beautiful words and how brilliantly converted into a song by the great music director a.r.rehman.the picturisation of this number was unforgettable.and no wonder that rithik roshan got up and joined the singers and went into the turkish whirl.

"i am neither christian nor jew,neither persian nor muslim.i am neither the east nor west,neither from land nor from water." " i am concealed,secret,sometimes,sometimes i appear,and become obvious.sometimes i am a muslim,sometimes i am in the faith of moses,sometimes i am christian.in order to be a model to everyone,i manifest differently in every time."-jallaluddin rumi,the sufi poet and mystic.

sufism has been of great interest to me of late. i have read a few books on its main ideas and about jalaluddin rumi the founder of this cult.currently i am reading a book on rumi by will johnson.i even attended a a sufi evening last year during the kalaghoda festival.as i was particularly interested in the song set to music in jodha akbar. a.r.rehman is a devotee of gharib nawaz chisthi,a sufi saint. no wonder that he has composed such a beautiful song.

gharib nawaz khwaja moinuddin chishti was born in seistan, iran in 1138 in a well-respected syed family. his family was well-off and he led his childhood in comfort. however, when first his father and then his mother died in his teens, his economic condition deteriorated. for a while he subsisted on the income from the orchard he had received as inheritance. he was initiated at the age of 18 and for the next 22 years served merely as the water-boy for his convent. during that period, he was not allowed to attend the exclusive circle of his murshid. eventually when he reached the age of 40, one day khwaja uthman harooni called for him to his court, showed him his two fingers, and asked him what he was seeing in between those two fingers. gharib nawaz khwaja moinuddin chishti replied, “I am watching 18 thousand Galaxies.”

after performing Hajj, he visited the masjid-ul-nabawi (holy tomb of the prophet) in Medina. there he meditated at the tomb for several days. during meditation, he met the prophet muhammad, who commanded him in these words:
"o, moinuddin! thou art the helper of the faith. we hath granted thee the land of india. go there and stay, at ajmer. thy stay shall remove the faithlessness and glorify the truth."

from the land of paganism i.e. ajmer, khwaja moinuddin started the spiritual movement of the propagation of the truth. his efforts bore fruit and within a short period of sixteen years, ajmer was traansformed. It became the nerve center of moral and spiritual leadership in India,paved the way for a grand religious and social revolution, and provided opportunity to countless people to lead a life of equality and honor.

he was kind and forgiving. once a man came to him with the intention of murder. he read his intention spiritually, and treated him very kindly, and asked him, to do what he had intended. the man was ashamed and requested to be punished. khwaja moinudin replied, “the mendicant's habit is, whoever does evil to them, they treat him well." he forgave the man who later became his follower.

in spite of his renunciation of worldly things, his monastery was famous for his generosity and magnanimity. an enormous amount of food was cooked in his kitchen. no one ever went hungry from his gate. he is also known as Gharib Nawaz (patron of the poor). a large kitchen even today serves the hungry and the poor of all faiths from the campus of his monastery. his tomb is one of the holiest places in India where pilgrims, Muslims as well as Hindus come from every corner of South Asia to pay their homage. unfortunately,the terrorists did not even spare this holy place.

one night gharib nawaz khwaja moinuddin chishti went into his chamber after prayers and closed the door. he did not allow anyone to enter. all night long, the people outside heard a mystical sound coming from inside. at the crack of dawn, the sound stopped. sensing that there was something wrong because the door remained closed at the time of morning prayers, his devotees opened the door and found him dead. the year was 1229 A.D.

i am reproducing a translation of the song 'khwaja khwaja' which i found in the web for the benefit of those who may be interested. i thank the author profusely for the excellent translation.

"Khwaja ji.. Khwaja
-[Khwaja, O Khwaja]
Khwaja ji.. Khwajaji
-[Khwaja, O Khwaja]

Ya Ghareeb-un-Nawaaz
-[O supporter of the poor]
Ya Ghareeb-un-Nawaaz
-[O supporter of the poor]
Ya Ghareeb-un-Nawaaz
-[O supporter of the poor]

Ya Moin-ud-deen
-[O helper/assistant of the Faith]
Ya Moin-ud-deen
-[O helper/assistant of the Faith]

Ya Khwajaji, ya Khwajaji
-[O Khwaja, O Khwaja]
Ya Khwajaji, ya Khwajaji
-[O Khwaja, O Khwaja]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samaja
-[Khawaja, O Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Shahoun ka shah tu, Ali ka dulaara
-[You are the king of the kings, you are the beloved of Ali( R.A).]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samajaa
-[Khawaja, 0 Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Shahoun ka shah tu, Ali ka dulaara
-[You are the king of the kings, your are the beloved of Ali(R.A ).]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samajaa
-[Khawaja, O Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samajaa
-[Khawaja, O Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]


Bekassoun ki taqhdeer, Tune hai sawaari
-[The fate of helpless/needy/poor, you have changed]
Bekassoun ki taqhdeer, Tune hai sawaari
-[The fate of helpless/needy/poor, you have changed]

Khwaja, mere Khwaja
-[Kwaja O my Kwhaja]


Tere darbaar mein Khawaja, Noor to hai dekha
-[In your court Khwaja, we have seen the spiritual light(aura)]
Tere darbaar mein Khawaja, Sarr jhukate hain auliyaa
-[In your court Kwaja, you are held high by all other Valiees(Saitns/Mystics)]

Tu hai Mutawwalli Khawaja, rutbaa hai pyaara
-[You are the Caretaker Khwaja, you have a beautiful title]

Chahane se tujhko Khwajaji, Mustafa(PBUH) ko paaya
-[If we love you(also), we may get the love of Mustafa(prophet Muhammed PBUH)]


Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samajaa
-[Khawaja, 0 Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Shahoun ka shah tu, Ali ka dulaara
-[You are the king of the kings, the beloved of Ali(R.A).]


Mere peer ka sadkha, Mere peer ka sadkha
-[Thanks to my Peer(saint/priest), Thanks to my Peer(saint)]

Hai mere peer ka sadhka, Tera daaman hai thaama
-[Thanks to my Peer(saint/priest), through whom, I have come to know about you]

Kwajaji..
-[O Khwaja]

Talli har balaa hamari, chaaya hai qhumaar tera
-[All our worries/bad omens are gone, we are under your euphoria]

Jitna bhi rashque karein beshaq, to kamm hai aye mere Khwaja
-[No matter how much we envy you, it will be little]

Tere khadmoun ko mere rahnumaa, nahin choddna gawaara
-[It doesn't feel right to leave your side, you are our guide]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samaja
-[Khawaja, O my Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Shahoun ka shah tu, Ali ka dulaara
-[You are the king of the kings, the beloved of Ali(R.A).]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samaja
-[Khawaja, O my Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Shahoun ka shah tu, Ali ka dulaara
-[You are the king of the kings, the beloved of Ali(R.A).]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samaja
-[Khawaja, O my Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samaja
-[Khawaja, O my Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]

Bekassoun ki taqhdeer, Tune hai sawaari
-[The fate of helpless/needy/poor, you have changed]
Bekassoun ki taqhdeer, Tune hai sawaari
-[The fate of helpless/needy/poor, you have changed]

Khawaja mere Khawaja, Dil me samaja
-[Khawaja, O my Khawaja, come reside in my heart.]
Shahoun ka shah tu, Ali ka dulaara
-[You are the king of the kings, the beloved of Ali( R.A).]"

the tribal warli art

warli is an ancient east indian tribe.they settled in the western region of india somwhere in the tenth century ad.they were discovered in the early seventies.warla means a piece of land.warli is a maharashtrian folk painting .this small tribe execute their paintings in mud walls of their homes with a red plastered background.their paintings are done on these walls with powdered rice paste. this tribal fork art of maharashtra has been recognised for its originality,simplicity and exquisiteness internationally.tribal routine dalily life is depicted in many of their paintings.by studying these paintings one can make out the life that these tribals led.

the paintngs show their day to day life ,their customs and beliefs.some of the subjects of paintings are:-travelling in bullock carts,applying cowdung on floors and walls,string of mango leaves on the top of their entrance door,musicians at a wedding party,drawing water from wells,carrying stacks of water containers on the head,temple marriages,forms of humans and animals,hunting,harvesting etc. surprisingly there are no gods and goddesses in their paintings.they also paint on paper.

india has rich diversity in its culture.the handicrafts produced in our country are very special and follow historical traditions and artistry.the warli painting stands out as an outstanding example of the efforts of the tribals to exhibit their simple life,thoughts and ideas through the medium of painting.

some four years back i met a warli artiste accidentally in an exhibition.after i had chatted for a while he suggested that he would come over to my house and do some paintings.it was a two day job.he prepared a red background on the front walls of our balconies and did some exellent paintings which are as good as recently done even today. these are open balconies subject to sun and rain.i am happy to have a piece of indian tribal art on my balcony walls which i see every day and admire the painting skills of the warli tribal folks.

"jaane tu, ya jaane na"

it is the latest candy-floss romance to hit the screens in the mutiplexes where the youth converge in hordes. aamir khan,the producer,has struck gold.he has hit the bull's eye. written and directed ably by 30 year old abbas tyrewala,the movie is all about love,friendship,jealousy etc. emotions strongly prevalent in the youth. and as a spinoff it appeals to senior citizens as well who go down memory lane when they watch such films.

the faces are fresh and appealing. the young lovers jai( imraan khan) and aditi( the south indian genelia d'souza) are very close to each other but do not realise that they actually are in love. or is it that they are in a state of denial about their love for each other? the bonhomie and camaderie among their tightknit group of friends is phenomenal. rotlu,jiggy,bombs and shaleen tell mala about the love story of jai and aditi when they are waiting at the airport for the lovers who are returning from the us.it is a flashback. the two rajput cowboys who turn out to be jai's cousins are hilarious. paresh rawal as inspector waghmare does a good job. music by a.r.rahman is scintillating and choreography excellent.

son of amar singh rathore(naseeruddin shah), a proud rajput, jai is his father's exact opposite and a great embarrasment to his late father. jai is a mild,soft-hearted ,non-violent personality.something unheard of among rajputs.the dead amar singh now and again peeps out of his portrait and chides his mother(ratna pathak) about jai."he can be called a man only if he rides a horse,has a physical duel with someone and goes to jail".three important conditions for being a rajput. naseeruddin performs his role admirably.jai and aditi decide on their lives' course by trying to seek new lovers. when jai starts dating meghna (manjari phadnis), aditi gets very very jealous. she gets engaged to sushant (ayaz khan).he is the exact opposite of jai. aggressive,possessive and capable of physical challenges.qualities which aditi admires. but it is now jai's turn to turn green. he hits sushant when he kisses aditi on her lips.jai is jailed and teased and taunted by inspector waghmare who has a running battle with jai's activist mother.the rajput cousins come to jai's rescue.the experiment initiated by jai and aditi totally fails and jai and aditi realise how madly they are really in love with each other.it is a happy ending with jai galloping on horseback to the airport to stop aditi from leaving the country. amar singh rathore emerges from the portrait beaming, proud os his son who has fulfilled all the three essential requirements for being called a rajput!

the youngsters are watching the movie again and again."how many times have you seen 'jaane tu?",' is the oft repeated question in the age group thirteen to twenty. and this is spreading like an infection. the youth are coming back with their buddies,their social networking friends and even their parents! imran,the fresh face,has become an overnight star.genelia too.

everyone is enjoying it. so what if pappu can't dance,saala!

kolkatans are large hearted

kolkatans are a kind and caring lot. if any proof is required, diki sherpa from sikkim will testify. she suffers from renal failure since 2000. both her kidneys have now stopped functioning. daughter of a lama, she has no money for her medical bills. but the rich & famous and the poor are all chipping in.

about rs 4 lakhs is required for her surgery.already about half of this has been raised.industrialists sanjiv goenka,sanjay budhia.harsh neotia and football icon baichung bhutia have all contributed. even those who cannot afford have generously donated. like raju sardar,a banana vendor and sanjay duley,22, a rickshaw puller from chandernagore with rs 1000 each,which is more than their ten days' earnings with the words "may god bless diki". various hospitals have given diki sherpa discounts on medical tests and dialysis.rabindranath tagore institute of cardiac sciences has offered to defray the medical expenses before and after surgery.

the latest news is that diki was operated for kidney transplant on july 30.it was a marathon five hours operation which ended successfully.it would take 72 hours for diki to regain consciousness,the surgeons said.

well done kolkatans. keep it up.

i love lychee

lychee has been one of my favourite fruits from childhood. and like all good things in life, they don't come easily. lychee has a short season and if you have missed it you have to rest content with the tinned stuff. its crimsoncoloured skin hides a lovely translucent white juicy flesh which when you consume gives you a heavenly feeling. recently during my visit to kolkata i was lucky to find plenty of lychees on sale on the roads. i bought a big bagful.

lychees originated in india and are mainly grown in bihar,especially in muzzafarpur district along the river gandak,thanks to its agro-climatic condition. searing heat this year destroyed much of the crop. the burst of heat was immediately followed by rains. a double disaster for lychees.i came across an article which said that israelis have an innovative technology that can help increase litchi life span by keeping it fresh for atleast a month after they are plucked in full ripe condition. i hope our government buys the technology to boost the production and improve its availability. last year we exported about 100 tonnes to the middle east,canada,russia and the netherlands. this year we might not reach even a third of that.export requirements are stringent. lychees have to be delicious and must have a diameter of six centimeters to be exportable!.

lychees are oval in shape, have a brittle leathery skin with a light pink to deep red colour and a small seed. they are incredibly juicy,very aromatic and give forth a delightful burst of unbelieveable flavour. one can make a 101 things with lychees. sorbet,fruit salad,and even ice cream with ginger.also known as chinese cherry, lychees are very popular in south asian countries. according to some horticulturists,they resemble the muscat grape. in china, honey is harvested in large quantities from hives near lychee trees.lychee seeds are credited with analgesic qualities.

lychees are also considered to be a symbol of romance. a chinese poet had wrritten about lychees thus: all flavours here are joined, yet none is master; a hundred diverse tastes, blend in such harmony no man can say, that one outstrips the other; soverign of sweets, peerless, pre-eminent fruit, who dwellest apart in noble solitude.

i could not think of a better tribute to my favourite lychee.

"turkish delight"

turkey is known for its baths and towels the world over. i recently realised that it makes good confectionery as well. our daughter l recently presented me with a packet of "turkish delight". it brought me much joy.

small cubes made out of starch and sugar and garnished with icing sugar to prevent sticking due to its inherent stickiness and having an added flavour of almond.it is also available with pistacchio and cinnamon flavours.

like many other inventions this too happened by accident. a famous sultan of the ottoman empire ordered the palace confectioner to prepare a unique sweet to please the wives in his harem. the confectioner, after many rejections, ultimately came up with the magic recipe that has remained unchanged ever since.

what did he do? simple. he blended a mixture of sugar cyrup,various flavourings and nuts. and voila! the now internationally famous lokum was born. and then a british traveller became so fascinated with this delicacy that he shipped cases of lokum to britain. thus ali mohiddin haci beker,confectioner to the royalty,who was asked by the sultan to make soft candy also became famous.

adnan ozdogru,a greek lokum maker,has applied for european union trademark protection.inspired by pop diva madonna's lyrics "i've got turkish delight baby and so much more", he has produced "madonna lokum". a formula containing honey and a few aphrodisiacs. he is immensely grateful to the pop music icon for endorsing the "turkish delight".

the sultan's selection and the harem's delight. very very enjoyable.

"aamir"

aamir is a film about hope with terrorism as the backdrop.besides the protogonist aamir(ajay khandelwal),the other main characters in the movies are the majority city mumbai itself and the voice over the cellphone. aamir is a man on the run. aamir ali is a practising doctor residing in london.he is visiting hs family in mumbai.from the moment he lands at cs international airport his saga of harassment begins.the immigration officer asks him a hundred one questions.being a muslim he is suspected.he tells the officer that had his name been amar he would have left the airport by now. and then when he comes out he does not find his family members to receive him.he is worried.he calls up his residence.there is no response.two guys on a motorcycle ride by and throw a cellphone at him.then a few minutes later when he is awaiting a taxi,he gets a call on his mobile.from then on his misery starts.he is asked to strictly follow the instructions.he questions the caller.he is told that his family is captive and if he does not follow what he is told to do,they will be finished.their picture is also flashed on his mobile phone screen by his tormentor. aamir is petrified. he has no option but to follow the instructions of the faceless voice(shashank ghosh)

he puts his baggage in a cab and finds that the cab has taken off without him.he gives it a chase.eventually he gets into the cab and again after some time when he tries to run away at a signal,the taxi speeds away.the baggage lands in the house of the caller.aamir is accused of leading a good life,making lots of money and not caring for the downtrodden brothers and sisters of his community.the caller asks him "tumne kaum ke liye kya kiya hai?"(what have you done for your religion?).the local mafia have trapped aamir and are making him a terrorist.the fundamentalist kidnapper tricks the reformist aamir to plant a bomb in a bus.he carries a red briefcase to be handed over to another person.the briefcase contains cash.and when he reaches the address of the person to whom he is supposed to hand over the briefcase,he gets badly bashed up.with the help of a prostitute he traces the goons but by then they have transferred the cash and replaced it with the bomb.little knowing its contents he proceeds to the bus as directed by his persecutor.

the film was shot in 25 days in mumbai on a three wheeler van with shutters in the back after cutting a hole in the shutter.the movie is directed by young rajkumar gupta and music is by amit trivedi.the ninety minutes movie is tightly edited and takes you through the lanes and bylanes of the muslim dominated areas of mohammed ali road,chor bazar,bhendi bazar,nagpada,dongri etc.the slums,the irani tea shops,the decrepit buildings housing the chawls,the squalor and filth,the congestion,the prostitutes and pimps are vividly shown.a brutal display of the horrendous living conditions of the poor. the cinematographer alfonso roy shows mumbai in a way never before shown on screen.its obscenity,vulgarity and its sheer madness are all shown as aaamir chases taxis and criminals through roads,gullies and chawls.rajeev khandelwal's portrayal of the hapless muslim youngster drawn into the vortex of terrorism with the hope that his family and child will be spared is outstanding.the entire gamut of negataive emotions-anger,hurt and revenge have been brilliantly expressed by the actor.for the tv actor this has been a dream debut.

supposed to be a copy of the filipino movie titled "cavite", it is the story of a man asked to commit heinous acts by a voice over the telephone. the voice tells him "kaun kahta hai ki aadmi apni kismat khud liktha hai"(who says that one writes one's own destiny"?), in reply to aamir's retort to his faceless caller that a man writes his own destiny.

aamir means leader.here the hunter(leader) becomes the hunted. the well dressed expat doctor is brutally chased and finally killed.his family members are also eliminated.the narrative span of five hours,condensed into an hour and half keeps you in suspense throughout. the message of the film is clear.don't succumb to the terrorists.stick to your principles:have hope and faith and work for peace and love and not death and destruction.like at the last minute,aamir's conscience doesn't permit him to run away from the bus leaving the bomb behind. he does leave the bus only to come back and take the bomb away saving the lives of all the bus passengers.

the movie may not be a box office hit. after all it does not have bikiniclad heroines,titillating songs and sleazy scenes.but then it is a film worth seeing.you will regret it otherwise.

a taste of the real ethnic stuff for mumbaikars

mumbaikars are excited.and rightly so.particularly those who are addicted to wadapav and zunka bhakar.the quintessential marathi manus snack is donning new clothes.its image is getting a massive makeover thanks to the shiv sena who are planning to set up a chain of wada pav stalls on a co-operative basis.once succesful,the branded wada pav is expected to spread throughout the state through a network built by a sena-sponsored association of vendors .

the hot fried potato sanndwiched pav is now being upgraded and will acquire the status of a desi burger.finally, jumbo king is going to face the heat.to help promote job opportunities for the locals,only maharashtrians will be alloted the sena sponsored stalls.there will be mobile stalls and uniforms will be in shaded saffron and the new avatar will be called 'shiv wada pav. like macdonald's, everything going into the wada will be standardised so that no two wadapavs will taste differently,said a sena spokesperson.

in a parallel development the bmc is planning to bring in a proposal to legitimise 184 zunka bhakar stalls functioning in mumbai but not having licenses. a new scheme called 'annadata aahar kendra' will be launched to revive the earlier scrapped scheme. shiv sena leaders are in discussions with bmc to see how existing kendras can be accomodated as many of them are in the no-hawking zone.

the state elections are due next year and the common man is the beneficiary for the largesse which the government and shiv sena plan to provide by making the wada pavs and zunka bhakars within their reach without much physical or monetary strain.

the waiters in the wada pav stalls will also greet their customers in typical maharashtrian style."jai maharashtra".

"dasavatharam" and 'dashavatar'

south indian actor-director kamal hassan's magnum opus 'dasavatharam' was released last week. he is also the story,screenplay and dialogue writer.direction is by ravikumar. in chennai alone it was being shown in 21 theatres for over 135 shows a day.by the end of the first week it is estimated that about three lakh people would have watched the movie.it has been released in other states as well. the rs 70 crores project is supposed to be the costliest tamil film ever made surpassing the earlier record made by superstar rajnikanth's shivaji.i saw the last show last saturday at inox.the 190 minutes' movie had english sub-titles though i did not need it. and i returned with mixed feelings.

kamal is a talented actor. no doubt about that. his acting was spectacular and also downright absurd and comical at times. many of his critics consider him to be a narcissist, self-projecting ,vain and hugely egoistic.casting himself in ten roles in the same movie is a projection of his highly bloated perception of his own image,according to them. and with a weak story line, the movie at many instances bordered on the absurd and ludicrous.the movie turned out to be as confused and complicated as its protogonist.the critics got yet another opportunity to lambast him.

having said that, what is the movie all about? an international plot about apocalypse? why so much of hoopla and hype? what message does it convey, if any? is it only for entertainment for the moviegoers? or is there any purpose or intent or a messsage- subtle or otherwise?

according to hindu religion, lord narayana the supreme lord, descends on earth in difffernet incarnations(avatar), when evil overtakes good. he sets things right, accomplishes his mission and then returns to his abode till dark days reappear forcing him to descend again. he has taken nine forms so far and his tenth form is yet to manifest. the word dasavataram(das+avatharam-ten roles) is used as a metaphor for the title of the movie.in ancient times in the then bharathavarsha there used to be an artiste called bahurupi.as the name suggests he was adept in donning many roles all rolled into one.

kamal hassan's ten roles are:

1) rangarajan nambi,a 12th century staunch vaishnavite,who refuses to accept the suzeranity of lord shiva over the universe as forced upon him by the great chola king,an ardent shaivite. he gives up his life trying to save the idol of lord govindaraja chanting 'om namo narayanaya'

2) george bush,president of usa, who is fighting an unending war against terorists who have brought the world to the brink by using biological warfare

3) an indian born american scientist govind ramaswamy who comes to india in search of a deadly virus-inducing chip that has been stolen from his laboratory and which has the potential to destroy all mankind

4) ex cia agent fletcher hired by terrorists who is also after the same chip and is chasing the scientist

5) research and analysis wing(raw) agent balaram naidu

6) a pushto speaking eight feet tall pathan

7) a centenarian tamil iyengar woman,krishna veni patti, who suffers from alzheimer's and hides the chip inside the murthy of her lord

8) a punjabi pop star avtar singh suffering from cancer

9) a japanese martial arts teacher who is on a mission to avenge his sister's death in the hands of fletcher and

10) a darkfaced srilankan activist,vincent poovaraghavan who fights the sand mafia and eventually gets killed by the tsunami.

finally,of course, the chip is destroyed and the culprits are brought to book.

while kamal hassan is convincing in some of the roles like the vaishanavite priest, raw officer, krishna veni paatti and activist vincent, the other roles both their masked faces and their acting border on the profane and sheer stupidity. the movie begins with the scene of the temple of lord govindaraja, the argument between the chola king and the temple priest rangarajan nambi resulting in the forced removal of the lord's main idol and its ultimate drowning in the sea alongwith nambi. for every action there is a reaction. and that all people in a way are interconnected from generation to generation. one may say this is the message of the story. the law of karma takes shape at the end of the movie. 800 years later, a fault in the bottom of the ocean created the dreaded tsunami in december 2004. if you are a believer in the theory of chaos you might subscribe to this story line. laughable as it may seem, karunanidhi, tamil speaking george bush and manmohan singh are brought on a common platform to share their concerns on international terrorism.

asin acts as the brahmin girl attached to her perumal(lord vishnu's moorthy) ,mallika sherawat as fletcher's accomplice( kitsch in some scenes) and jayaprada as the loving wife of popstar avatar singh.excepting asin,the others have hardly any role to play.the special effects are excellent.more than 11 companies have worked on creating this spectacle.himesh reshammiya's music is below par,though the song mukunda mukunda went well.camerawork by ravi varman (or jeeva?) was outstanding.in particular, the removal of lord govindaraja's idol and the process of immersing it into the sea and the finale when tsunami strikes were beautifully picturised.

in sum,a spectacular visual effect,action-packed, alone cannot carry the movie through. with a weak and confused story line, bad make-up resulting in unrealistic and farcical portrayals, lack of crisp editing ends up as a marathon exercise somewhat wasted. it dazzled only to disappoint. it may still cause the cashbox in the boxoffice to jingle. but it will not go down as a winner.

there was a special screening arranged for karunanidhi.he was so impressed that he gave kamal a kiss and hug.there were accusations of plagiarism by one senthil kumar who alleged that the script of 'ardhanari' had been copied.the court rejected the petition asking for a stay on the release of dasavatharam saying that the two stories are entirely different. and of course the controversy regarding the vaishnavite/saivite clash.many hindu outfits protested against what was being shown.their petition too got rejected.

and it can happen only in india. on the day when dasavatharam was released,dashavatar an animated magnum opus in hindi directed by bhavik thakore was also released. it is based on the ten avatars of lord vishnu. i have to see whether this animation by phoebus media and the characters come anywhere near ratatouille or beowulf. there are voice-overs from shreyas talpade,tom alter,roopa ganguly and sachin khedekar.

do we need superman when we have vishnu as a super-duper hero morphing into his ten incarnations with ease and elan?

thai curry in the air

normally,i don't eat on board the aircraft. unless it is a very long flight.generally, both the smell and the contents put me off. but i do take a look at the menu card and see whether the airlines are creative and keep changing their menu or whether they stick to the tried and tested pack. indian airlines now renamed air india offfers typical desi food.and occasionally some indian chinese. kingfisher's food is supposed to be excellent. i have tried it on a few occasions on early morning flights. yes,they deserve the credit. recently on a kol-mumbai jet airways flight,i decided to be a bit experimental when i had a look at the menu card and requested for a thai vegetable curry. and i must say i thoroughly enjoyed it.it was delicious. it brightened my day.

the presentation was simple and the curry colourful and aromatic. fragrant rice beautifully garnished.

makroot and basil flavoured vegetable curry in red masala served with steamed rice and brinjals cooked in basil sauce. i liked it so much and even wanted to ask the airhostess for a second helping! i think our palates have an afflinity to thai cuisine. i have eaten thai food before. but this one was out of the world. a fine blend of sweet and sour.spicy yet subtle.i have heard a lot about the thai pavilion at the president hotel,cuffe parade and about their famous chef ananda solomon. it is time for me to test him out.

the castle in the air

he is the fifth richest man in the world and he is making an audacious statement.by building the world's most expensive home at mumbai. mukesh ambani and wife nita ambani while holidaying in new york at mandarin hotel were so impressed with what they saw there that they decided to hire the same architect for their 27 storey skyscraper being built at a cost of about 2 billion dollars.

like the chinese' feng shui' we have 'vaastu' in india which has been used beneficially for channelising the energy movement in the building.six stories of parking lots for accomodating 168 cars,nine elevators,a 65 seat movie theatre and wine room,swimming pool and yoga studio, an ice room in a manmade snow flurry and three hellipads,antilla, has it all. it is coming up at a furious pace on altamaount road at malabar hill.

while visiting my daughter who lives nearby,i happened to see this monumental structure rising up eclipsing all things around. being built on a plot of land bought controversially from the muslim wakf board for only about 5 million dollars, the mumbai municipal corporation issued several instructions for stoppage of work due to insufficient permission. nevertheless,the project goes on undeterred and unfazed. expected to be ready by early 2009, the ecofriendly home which has a magnificent view of the arabian sea from the higher floors will be costlier than any 5 star hotel and will put lakshmi mittal's new mansions in london far behind.

mukesh's father,the famous late dhirubhai ambani and the founder of the 'reliance' empire had built a skyscraper in colaba during his heydays and had named it 'sea wind'. the son having a networth of 43 billion dollars has gone many steps beyond the father by building 'antilla'. it is a 'real' castle in the air.

the great khali

i had never heard of this humongous persona till a few days back. he has been in the limelight for his wwe performances and has not received much admiration from his fraternity in india. the great khali as he is known has a massive chest and he is wellknown for his trademark black shirt.his height,weight and diet are in the fingertips of children who look up to him with great awe.the media attention he is getting is awesome.there is great hoopla surrounding his return to india.this ex punjab police officer was mr india in 1995 and 1996.he now lives in georgia,atlanta,usa.

while in school, i was briefly exposed to some boxing.when i watched a st xavier's vs la martiniere boxing match and saw my friend being repeatedly hit on the face by his opponent,i walked out and said to myself "enough is enough". a few years later while we were in kanpur on a short stay, i watched for a brief while a wrestling match betweem king kong and dara singh. i liked the spectacle of two heavily built persons fighting it out.compared to boxing,i thought this was more civilised. later i used to read occasionally about the exploits of mohammed ali and dara singh who later did some filmy roles.mohammed ali became incapacitated by a severe hit on his head.i wondered whether it was all worth it. but then it runs in the genes.his daughter has taken after him and seems to have achieved a certain class.

'asli hindustani ko harake dikhao,phir hum maanege ke tum bhi kuch cheez ho", says dara singh. (defeat a true hindustani wrestler,then we will accept that you are something), who believes that khali is no wrestler.he is only an entertainer.dara singh who dismisses the wwe rules of fighting,asks why khali has not accepted the challenges of indian wrestlers.palwinder singh cheema,rustom-e-hind and olympian champion has thrown the gauntlet."tab pata chalega ki kaun tagda hai".(then we will know who is tough).

irrespective of all these criticisms,khali is quite unfazed. he loves kids and the kids love him.he displayed his phenomenal strength by picking up street kids like matchsticks when he visited the ngo doorstep school.many children don't drink their milk unless they hear stories about khali. and many parents make their children watch the wwe shows and tell them that if they want muscles like khali they better drink up their milk. and it works according to the parents. khali is keen to see children pursuing wrestling as a hobby.however, he sounded a note of warning to the children."don't fight at home". carrying some kids on his hefty shoulders,he told them that he too was a fan of sachin tendulkar and shah rukh khan.

the 7'3,190 kg wrestler who is no dancer is now being made to dance to the tunes of choreographer pony verma.he is learning the punjabi bhangra and is still far away from rap or hip-hop.it's for khali's debut film aptly titled"kushti".(wrestling).bollywood now has a new star in the works. dalip singh rana.

say "khwa-so" (croissant)

while flying from mumbai to kolkata last friday by an early morning flight, i discovered something about this delicious puff pastry that i had not known before.i love croissants.and it used to be my morning breakfast with coffee during my frequent trips to the midlands in england many years ago.and i have always pronounced it as croi-ssan.i got a bit of education on the low-cost airliner "indigo" when i asked for a vegetarian breakfast.these airliners don't provide you with free refreshments.you have got to buy them.i decided to try a croissant with paneer and mirchi in it. i liked the taste and just two croissants was what the doctor ordered.the croissants came nicely packed with the package containing useful information about the origin of croissant and how it is mistakenly pronounced and what is the right pronunciation.

i had thought that the croissant is a french invention.totally wrong.a courageous and watchful baker in budapest,hungary while working one night in 1686 heard rumbling noises and immediately informed the city's military.the turks were planning a secret attack by tunnelling under the city's walls.the tunnel was demolished and overnight the baker became a hero.when asked what he wanted as reward,the modest baker requested for the sole right to make a special pastry commemorating the incident.he shaped the pastry like a crescent to mock the turkish flag.implied meaning was the the hungarians had eaten the turks for lunch!

as far as the correct pronunciation is concerned,i must admit it is tricky.say it like "khwa-so" with a nasal "o" at the end.indigo made it simpler by providing a how-to-pronounce- guide in different languages.

"leavened variant of puff pastry by layering yeast dough with butter and rolling a few times in succession,then rolling and rolling",croissant, is not easy to make by any stretch of imagination and neither can it be made fast. a competitor to the american doughnuts, croissant is high in calories and fat. the french will swear by their "pain au chocolat", a croissant pastry wrapped around almond paste or chocolate before it is baked. i would love to have it too.

"bow barracks forever"

having lived in kolkata for many years,when i first heard that a movie had been made revolving around the anglo-indian community,i was intrigued. "bow barracks forever" is all about a small community living behind the bow bazaar police station off central avenue in kolkata. as the name suggests,these dwellings were built during the first world war for the army. later when they departed,civilians moved in to stay there. most of the residents are anglo- indians though iraninans,parsis and chinese also live there.the buildings were not well constructed and as no maintenance was ever done, it has fallen into disrepair. so much so that the structure has became unsafe and the lives of the residents are at stake. the state government declared the complex unsafe for living and plans to demolish it and construct new buildings.the residents suspect the motives of the government as they fear of a nexus between builders and politicians and refuse to quit.they would far rather continue in an unsafe house rather than lose their only shelter by being thrown out into the streets.

written and directed by anjana dutt the film, a pritish nandi production, is basically about the triumph of the human spirit and how a determined person can surmount odds which look impossible to deal with.it is also an attempt to raise awareness about the anglo-indian community and its major concerns today. many of the younger generation have migrated to australia,canada and the usa. the old have been left behind to fend for themselves. it is a 118 minutes movie shot almost entirely in the bow barracks,a red bricks housing block,in a thirty day schedule. the script is very mediocre. there is hardly any story.the music is of an old world kind. beatles,etc. music is by anjana dutt's son,neil. the highlights of the movie are some excellent acting by lilette dubey,victor banerjeee and sabyasachi chakraborthy.the characters are real but their stories are fiction.the anglo-indians are picturised as a happy-go lucky people,having lots of fun,and enjoying their drinking to the hilt. wine making for own consumption as well as limited sale was quite common among the anglo-indians of bow barracks. particularly during the christmas season. the true spirit of the bow barracks is evident here. the youth club of bow barracks organises concerts and parties and everyone has fun-old,young and the kids.

the language used is often profane and has large sexual content.there is the oversexed rebellious housewife(moon moon sen),the badly battered housewife(neha dubey),the foot loose youngster(clayton rodgers),a strong and dignified mother(lilette dubey) and the lovable peter the cheater(victor banerjee) and the wife beater tom(sabyasachi). all these characters play out their roles quite impressively but the weak script and the absence of a strong story makes the movie fall flat. there is even a cameo by usha uthup.the dialogues in bengali had no subtitles and it looked as if the movie was made for a bengali audience.

the rundown paada(dwelling) has about 1500 occupants of about 130 families living on 3 bighas.the construction is 90 years old. a scene where peter the cheater,the saxophonist drunkard and swindler, with his twinkling eyes begs lilette for a kiss on the cheek is superbly enacted and very moving.like it or not they are all stuck in bow barracks.there is a paradox.some of them want to get away from hell on earth and are not able to do it for circumstantial reasons.others think it is paradise on earth and would never dream of leaving their abode.while the afternoons are dead quiet with many of the elders enjoying their siesta,the evenings are the exact opposite with the whole place resembling a mela.again an effervescent community life in the midst of a conservative hindu bengali area.

the madrid international film festival which concluded in end march threw up a big surprise.lilette dubey was awarded the best actress award for her role in "bow barracks forever".

anjan dutt's intentions were good.but the drawbacks have been major minuses and have made the film a commercial flop. the anglo-indian community,an endangered species, has given kolkata "music,food and park street". it remains to be seen whether they have the last laugh.

a holy combo - 5 in 1

yesterday was a very auspicious day.friday 22nd march.it was fortunate that i signed a very important agreement for my company on such an occasion.

the moslems celebrated their prophet mohammed's birth anniversary. eid-e-milad-un-nabi.his death anniversary also falls on this day.it was jamshed navroz for the zoroastrians.the first day of the fasli calendar.the jews celebrated purim,the day when esther,the hebrew princess was married to the persian king ahaseurus.the christians were solemnly observing good friday. jesus christ was crucified on this day and christians believe that blessings of humanity arose as a result of jesus's execution. two days later jesus was resurrected from the dead.and the hindus celebrated the colourful holi. a festival of bohomie and camaraderie.

and it was also the day when celestial weddings took place. lord shiva married parvati on 'panguni uttiram' day. lord rama (an avathar of lord vishnu) married sita (an avathar of mahalakshmi) in the third month of the lunar calendar.known as phalguni in the north and panguni in the south. uttiram star was on the ascendant. mahalakshmi emerged on this day when the ocean was churned(samudramanthan) in search of nectar.and also the only day in the year when lord ranganatha and ranganayaki thayar come together at the srirangam ranganatha temple.on this day sri ramanujacharya,the vaishnavite preceptor offered three compositions (gadya traya) at the feet of perumal and thayar.

the victory of good over evil,the defeat of the asuras.when hiranyakashipu became intolerable and tried to kill his son prahalada,a devotee of lord vishnu,by making him sit on his sister holika's lap who then entered a pyre. holika was covered with a woolen shawl to prevent her from getting burnt. miraculously,the shawl flew and covered prahalada and holika ws burnt to death.from that day onwards,holi is celebrated by lighting a bonfire.and following it up the next day with splashing of colours on each other's faces.the men in gujerat where lord krishna was born, are driven away by sticks on this day as was the case when lord krishna used to chase the maidens in mathura and the young girls would take sticks in their hand and go after krishna.

substantially,the theme of all these religious festivities remains the same.goodness,the victory of truth over evil and the togetherness of humanity. let us all pray on this auspicious day for peace in this planet and happiness for all mankind.