MovieNotes - Kissa Kursi Ka

Title: Kissa Kursi Ka (IMDB) 

Released: 1977

*ing: Manohar Singh, Shabana Azmi, Raj Kiran, Surekha Sikri

Director: Amrit Nahata

Language: Hindi

Genre: Politics, Satire

Basic Premise

The story of a politician’s corrupt rise to power and how he turns it into a dictatorship.

MovieNotes

Its election time. And this old political satire becomes a must-watch. How politicians manipulate the common man and then play their own games in their lust for power. All this while professing to work for the Common Man, who is personified as a mute woman in the movie. 

The movie depicts how politicians cling onto power - manipulating elections, horse-trading, corrupt practices in government agencies from top-down, coverting with self-proclaimed godmen and industrialists, indulging in hyper-nationalistic banter with the neighbouring countries, even having a façade of war, manipulating and censoring media and resorting to all sorts of constitutional and under-hand tricks. Meanwhile the janta is exploited while the rich becomes richer. It also shows how people are expendable in this race for power!

The movie maybe four decades old but the message still resonates. No wonder the then government burnt the prints of the movie and banned it! And yes, in this politically charged up times, it is a grim reminder to the common man to make a learned choice and see through the façade of promises and fake news floating all around!

Rating: 8/10. A movie which stands the tests of time.

Previously on MovieNotes: The 15:17 To Paris 

The Road Not Taken

So there I was keeping myself occupied/distracted/busy on a lighter work day. During the course of my random readings came across Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” and got thinking. 

Life is all about the choices we make, every single moment. At this precise minute, I am typing out this blogpost, while there could be something else which I should have been doing and have made a conscious choice not to!

We always talk about not having enough time! But, then with so many things to be done, so many distractions all around us, where will the time appear from? After all every action, every thought is the road taken preventing every other activity /thought from occupying precisely that moment. And as time travel has still not been invented, like Mr. Frost we will never come back to the road not taken.

And that is precisely how the journey of life goes on. Every choice made leading to the next choice, while discarding the alternates! Hopefully some lead us on the path of self-improvement and some keep us just meandering along! And that is what makes all the difference to us and our environment! Just like the Butterfly Effect!

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

- Robert Frost (1916)

BookMarks #52: I Do What I Do

Title: I Do What I Do 

Author: Raghuram Rajan 

Genre: Non-Fiction, Economics 

Published: 2017 

BookMarks 

The book is a collection of speeches and articles by the former RBI Governor, Dr. Raghuram Rajan. Some of the works are from his tenure as the RBI Governor and some from his work in the Academia. The articles provide a glimpse of the work done by the RBI in shaping monetary policy, working with Government to control inflation, while occasionally facing off with the very same government! Other articles provide Dr. Rajan’s views on the world economics and the pros and cons of various monetary policies and their potential impact to the global economy. 

Overall an interesting read, specially since Dr. Rajan also clarifies his stand on the demonetization exercise carried out in November, 2016.

I particularly liked this line from the book on the global financial crisis of 2008 - "A crisis offers us a rare window of opportunity to implement reforms - it is a terrible thing to waste." 

Previously on BookMarks: The Sworn Sword

MovieNotes: The 15:17 to Paris

Title: The 15:17 to Paris (IMDB)

Released: 2018 

*ing: Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler, Spencer Stone 

Director: Clint Eastwood 

Language: English 

Genre: Drama, Based on real events 

Basic Premise 

Three friends save a train full of people from a terrorist loaded with guns.

MovieNotes 

The main lead protagonists are played by the real persons themselves. This was certainly the most interesting bit abo ut the movie. This has its pros and cons - the acting looks terrible and yet has a real-world feel to it! e.g. the protagonists doing touristy things like taking Instagram-worthy selfies! 

There is more time spent on the background of the heroes than the actual action. The main event on which the movie is based on hardly lasts a few minutes. So there is hardly any build-up in that. Which in itself is not a bad thing. As the New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern said recently, the killer was a terrorist and need not be named. The movie depicts the life of the heroes only. How they ended up at that moment. The terrorist is just incidental. 

The message is clear. In times of crisis one must act! 

Rating: 6/10. Nothing to remember by though. 

Previously on MovieNotes: Stree

BookMarks #51: The Sworn Sword

Title: The Sworn Sword 

Author: George RR Martin 

Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel 

Setting: Fictional continents of Westeros and Essos in the medieval times 

Published: 2003 

Summary 

The story is one of the many adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall, a hedge knight, and his 10-year old squire Egg, who is in reality, Aegon Targaryen, the prince of Westeros. 

Ser Duncan is in service of Ser Eustace, who faces a water dispute with his neighboring lands, which is ruled by Lady Rohanne, the red widow. Dunk attempts peaceful solution for the problem, but in the end, amidst charges and counter-charges and raising of the past bad blood between the parties, the resolution is through a trial by combat. And in the end, a disappointed Ser Duncan and Egg move on to travel to the Wall. 

BookMarks 

The second part of the series “The Tales of Dunk & Egg”, the graphic novel provides a background tale to George RR Martin’s universe of “A Song of Ice and Fire”. Egg moves on to become King Aegon, the ruler of Westeros while Dunk becomes the Lord Commander of his Kingsguard. 

Water disputes between neighbouring lands. Well haven’t we heard that before and are still hearing! 

Even though its just a graphic novel, it does provide a good commentary on the feudal system of the medieval times. Loyalties are switched around at the drop of a coin. Survival is the major aim of life, while belief in superstition is rampant. 

The novel through its flashbacks also reinforces that history is a winners’ tale. Which side is right and which one is wrong, is just a matter of perspective till the actual result of the war. Only the winner gets to decide right and wrong! 

Previously on BookMarks: The Displaced http://nishantzworld.blogspot.com/2019/03/bookmarks-50-displaced.html

BookMarks #50: The Displaced

Title: The Displaced – Fall of a Fortress 

Author: Freida Watts 

Genre: Historical Fiction 

Setting: mid-18th Century French Canada 

Published: 2018 

Summary 

Set in Louisburg, in mid-18th century, the book follows the life of Marie Levesque and her family and friends as they survive amidst class barriers and the British-French wars. 

BookMarks 

A nice engaging read of life in mid-18th century Canada, which is the new front of exploitation of the colonial powers. Wars have no meaning in the larger sense of life, but life does go on. Wars are futile, yet common people keep getting dragged in them. 

It is also a coming of age tale of a group of teenagers, from their adventurous pursuits of youths to the maturity as workers and soldiers living in turbulent times. 

The book also provides a glimpse of the class battles. For many bloodlines are more important than money. Lots of money will still not get the same societal status as lineage. 

Overall, a good depiction of the times it is set in. 

The book is the first part of a planned trilogy. Lets see what the author has in store for us in the later two parts. There are a few loose ends to be tied, and of course, life keeps moving on!

Previously on BookMarks: How To Invent Everything

P.S. BookMarks reaches the half-century mark!

#ClosedEyeGiraffe

The interwebs sometimes throw up interesting items amidst its regular supply of hate-mongering and fake news. Recently was scrolling through my Instagram feed. Stopped at what looked like a doodle. Read through the description. Somebody had decided to post a drawing of a giraffe. Nothing unusual, except that the drawing had been done with closed eyes! 

Now this seemed a fun activity. 

• So, work was paused. [It was already on pause]
• A single-sided printed A4 paper was taken [Aside – use single sided printed sheets for scribbling along in office, doing my little bit to save the environment]. 
• Paper folded in half. 
• A giraffe drawn with eyes open [Or what can pass off as a giraffe]
• Paper flipped over. 
• Eyes closed and a giraffe drawn [trying to be as similar to first one]
• And the result is… 

Conclusions 

1. This was fun! 
2. My drawing skills are terrible!! 
3. Sense of scale and position all gone haywire when eyes were closed. 
4. Enhance respect for blindfold chess players!!!

Fun experiment at the end of a working day!

Road to Tokyo: Episode 5

My Road to Tokyo series hit a speed bump. Not unexpected. But being a hobby blogger, doesn’t really affect the larger picture. Hopefully, where it actually matters, the athletes, it is all smooth sailing. Anyway, back after a 4-month hiatus with Episode 5. 

So, what has changed in the interim since the Asian Games? Well, we had the first quotas booked and some action at the Summer Youth Olympics.

Qualifiers

Anjum Moudgil & Apurvi Chandela have earned the Indian Shooting contingent 2 Quotas in the Womens 10m Air Rifle Event. However, it is the prerogative of the NRAI to decide which two shooters to award the Quota to. It depends on the form going into the Olympic year. However, well begun and we have the next set of Qualifiers for Shooting in New Delhi in February. Hopefully, home conditions will help India earn rich dividends.

Summer Youth Olympics

In the third edition Youth Olympics, India won its first Gold medal, and then added two more. To add to the sheen, these were all earned in proper Olympics events. Manu Bhaker & Saurabh Chaudhary winning Golds in respective 10m Air Pistol events while Jeremy Lalrinnunga lifted the Gold in 62 KG boys category. The young shooters’ continued golden run certainly augurs well for the future. We also got medals in Judo, Archery, Badminton and Wrestling. There were modified events in Athletics which earned medals but nothing to be read in them.

Team Sports

We are effectively out of running in Handball & Volleyball events, while the Womens Football team has made it to the next stage of the Qualifiers. 

Overall, still early days but its 2019 and jostling for Quota places will certainly hot up.

Links

• Road To Tokyo - Episode 4
• India at 2018 Summer Youth Olympics: Wikipedia 

BookMarks #49: How to Invent Everything

Title: How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler 

Author: Ryan North 

Genre: Fiction, Pop History, Science 

Setting: Throughout Human History 

Published: 2018 

Summary 

What if you are trapped back in time with no foreseeable way to return to your timeline? How do you build the things you are used to? Or basically how do you invent things before they were invented? 

BookMarks 

The book presents an interesting premise. In the future, a time machine takes you back in time. But like any other machine, it can develop problems, but being stuck back in time, you can’t really call for “road side assistance”. While unable to repair the machine itself, you have this handy guide to help you figure out which era you are in, how to survive in that, and how to “invent” things you already know, so that the contemporary civilization gets a jumpstart to the modern age. 

The concept of time travel – while it is central to our story, the author has given a big caveat. Any alterations caused by your presence in the past leads to alternate timelines going forward in parallel, and does not disturb the space-time continuum as it exists in your original timeline. So there are multiple universes existing. 

The book is brilliant in teaching the basic guidelines for the major inventions/discoveries, and how one can build them from scratch. From inventing the wheel to building primitive computers, this book has it all. Depending on when you in the past, it can also act as a survival guide. Wondering what our friend Robinson Crusoe would have done with such a guide, when he was stranded on that island! 

Of all discoveries, writing is the most important one as it provides a medium to share information to the future generations, without which knowledge can get lost in time, as has been the case with many such discoveries, which had to be re-discovered multiple times! Probably one of the reasons why Europe thrived after the invention of the printing press while the likes of China, India, Egypt, Iran etc. became laggards in the technological race (my key takeaway from the book). 

Combining a bit of history, geology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, logic, with humour this book is an interesting take on the major inventions and discoveries which happened to bring humankind to its current shape. Overall, a fun read, although some of the details do get a bit tedious but you can always skim through those! 

Previously on BookMarks: Chanakya’s Chant

Goodbye 2018

End of year MMXVIII AD. Time to reflect back on having completed another revolution around the Sun. 

From a chaotic beginning, being stuck at the airport due to a fog delayed flight to a calm ending, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, it was a year of busyness where while not much happened, yet a lot actually did. 

This was a year of small trips, including some with same day return. The travel map expanded into the neighbourhood (Pune) and to middle of the country (Shahdol). The daily commutes kept getting longer and amongst other things even involved a helicopter ride! The 4G connection helped overcome the ennui of the daily routine though. However due to the occasional madness which collectively grips our cities, spent a couple of days with mobile data not available, which was somehow also a very liberating feeling. 

There was a 10 year college reunion. Frankly speaking, 10 years can change a place a lot, if there is desire to do so. There were many other WhatsApp groups planning a multitude of reunions. Waiting to see how many of them come to fruition. 

Book count increased but there is always scope for growth. Movie theatre visits may have dropped but were replaced by experiences like a play (and not just any play but The Mousetrap) and a couple of games of Kabbadi. 

But most importantly, 2018 was spent preparing for 2019! 

Wishing all readers a very Happy, healthy & prosperous 2019.