Movie Review: Hindi Medium

The title is clear enough to say what the movie would revolve around. The story of a common man who is desperately struggling to give his child the best education taking any means possible to accomplish those goals because only the ability to speak in English is the mode of judgement and understanding of people's educational levels. Alongside this major plot development, there are other aspects easily noticeable.
One of them is the comment on western form of education and the effects it has. The consultancy in the film, the Western education are shown to fill people with artificiality, superficial knowledge, snobbishness, pride and also lack of respect for their own language.
Not only the children, the parents equally are a part of that change due to this form of "education". Due to this "education", class of people has been created who call themselves "the elite". Sharply contrasted with the "non elite", the difference of not just lifestyles and sophistication is shown but also the difference of the basic humanity in both the classes is clear and obvious. The first and the second half show the protagonists in totally different lights and hence their characters undergo development and transformation.
The other aspect, which could also be called an suggestion or maybe an eye opener is that all children, irrespective of their class, deserve equal attention, care, respect and quality education because they too have equal brain as any other and are equally creative. The example of being creative is also shown in the movie where the children create music without any musical instruments.

Movie Review: Padmavat

As I sat to write this review, the first question on my mind was what I would say about the film? All I could think of was "royalty". Being a film about people whose names have been disputed to even be a part of history or not, I found every bit of the characterization to be lively, humanistic and yet majestic altogether. Despite being a period film, the audience couldn't move from their seats throughout right till the end. As it got over, I heard people saying, "Is it over? ". This is the captivating effect it had on the spectators.

Moreover, the audience remains alienated throughout the film, despite their being lively and realistic characters as we get to see them performing feats which are unimaginable in today's time. The madness of empire spreading, the readiness to go to war, the elaborate dressing up and of course living in forts does the work of alienating. The one point where even today's people are intact is of honour and valour. That is not limited to any particular clan or group. It's perhaps for each and every person as that is what defines their self respect and dignity.

I was well aware of the basic plot of the movie because as a child, I remembered of a television series based on the same story. But what prompted me to watch the film was which part of it could offend the sensitive sections calling for such violent and extreme protests. Personally, I found nothing offensive. Everything only seems to add on to give respect, grandeur and grace to the group we have only heard about over the times.
For all who want to get a glimpse into Indian history and tradition, should definitely go for this romance-drama film.

Selfie: making lives better?

Human beings have always yearned for appreciation and admiration. For this purpose, since time immemorial, women continue to groom themselves to have that attention as it is stereotyped but men may not accept, but they wouldn't disagree if complimented. Nowadays men have also started paying attention to their physical looks. If not men's beauty saloons, grooming saloons are definitely in the picture.

As trends have changed, so has technology which led to the birth of cellphones and from cellphones to smartphones. Smartphones brought social media into people's pockets which brought with it the concept of taking pictures and selfies. These selfies transformed the people's worlds because they didn't need or have to wait for anyone to take their picture. They did it on their own whenever and wherever they wanted.

As the quote goes, "excess of everything is not good", this is applicable here. These maybe called the demerits of "selfie system" but I would rather call it "the aftereffects". Selfies have attacked people on the mental level in various ways. In the garb of the "coolness quotient" people end up doing stupidities jeopardising their very existence. In the wake of this, many even lost their lives, as per recent regular news updates. Somewhere this selfie obsession is killing their sensibilities and cognitive abilities. No thinking, no wondering, only clicking seems the fundamental operating in these times. That in itself is a major reason of the increase in the number of deaths.
People take selfies and show how much they love themselves. Love for self isn't wrong. But if that love becomes an obsession, it's fatal. I see people zooming in their own pictures to see how perfect they look (we all know how many editors are available). This obsession leads to jealousy, hatred (towards others or own imperfections) which is not good for any human especially teenagers.
Ultimately, the more important aspects in life loose attention. The obsession of selfie perfection has become a serious problem now. If something is not done, more people would be killed in the younger years than ever before.

Book Review: Animal farm (George Orwell)

As the new year's resolution to read canonical texts, I began with Animal Farm, considering it be interesting owing to its title. As I read the back of the book being about farm animals taking control of their destiny, the idea itself seemed inviting to be read through. I began thereafter.

Initially as I read began, I found an Old Major (pig)instigating the animals to fight for equality or rebellion as it would be called and as he completes this last task for life, he dies. Next, animals fight against the unfair treatment they went through due to human acts (symbolised by Jones, their owner). Quite willingly, the animals get ready to fight and under the leadership of Snowball and Napoleon they do get the farm free and name it "Animal Farm". They have their own commandments which would be like a modern day constitution and also have a national anthem with a title suitable to their community. As the chapters progress we see the duo of Snowball and Napoleon (pigs) having their own differences and Snowball as a result getting expelled. Till the end and even after the end of the novel, I couldn't find out what happened to Snowball and Mollie (cat). Further as the novel goes, we see how Napoleon and other members of his species takes total charge of all other animals and despite the idea of equality, he becomes more equal than others just because of his schematic designs (keeping dogs on guard and choosing not to work while all other animals work). Considering the interest of the readers, I wouldn't want to write anything about the end leaving it to the readers to analyse that part.

Clearly, the duality of the human race has been satirised (they behave in some way and act in another). The animals vow never to use any human things or human ways but the very acts of allotting work to everyone and hence carrying it out are human ways. Establishing the windmill, Napoleon's trade deals for eggs are human too. But also indicate that no person, country or organisation can exist in isolation. Boxer's tragic end also talks of the dark realities of human ways of using labour when they have strength and thereafter getting rid of it in anyway possible when their strength days are over. The reference to Queen Victoria in the initial chapters hints to the victimisation of the human race due to colonisation. The animals also have their own anthem which they sing with a lot of zeal. That again hints to the patriotic element and the fact of abandoning it towards the climax also talks of the change of loyalties of the characters (animals here). One more notable fact is about the mob mentality. How the mob can be manipulated to any use due to it's innocence and single mindedness. Squealer (pig), whose a loyal follower of Napoleon performs this manipulation part yet and yet again throughout the text.

Dedication to children

As I sat in a corner
Watching and looking,
They were unaware.
And kept running and playing.
Looking at them I could only think,
What is long lost for me at a certain brink.
Yet I find them beautiful,
Their play, their fights, yet all cheerful,
Transform anything by nature into a plaything.
The raw talent in working.
In between calling out their mother
To show the new game created,
Or to accuse each other.
But mother knowing it to be an annoying habit,
Ignores it altogether.

The elders continue to play,
In between the young one vanished and lay,
In the mother's lap for some pampering.
They mother well aware starts caressing.
Having the lap's fun,
The little one again on the run.

The purest forms of human race,
Play with each other with grace.
Without differentiating colour or class,
Like they were altogether, just one mass.

Experience at the bookfair

Owing to my love for books, I planned to visit the annual world book fair. In this tech savvy and e-form driven world, there's not much that the hardbound form of books could offer. Yet to my surprise, the number of people that turned up for this event was much more than expected.

I held the opinion that people are not much interested in reading and imagining (rather using brain) because due to the technological developments, everything is in their phones (concluded on the basis of travel observations). I was rather delighted to see many people turned up with their kids. But couldn't see through the fact that for them this was just a picnic. Who in the world gets their infants from the cradle to the bookworld?
It more seems like people just can't go to places where it does seem sensible to go.

Initiating kids to the bookworld is no wrong, but what about the fact of teaching them the basic etiquettes and values of not howling around like madmen? I was less able to roam about perusing my passion, more trying to save the kids from getting hit on their run accidentally by me or the stuff I had.

So, I still love books, but I think I'll have to find other ways to reach them now on.

Have a brain with a six pack instead of a body with a six pack

Nowadays, the trend focuses on building a good body and a tucked in physique. Well shaped arms, toned arms and an inside tummy with a six pack is what is ruling everyone's minds for the ideal look.

All I see is people craving for the above mentioned standards of beauty and looks, or working hard (mostly in the gym) for this. Celebrities altogether give them the "ideal body goals" which must be there to look pretty and attractive. Doing this isn't bad. People's lifestyle is such that they have to take care of their health by this routine. But my question would be, what about exercise for the brain? In course of my routine travel, unfortunately I never get to see any readers who would give me any "reading goals".
Exercising the brain or feeding the brain is equally as important as exercising the body to build a physique. What would you do with the strong and healthy body when your mind wouldn't know how to take care of it and put it to the best use?

State of language today

There was a time when having the basic knowledge of English language gave people an edge over the others and they were guaranteed success in their life and career. Now, atleast when talking about metro cities, the scenario is quite different. Even saying quite different would be an understatement.

Since most people have the idea of the basics of the language, they think they know everything and thereby they don't need to get into the detailed parts. Alexander Pope said, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing". This is proved by  the language users.  Hence, due to lagging in clarity of the ideal concept and true meanings of words (many are even similar in sound or spelling) they end up making blunders which only someone with a proper knowledge of language can understand and laugh off later. Interestingly, when the same people are told of the same mistakes committed by others, they laugh off easily!

Being a language teacher/instructor (whatever may be called) I got the best experiences and observations regarding people's attitudes to language from the workplace and the classroom. Since language syllabus doesn't really aim to take the young fertile minds into the depths of words and the world of literature, the respect towards this pure discipline is quite unacceptable and unhealthy at the same time. Students and teachers (of other subjects) do not feel the need for a full fledged teacher. This is totally visible and absolute considering the attitudes of both the students and teachers (which do not belong to the field of language). They fail to understand the depth words have and the differences words can make.

Unfortunately, despite the fact they don't respect the subject, they consider that they could learn everything overnight. Which is not true at all. Why would renowned literati spend most of their childhood reading classics and then end up writing classics themselves? But to know all the facts, people (non language people included) need to try knowing first (which they would never know to try). If the syllabus is not revised and loaded (a bit) with canonical texts to be taught in the right way, the future of communication itself seems bleak

A day without my phone

A day without my phone was meant to be,
The toughest day there could ever be,
According to me.
In an early morning rush I forgot my phone,
Having come a long way I realised it was left at home.
As the day passed I felt myself free,
Of all shackles; of all boundaries.
As there was no one,
To keep track of me.
Did not get any calls or messages,
Nor could the internet create any menace.
Felt like I had gone back to the gadgwt free ages
was on my own,
Braving the world alone.
As there was none meant to be,
any form of guarding for me.
Away from the virtual world,
Closer to the reality,
Could feel the real world,
more closer to me.
Perhaps this was God's design,
To make me write these lines.

Life became all easier without my phone.
Without any worries to check my phone.
No human embodiment could bother me anymore,
Because I had not left any loophole.
By the time the day ended,
I found all people handed,
to their phone or their phone to them,
Watching, listening, talking or doing nothing.
Thereafter, I realised,
Humans have accepted this gadget dominance without any strife.
And hence, like everyone, even I
wanted my phone infront of my eyes.