Kidnapped - Robert Louis Stevenson

Revisited this 222 page children's classic by Robert Louis Stevenson that had been glaring at me from my 'unread' bookshelf for several years. Written in 1886 by the famous Scottish writer who lived only to the age of 44 (1850-1894), and who wrote the classics such as 'Treasure Island' and the 'Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde', it has real life incidents and people in the story and is set against the backdrop of a political murder, 'the Appin...

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Song of the Day - Panna ki tammanna mera Heera mujhe mil jaye

This is a fantastic slow number, all romantic, in every way. One of those songs I knew nothing about since I had not seen the movie nor did I know anything about it. I merely heard it many times over the radio in the 70s and 80s during my school and college days and loved the sound of it (the kind of a song you'd sing to your girlfriend on a quiet sundown). But you got to see the video of this 1973 movie 'Heera Panna' starring Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman. The way Dev Anand runs after the cap and his stylistic improvisations all through, the way he...

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The Paradoxes of Our Lives - Ignore what we have, Crave for what we don't

We ignore that which we have with us, and crave for what we don't have. And once we acquire that which we don't have, we ignore that too, and crave for another thing we don't have. Our lives it would appear are about acquiring a series of things that we don't have. Is it any wonder that what we have disintegrates, dissipates or just disappears in time.Maybe if we gave some attention to what we have, we could find that which we are seeking in what...

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Kahaani - Movie Review

Watched 'Kahaani' and enjoyed it. Finally off the list of the to-do things. Kolkata looks the same it did when I was there in 1991 and I completely loved the way the camera takes in Kolkata and those wonderful bunch of characters who are so perfect (save the obviously Bengali babus in Tamil and South Indian names and the obviously Maharashtrian agent who is cast as a UP or Bihari). But the rest are incredibly good, the cops at the cop house, the...

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The Struggle and Betrayal, The Telangana Story - An Autobiography of Shri K.V. Ranga Reddy

Coming from the former Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, one who was born and brought up in Telangana, one who was a leading political figure of high stature during the inclusion of the Nizam's dominion into India (Telangana belonged to the Nizams dominion then) and later on during the formation of Andhra Pradesh, one who has led his life with high levels of commitment, fairness and justice as seen from his deeds and words, this is probably...

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Song of the Day - Ruk Jana O Jana

This popular song from 'Warrant' shot on Dev Anand and Zeenat Aman is one of those peppy travel numbers that will pick up your spirits anytime. More so if you watch the video. An irrepressible Dev Anand with one of those big moustaches (similar to the one that he wears in Gambler) follows Zeenat Aman who is going around in a red car (an Impala type of a car) on all modes of transport - by foot, by road roller, by bullock cart and once he even rolls down a hill slope in a bitumen drum to block her car. And finally, much to my amazement, at the end...

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Thought for the Day - What's Your Relationship with Life

What is your relationship with your life? Think back, take a moment. Is life your friend? Is life constantly setting you up for failure? Is life disappointing you? Or as Amitabh famously sang in Muquaddar ka Sikandar, is life the bewafa, the betrayer, who leaves you finally to death's (the mehbooba, or lover's) embrace?Love this picture I shot on the move somewhere in the HimalayasIs life is our friend? The one who holds our hand all the time we...

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Manhattan - Movie Review

Been long pending on my list of must-watch movies from good ol Sagar's collection, 'Manhattan' is quintessential Woody Allen. It is probably one that is close to Allen's heart as well as he lives there and spends almost all his time in New York (he rarely moves out apparently). Allen plays Issac, a twice divorced 42 year old comic writer (a job he takes on often in his roles again) who impulsively quits his job to write a book about New York. If...

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Thought for the Day - Everything comes out of a packet or container

I was wondering how kids these days, the urban ones, would ever understand where anything came from. Everything comes out of a packet or container. All you need to do is go to the supermarket and pick it up. How will they ever associate milk with cows or buffaloes, rice and wheat with crops, fruits with trees, flowers with plants, toys and chocolates with factories, chicken, fish and mutton with their sources.It's sitting there neatly packaged, advertised...

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Anjali - But You Must Love Everyone

When I tease Anjali these days with 'I love you so much and I love only you in this world' she gets pretty distressed at my obvious lack of understanding at how it all works. She comes by and tells me patiently that I must not love her alone.'You must love everyone Nannna. Otherwise people won't love you.' And to drive home her point she says further. 'See, I love you but I love everybody else also na. I love Mamma, Mythily atta, Manasi, Chimu, Baba...

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Kashmakash - Movie Review

Based on Rabindranath Tagore's 'Naukadubi' this is Rituparno Ghosh's film that was dubbed into Hindi.by Subhash Ghai. Ramesh Chaudhry (Jisshu Sengupta), a romantic booklover and lawyer, is in love with Hemnalini (Raima Sen), an educated well-to-do young lady in Kolkata. Hemnalini's father, a renowned lawyer and his family accept Ramesh as their future son-in-law. On Hemnalini's birthday Ramesh is called away by his father to his village urgently...

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Powerplay at Hyderabad

As summer approaches the denizens of Hyderabad have to be as strategic as the Indian cricketers in handling power plays. We are faced with power plays at any and many times during the day. Unlike cricketers we have to be prepared not just for the scheduled power cut which is fine with us but the unscheduled power cut as well. For example my days these days have a power cut at 8 a.m. sharp (making shaving etc difficult in the dark so forgive my large...

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