A little over an year after my last blog post (below), I'm back to blogging! This is in fact the third attempt to rejuvenate my blog from dormancy. The second one failed miserably despite promising frequent activity to myself and the readers.
So this time around, no commitments and no meant-to-be-broken promises! Maybe just a hope and a possibility that this time I'll continue writing, atleast in the near future. Why this sudden ray of hope? Well for one, I'm going back to college! New people and new experiences always make good stuff to write, don't they?! Plus, I think the itch to write is making a comeback in me, and I have a renewed urge to put my thoughts to words.
You can probably make out that I'm really REALLY interested this time, by the new look ThinkTrash! Yes, I have given it a brand new look and feel! And I definitely intend to boast when I say that I designed the top banner from scratch, all by myself! I know you're dying to shower praises but you can read the rest of the post, and then drop a comment about what you think about the design... I can wait a bit! :D
Meanwhile, I came across this awesome video on TED, which got me thinking...
What would be my final Facebook status update, my last blog (if I do continue blogging till then ;) ), or my last tweet? Would I be on my death bed, hurriedly posting something with my wobbly hands? Something like...
Yeah, wait till I'm back in my next incarnation, I'll settle scores with the 5 people who liked that!
Or maybe, people will start posting their wills online! Hereby, I announce that XYZ will have all permissions to read, access and modify my blog, Facebook, Twitter, GMail, LinkedIn and Foursquare accounts so that I remain online in the virtual world, forever!
On a more serious note, as the guy in the video said, we are all leaving behind an unimaginable amount of data, stored and shared across the world wide web. And that data isn't merely a digital combination of 0 and 1. It's a plethora of thoughts and memories in the form of text, photos and videos; and in the larger sense, a legacy and a culture in it's own right.
In a way, it is all probably good. My great great grand daughter will know what a jerk her great great grand dad was! :D
Paradise Lost?
Let's get it straight - There's something terribly wrong with Goa and it's people. I know this may have come as a shock to many of you, but sadly, this is what i percieved during the last two days of my Goan Odyssey.
In Goa, most businesses thrive solely upon tourism. And most businessmen realize that its the fairer ones from the other side of the world, who bring in most of the moolah. At a restaurant, Indian customers are compelled to make-do with rickety plastic chairs, and a glass of water for them is dillydallied endlessly; while the foreigners enjoy an enviable view of the beach, seated on cusioned sofas, with waiters faking accents incessantly: "Anything aaelse ma'am?".
In the name of hospitality towards the foreigners, they end up being hostile towards the visitors from their own country. Did i hear anyone say 'Atithi-devo-bhava'!
The goras are entitled to a free entry in all the hippest clubs in Goa. But when we (poor, fellow Indians) asked the entry rate, the already sulking gatekeeper replied surlily, "Eight Hundred per person". A look at the well endowed (all at the wrong places!) bouncers, and we merrily restrained ourselves from arguing over the blatant partiality, else they would have kicked us right into the sea. And after that awful 'banana' experience (refer to Part 1), we were in no mood for anything remotely 'sea-waves'!
Shopping, we thought, would be a relaxing activity after all that excitement. But as we soon realized, 'relaxation' was almost a distant dream in this vacation!
We had to buy some souvenirs for friends back home, so we headed for street shopping in Calangute. "Hmm... these earrings are nice", my friend decided, "I think i'll buy this for my sis. How much?". Pat came the reply: "Only Rs. 550". And our jaws dropped open. We did expect exorbitant prices as the first quotes, but this was ROBBERY! "At a Delhi street shop, such earrings wont cost more than 50-70 bucks", we retaliated. "Jab lena hi nahi hai, to aate kyu ho! (When you won't buy, why do you even come!)", the vendor shut us up. There was no use bargaining, as we kept getting all kinds of derogatory remarks - "Disturb mat karo. Customers(read foreigners) se deal karne do"; "Wapis rakho usse... Rakhna bhi nai ata properly".
All the politeness and respect, was probably reserved for the foreigners only.
Call it attitude problem, or call it patronizing the west. But romanticizing the fair-skinned hominids, at the cost of the not-so fair ones, might drag us back into the imperial era.
As India dawned into the new year, it's people actually took a step back in time, exhibiting how barbaric and uncivilized humans can be.
In the wee hours of the first morning of 2008, a bunch of almost 70-80 people pounced on two women in Mumbai's posh Juhu disrict, molesting and physically manhandling the two unassuming victims.
The year could'nt have begun with a more tragic note. But the question that disturbs the most is that, did none of those 70 to 80 people feel even a slight sense of guilt at what they were doing? Not one of them had the conscience to be able to judge how horrible and in-human a crime they were committing? And are we, as a society, giving birth to such heinous animals? Are our men so desperate that they even forget the most basic human values and morals, and resort to horrendous acts of mob-molestations in their quest for corporal pleasures?
I think we have a grave problem here. Our economy may be developing at an unparalled rate, but at the same time, 'we' as humans, are degrading at an alarming rate. No punishment, however harsh it may be, can suffice for this monstrous act which has shattered two innocent lives and has brought a nation to disgrace and humiliation. We need to get things right at the root level. It all boils down to the basics - proper education, healthy living environment and proper bringing-up. But do these factors dictate even the fundamental human behaviour? Are'nt we all supposed to be inherently having the values of humanity and human-ness because of which we are actually known as 'Human Beings - The highest form of life'? It's sad that some heartless hooligans end up tarnishing the name of entire humanity.
And add to that, the oh-so concerned and progressive attitude of our respected Police Commissioner of Mumbai, who retorts to the queries put up by the media, in an extremely caring manner, saying : "The media of making a mountain out of a molehill. Keep your wives at home if you want them safe. These kind of small things can happen anywhere.”
Just one thing for you sir - FUCK OFF.
Check out more on the incident :
http://www.hindustantimes.com/FullCoverage/FullCoverage.aspx?Special=Mumbaimolestation
Aamir Khan is back.. but not exactly with a BANG! He has sneaked his way slowly and subtly into our hearts. And more than that, he has given us an experience of a lifetime.
Taare Zameen Par comes at a time when films showcasing high octane sports drama or cheap toilet humour seem to be the toast of the audience. And at its very begining, the film shows that its thankfully different from the rest. Darsheel Safary's name comes before Aamir Khan's during the casting. Though this may not seem to be of much importance at first glance, but you realize after watching the film, that how beautifully Aamir has let the boy take centrestage. But its not that you miss Aamir. Because in front of you is a boy who seems as accomplished an actor as Aamir, and moreover, delights you with his charismatic screen presence and sheer innocence. And not to forget, that toothy smile is to die for! He charms you whenever he's on the screen. He speaks directly from his heart and expresses through his eyes. He makes you laugh till your stomach aches, and in a split second, he puts you to tears.
Apart from being a brilliant film in each and every aspect of filmmaking, what makes it even more special, is that its heart-felt. The simplicity and life-like situations bring a rarely-seen warmth to the film. Its a film with a soul. The music touches your heart. The track 'Maa' can bring tears to even the stone-hearted. The viewer can feel that void within, which the protagonist is feeling due to separation from his mother.
In a world where competition in every field has almost made the child-like innocence archaic, the film brings back the forgotten flip-book and flying fishes. It transports you to an immensly likable world. A world where alphabets dance but colors speak volumes. A world where dreams have no boundaries. A world, seldom understood by us 'adults'. The world of Ishaan Awasthi.
