Insight

It took us 4 months and a lot of plans (failed to semi – executed) to make it to the famous “Heritage Walk” that is organised in the city. Finally, we made it!! While you begin wondering why I am making “getting there” such a big deal, let me offer justification and save you from becoming judgmental! Of the 6 of us who wanted to go – none of us could match time such that we came to a consensus – our “OH-SO” hectic schedules standing at the zenith among the chart of reasons we had! Yet again, Oh yeah, we made it – finally…

…And I was glad we did! The Heritage walk ( I’m leaving the History of the walk for you to Google – I ain’t giving it all to you on the platter for you to savour) is truly a walk which aims at giving our generation a feel of how where we live – came about! This walk took me back to the 1400 and 1500’s when the Kings ruled the now so urban setting. What surprises me is that without taking all the multi-dimensional courses in urban and regional planning as we understand it today ( Please Note: I’m not saying they are useless or not needed), they were in a position to, so impeccably, design a layout of how the city would look after they build territories. I am marveled at how inspite of no professional qualification, they executed their visions so successfully. I wonder what they studied or practiced that made them equipped enough to create entire cities! The textile mills and gates that I saw were such sights of Architectural Specimen that I falter with words to explain the intricacies. They make  few men like that today! Sadly but truly, the pivot that decides your career today, is the educational qualification you hold.

Coming back to “something that passes on across generations”, I felt so thrilled with the idea of having typically Hindu and Jain sculpture work in a Mosque clubbed beautifully with Mughal work as well. There was no communal bias whatsoever! Everybody lived like one whole happy community despite practicing their respective religions. There was only commonality and no typicality! It was so relieving to see that the place that is today known and talked about as a brewery of  “Communal Problems” was once the most harmonious place in the country that knew no concept of “Ghetto-ism” . Also, the king was extremely liberal in his thoughts and beliefs that helped the city prosper to its best capacity.

So, to put all the threads through one needle, I think our Heritage (from what I saw during the Heritage Walk) speaks more than volumes of the History text books published to date – of the lifestyles, beliefs,attitudes and techniques (please let me say that) that lived those times! That it would live tomorrow as well, is precisely why we have these WALKS..THE WALKS OUR PAST WALKED, THAT WE WALK and that WE WILL – MAKE WALK!

Anushree

We wanted to have some fafda-jalebi or any kind of festive Gujarti food on the eve of Dasshera. So we rushed to Majestic to get hold of that Kathiawadi bhojan. That we were late, and the fact that food places close down at 3pm in Bangalore- are reasons why we couldn’t have the food. We weren’t actually dejected at our failure, since it wasn’t fafda-jalebi anyways, it was some boondi and ganthiya. So, all woes notwithstanding, we trudged our way, hungrily to a nearby food joint.

After some food, we felt like a movie, and off we went to the nearest Hindi cinema hall, where one of us had got info that a good hindi movie was going to be played. Since it was Ajay Devgan, and the name “Aakrosh”, I readied myself for some strong cinema. And strong it was. It has story that is carefully woven, though I felt sometimes that the script overdid things for public satisfaction/entertainment. And, since i mentioned Dasshera, this wasn’t exaclty Ram killing Ravan. People who’ve watched the movie may object, but here’s my reason.

Aakrosh is successful in unearthing the atrocities faced by the rural oppressed by some vile, ignorant, egoistic, orthodox, greedy men who wash their blood stained hands with the fig leaf of honour. The story moves with a pace, and has one of the best beginnings, I’ve felt in Hindi cinema. The song Ramkatha blends in artistic flair, while settling the necessary doubt that has to be there initially in such a strong story. I won’t blabber and bore you with critical appreciation of cinema that i’m not good at.  So, back to the point.

Although the film is entertaining and made in order to create awareness in urban and rural residents about the sheer cruelty and stupidity in Honor Killings, it fails to send the message of peace when it vents the vicarious fury of the viewer and the virtual fury of the characters in the form of a righteous settlement precipitating as murder of the criminals. The criminals have been shown to be hideous, incorrigible and plainly sick humans who would never try to understand nor listen to their conscience- a class of people who, as concluded by the film, should be righteously exterminated. Is there really no alternative?

I like to contrast this to The Dark Knight where the Batman “won’t kill the Joker” out of “some misplaced sense of righteousness”. But I would also like to compare it to the Mahabharata, another story, whose incomparableness notwithstanding, where evil is defeated by good. However, symmetry is maintained in the latter, and we get a balanced view. In Aakrosh, the end is fitting for the criminals, at the hands of the widow whose tongue they cut, after killing her husband. The end satisfies the basic vengeance, and is a culmination of repressed fury which is depicted hence. Personally, I feel it went a bit abrupt in the wrap-up, and if it was shown with an end that had love instead of the righteous kill, it would go down as one of the best stories ever told. But these things are difficult, and convincing an audience of an unexpected end in such cases can be very disastrous- especially when you have shown what Evil is, you have to show what Good is. Sometimes, Good is different from Righteous. A Good end could be on some lines with the wrongdoers committing suicide or a display of true change of heart, and repentance.

Some may ponder on what’s good, while some say, or rather shout: “Just kill the bastard.”

I live in a PG. Before you guess the state of my accommodation, let me tell you, I do not share a house with a family. It’s more of a hostel, where bachelors stay. But that’s not the point. I walk out of my PG, and to the office, and midway, there’s this grocery store. There are lots of grocery stores really in the area, small shops that’d have everything- from Goodlife Tetra milk to Eggs. These are very small shops, and you can’t expect bananas to be there, especially when you are from a place where grocers generally do not sell bananas. But well, they’re there, and even if you don’t see them across the dealing space, it’s worth a try asking. Chances are, you will get them!

So, there’s this uncle- I don’t know the name, but he’s a good guy, so I’ll refer him to as “uncle”. Actually he’s a “dadu”, but well, some kid called me “uncle”, and I found it hilarious, and so I’ll call this guy “uncle” to extend the hilarity. As it turns out, he’s a grocer too. One of the many grocers here. The area is not very developed, and it’s a shabby shop, his. Little frames of rusted iron hold biscuit packs that show through glass and appealed me at first. It was also my love for bananas though, I saw them hanging over there. Now, this uncle is a very simple guy. And I’m fond of the simplicity. Out of all the salesmen I’ve seen in Bangalore, all have been hard bargainers. The IT/Software customer is known to be an easy spender, which has turned him and his community into a scapegoat for auto-ricks and the general selling community- such as the real estate guy, the grocer, the veggie, the restaurateur- you name ‘em- All are ready for a software guy to spring up as their customer.

But our man, this uncle, is different. His is a simple life. And you can gauge this simplicity from his smile when you ask him: “kela pakka hai kya?”. And he smiles and replies- “Aaj kachcha hai, kal pakka ho jayega”. So, I go to another grocer that’s apparently waiting for customers such as me, and ask her for the beloved banana. And she astounds me with the price. Her offer is 4 rs per piece. I generally buy 2 pieces for 5 bucks from the uncle. So, I say, no thank you and leave. The next week, the uncle’s merchandise is ripe, but old. I bid for the banana, give him the regular 5 rupee coin and he gives me 2 pieces. I turn to leave, and he says something in Kanadian (I love aliasing kannada to Kanadian and kannadigas as Kanadians- no offense, just my way of using the proper noun!). I turn back, and as the dim tubelight in his small and less than eloquent showroom flickers, he returns a 1 re coin. And the quality of the sale is good too. I’ve made it a point to buy groceries from this small shop- not that I’d get it for 2rs less or a 50% discount, but because this guy’s true, genuine and simple. It’s hard to find such people. But there’s the other side too, everyone has to make a living. It’s all about the premium that you demand from the other guy to take as your own credit, and live happily with that settled in your conscience. This old man, puts honesty before that premium, and earns his livelihood, and lives happily, or so I assume he lives happily.

His face beams of happiness and his motions across his small shop are free and without inhibitions or signs tension. The other lady, on the other hand, I’ve seen her quarrel a few times with her customers, and looks far more tensed. May be there’s more to her life than that banana sale, but that notwithstanding, honesty does give a clairvoyance and freedom in life, that is sometimes more valuable to maintain that sanity. I’m a capitalist myself!

Let me tell you in one line, what I want to say:

Why is a human not allowed to go anywhere on this earth!

Each country has a border, I accept it, has visas – I accept it, I have to apply for visas – I accept it. But a visa gets rejected!! – not acceptable!…

In ones lifetime, a human as an animal, should be allowed to freely roam wherever he wants, and specially countries like US who are rejecting Indians for a tourist visa is disappointing for me. Not that I have been rejected, but I here stories about how US government without giving reason has right to reject a person who wants to travel to a soil that is floating on the earth’s surface.

Human’s have passport to earth and then to their own country.

One way! – Aliens

let us find aliens or a celestial body with living things! That would solve our problem.  Thats because, a living thing on earth will need to identify itself against a NRE (non residential on earth). And the only way to do that is by providing a passport on earth. That would allow earthlings to move anywhere on earth as they belong to earth.

Other way! – War

Yes, a human is allowed to go anywhere on earth, so try doing it! but if you want to enter an area that another human is dwelling on! you ll have to fight against him (like an animal). So why not, pirates do it, so should we. The quote below is then the truth -

There is nothing right or wrong, there is only Power

Just a thought

Some of you may have already noticed, if not, I with two other friends of mine (Apurva and Anjelo), are starting our first business. A web-based business called ‘Voucherz’ which will allow users to use vouchers/offers going on in restaurants, stores and other businesses in and around Melbourne. Businesses will advertise their offers on our site and users like you will sms or email the offer to yourself and present the message to redeem it.

Till now experience has been awesome; so much to think about, so many questions to answer. Each minute of the day, I am thinking about the business and working on it! For me the learning experience is priceless. I have always wanted to start a business on my own, and now that I am doing it, I realize there is a lot involved than just ideas. Some may say an idea can change the world but ideas need to be implemented or executed, and its the way you execute that change the world. No matter how good your idea is, if not planned, it wont be a success.

Thats where we are right now, we are trying our best to plan and execute it right. The responsibility that comes with being an owner is what drives us to meet everyday, brainstorm and work on each aspect of the business. We noticed during out first two weeks, our meeting started with discussion which went on and on without actually coming to a decision. Just like every job some part is fun and some part boring, we were washed away in the river of ideas until we decided to work on it. Now we have started writing documents, writing reports, researching the market and documenting it.

Now we are ready to go! now we want to raft our way down! we expect to hit the rocks and fall off but nothing is going to stop us to get back on and continue rafting!

It seems like a dream come true!

Hope for the best, hope to learn a lot out of it!

Voucherz

Web – http://www.voucherz.com.au

Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Voucherz/119100034783565?ref=ts

Twitter – http://twitter.com/voucherzau

One more of TedTalks – this one is about how to start a movement.

Its difficult to be the first one, at least for me. I cannot be that crazy. Being a leader is always difficult. Its not only about having unique ideas, its about working on them and actually executing them. A leader is always crazy until he has a follower.

If I would asses myself as to where I am in the video above, I believe I am somewhere between 1st and 2nd follower. I fear, or I should say I am still not that courageous and crazy enough to be a leader. On the other hand I am crazy enough to be the first follower. I like to make leaders. Yes a bit selfish, as its less risky!

Thats what I am going to work on, Being a leader, Being the loner who dances when others are laughing. Having patience, keeping the spirit on, until I get Followers.

I stand as a 1st follower who wants to become a leader, and I will be one soon!

Crazy Leader, Crazier Follower.

Where are you?

Karthik Calling Karthik

Few days back I watched Karthik Calling Karthik and the movie triggered me to write this blog. Am not going to write about the psycho aspect of the film (I dint enjoy that much) but what I liked was Karthik 2.0 — the change in karthik after karthik calls karthik.

We all have been advised to write a personal diary our reflections; to close our eyes for 10 minutes and think about our life. One of my friend advised me to talk to myself ‘loud’ in my room. Another friend of mine talks to a wall in her bedroom. I consider such acts as effective techniques to know and improve ourselves. Talking to yourself is not crazy, I think everyone should do it.

‘Know Yourself’. Know and accept your weaknesses and work towards strengthing them. And what better than talking to yourself consciously and loudly at night.

Try out !. You might think it is ‘unrealistic’, ‘crazy people would do that’, but believe me

Being Unrealistic Helps

Its time to call yourself — tring tring..

My friend Manali is doing her Masters at CEPT, Ahmedabad and she introduced me to this form of art called installation art. It is a site-specific art, three-dimensional in Nature. We see a lot of these around us, there are street installations, installations in a campus or building. This blog is about an installation by Manali at her university.

Walking around the campus, she lead us to her site. Spellbound, I kept on staring at the installation. Its difficult to describe the art but I ll try describing the raw details of it. A mess of paper rolls, entangled with barbed wires, connected by jute threads, were suspended 4-5 feet above ground with the help of trees around, on which jute threads were knotted.

Her mind in Process

She described it as her mind. Each paper roll described a roll of thoughts in her mind. Her fears and her thoughts were depicted in the rolls. The mess, the wires and thread showed the confusion in her mind, or her struggle to understand her own self.You can read more about it in her own words on her blog (links given at the end).

For me, I was amazed as to how she was able to cut open and extract her mind into threads to create it. She is as good as a doctor who is trying to know the human brain. The art speaks of her story, if I could read it, I would be able to tell the past, present and future of  her life by only looking at her installation.

Words fall short to describe this particular installation. You should actually have a look at it to understand it. Sitting around it for an hour, a person would surely know himself/herself more.

Pics are taken from her blog

To know more about it check out her blog. Comments here are welcomed and will also be read by Manali.

http://mattiima.blogspot.com/2009/12/process.html – The process … leading to thoughts

http://mattiima.blogspot.com/2010/01/installation-pics.html – Installation Pics

http://mattiima.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-thoughts-ahmedabad-cept-2009.html – her thoughts

I have stopped comments as I have been receiving spams.. Please feel free to comment on

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Few days ago I saw Parzania, immediately after the movie, I wished I wouldn’t have seen it. The movie has scenes of riots, that happened in Ahmedabad between hindus and muslims in 2001. My question is, why should people watch movie which has such reality? Movies that bring back memories, Movies that make people in a city remember that there was a riot and that there is something called hindu and muslim, such movies should never been shown to those who are not a part of the issue.

Friends say, you don’t know the reality and the problems that are faced because this religious battles. Why should I know? Why do you want to tell me, make me aware? Is it so that I actively get involved and go in such areas to spread message of peace?  By that you are making me the part of issue. I believe the solution is not, making those who are not aware, aware, but making those who are aware, not aware.

Do not show me, there is a war in an area, show the people who live in such areas that there isn’t a war in my area. I enjoyed my time when others were fighting, I was least bothered, and so people in the war zone should be aware of me. They should be aware that a possible solution is to move out of warzone.

Some might say this escaping. You are not solving the problem but moving away from. I ask them what wrong in it? Where everyone will move away from the problem, how will the problem sustain on its own. Other than that, if no one is ahead of you, be the leader, people will follow you behind. If a community is having a problem in area, move away from there, how will the problem exist on its own.

Do not show me, there is a war in an area, show the people who live in such areas that there isn’t a war in my area.

Yesterday, I saw a really good movie, ‘THERE’S A FIRE IN YOUR FOREST”, which talked about issues faced by animals and tribes in the area of Kanha National Park in India. Though the movie was made around 10 years ago, it can be related a lot to present situation.

Anyways, the blog is not about the movie but is about the issue that was prominent in the discussion that its out lifestyle that is destroying forest, its richness and its wildlife. Wooden decorative and designs are becoming popular and thus the demand of timber, wood is increasing. This causes smugglers to wipe out vast lands of forest. Even tribe are responsible at some level as they see income only in producing and selling wooden products.

Tiger

I agree that we are indirectly responsible for the destruction of forest. Animals like tigers are found in areas which are rich in its flora and fauna. Destroying trees and forest may one day make tigers extinct. Countries which are developed or developing like India, should ask itself whether its really developing or not. In that sense the most developed nations should be the nations in Africa. Rich in forest and wildlife, its one of the best places on earth. Tribes/Humans have survived and also the animals.

Nations who are facing issues of endangered species and destruction of forest, should learn from nations in Africa. I really hope, the Congo forest remains the way it is. No doubt African Nations may also be facing problems of endangered species and forest but that is only because they want to be develop. In future possibly,

The most primitive country in the world will be the only one at peace