Thursday, January 26, 2012

Story vs Story-telling

While watching a movie, ever felt like that the movie shouldn't end? I felt the same while watching Dhobi Ghat. I felt like watching some more days of those characters....reading some more pages of the Mumbai Diary...

But unfortunately most people go to see a movie to see the story.....many people don't understand that more than the story, the way of story telling is more important in a movie. So, when I was about to watch Dhobi Ghat, my room mate said that she and all her friends hated the movie and they didn't understand the story and she warned me not to watch it. But after I had finished watching the movie, when I said that I loved it, she was looking at me as if am an alien and told me 'I think you should get your brain checked'. So I told her that this movie is for a niche audience and I fall in that niche like many others who loved watching Dhobi Ghat like my brother and sister. She seemed a little pacified.

It's difficult for me to explain why I liked the movie, except for the technical aspects like editing and amazing sound engineering, but I liked the way the story was told here, since I believe that the way of story telling is more important than the story itself. And when the way of story telling is not dependent on the story itself, the movie watching becomes as delightful as this.

For example, the way of story telling in Dhobi Ghat is so unique and so much independent from it's story and the characters within, that you can actually fit ANY movie story in this format and present it. It's amazing, it's like a variable that can take the form of any value.

And more importantly, the story is also something which has no fixed beginning or fixed ending. The typical Yash Chopra, Karan Johar or Farah Khan pattern of story telling would have killed the story.

Few other movies that I can think of right now whose story-telling was unique and flexible enough to be treated as variable are - Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi, Jab we Met and Andaz apna Apna.

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Beg Borrow Steal

All the three attributes listed above are bad attributes of people.

But we do beg for various things to our very near-ones like parents, siblings, spouse or best friends. But what about begging for extra starter items, which caterers bear all through the party venue, in a typical Delhi buffet party? How cheap is that?

But we do borrow things from our very closed ones when we need to attend some function and we realize that we don't have good clothes. But what if somebody borrows clothes for marriage....for his OWN marriage? How cheap is that?

But we do steal those cake pieces and sweets from the fridge when mom is not around. But what about stealing tissue paper rolls from the office toilet or stealing towels from the Rajdhani Express train? How cheap is that?

From the childhood our parents teach us about morality, honesty and other such qualities. I always used to think that all kids are being raised with the same teaching in their respective houses. But I am wrong. There are parents who teach their daughter how to keep her husband under her control like a pet, they teach their daughter how to tell lies swiftly to their in-laws so that she can fool them, there are parents who appreciate their son when he comes home with a stolen good from office or Rajdhani Express train, there are parents who teach their son how to be fraudulent to deceive someone. They teach their children how to be a fraud, a liar, a thief, a dishonest mother and a bad person. How cheap is that?

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I practice Pedagogy!!!

"Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction. Pedagogy is also occasionally referred to as the correct use of instructive strategies." - wikipedia.

That's my work, that's my job but I never knew about this term. Sounds interesting.

If you want to read more, visit the following link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedagogy

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Office Office

They say “This is not just another run of the mill project. This is different. So, you guys need to gear up and walk that extra mile to deliver the best product”

But they say this for every course I work on. Where are these run of the mill courses made? I want to work for one....that'll be relaxing I assume.

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I know winning a spot award is no big deal. But I am happy for having won one :). But more than that, I am happy to receive those Shopper’s Stop vouchers. I know I would have never visited that unreasonably expensive shop to buy anything unless I had those vouchers.

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Every day habit of swiping the identity card innumerable times has gone to my head to that extent that some days back instead of pressing the doorbell at home, I was looking for my identity card to swipe and open the door!!!!!!!

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Those days and late nights of work are back when I forget the entire world and get glued to my system. I came to know that I love this when I didn’t have this. I love it and I enjoy it.

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The ink in my pen is over. I am damn happy. After a long time I have the pen with me long enough to run short of its ink!

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My friend had got a brand new collection of Salil Chaudhury’s songs from Kolkata, on my request, and she handed it over to me in office. I was jumping with joy! That was the time when I was having crazy hours at office leaving every day after 11pm. That day also when I was leaving at the 11th hour to catch my 11pm cab, the security stopped me, and found the CD inside my bag and CONFISCATED it!!! I was awestruck but didn’t have time to get into any conversation as I was getting late for my cab. The next day when I went to meet the duty manager, he said that they would check the CD and if they find it blank, they’ll return it to me and if they find any data in the CD, they would break it. Almost in a breathless condition I asked “what if there is music in the CD?”, “We’ll break it”, he said coolly!!!!

I didn't know what to do. I spoke to my manager, team lead and everybody said that this is unfair but this is the company policy. Big thanks to my friend Chandrima, who actually got the CD from Kolkata, somehow convinced those stone heads and they agreed to return my CDs. A lesson is learnt and now I submit even the Flipkart parcel also at the reception if it contains CDs.

6th January, 2012

This year was the best day as compared to any other 6th January till date!
On 5th January I came to know from FM that the Hindi version of Vinnathandi Varuvaya, which is Ek Tha Deewana is finally releasing and the audio was going to be available in the market from 6th January, 2012. Whoever decided this strategy, no wonder, had ARR’s fans in mind.

So, me being me, immediately placed an order for the audio CD of Ek Tha Deewana with Flipkart with the help of my friend Chandrima.

And wow wow, I got the CD right in my hand on the very next day, i.e. on 6th January, 2012!!!!! I returned from office on my toes and, what more, I inaugurated my laptop by playing Ek Tha Deewana audio CD.

This was the best way I celebrated ARR’s birthday as far as I can remember!
The review on Ek Tha Deewana is yet to be drafted hence posted. So, peoples, please hang on for some time. Itz cuming soon!!!!

I got a life of my own

I got a life of my own

What does this really mean?

Well, it means:

1. Being able to see a doctor when I am ill.

2. Being able to eat healthy food and not something which is stale, too much spicy or rotten.

3. Being able to have a blanket or quilt while sleeping in the winter in Delhi.

4. Being able to switch on the fan when it is summer in Delhi.

5. Being able to buy necessary goods like umbrella in the rainy season to be protected from rains and in summer to be protected from the sun rays.

6. Being able to buy necessary goods like sandals (when the last sandal has broken down), bags (when the last bag has tore off), warm clothes during winter, cotton clothes during summer.

7. Being able to talk to relatives on special days without checking on the mobile phone balance.

8. Being able to wear the clothes of my choice.

9. Being able to read the kind of literature I want to and being able to appreciate what literature I feel to be good and being able to criticize what literature I feel to be crap.


When I was living WITHOUT having ‘all of the above’, I used to feel like Not Having a Life. Now when I have liberty to have ‘all of the above’, I understand what it feels to have a life of my own.

My First Post

This is my first post from my own laptop, of course after having internet connection in it.

How does it feel? It just feels great :D