Jaipur Terrorized!

As a dust storm rages through the city, I can not help reflecting upon the much more destructive and threatening storm that had raged through the city yesterday. It was a pleasant evening, slightly cooler than what the norm is during the summer, and I was with my friends, sitting in one of the numerous coffee lounges of the city. Like many others, they too had set up a screen, courtesy the IPL. As we waited for the match to commence, somebody changed the channel to one of the 24 hour news networks. There were a few sighs and protests, but then almost everybody’s attention was drawn to the news flash at the bottom of the screen: ‘2 blasts outside Hanuman Mandir’. Disbelief turned into shock as over the fifteen minutes the number rose from two to five, and the magnitude of what had happened started sinking in. For the first time in its almost three century old history had Jaipur been terrorized. Cell phones started buzzing with anxious parents and relatives enquiring about our whereabouts and asking us to return home immediately. We were among the fortunate few whose calls managed to go through. As the clock ticked, the networks became jammed. The lounge emptied within minutes, and a place buzzing with youngsters had a deserted look in no time. Orders were cancelled, snacks left uneaten as one and all headed to the relative safety of their homes.

Outside it was entire story all together. Coinciding with the office hours, the heavy rush of traffic clogged the roads. A journey that would normally take fifteen minutes took almost double of that time. However even in this madness one thing stood out; Jaipurites hadn’t forgotten how to help fellow beings. At a couple of places where the heavy traffic resulted in minor accidents, the onlookers were ready to step forward and lend a helping hand.

Jaipur had always been a peaceful city. Having lived outside Jaipur for the better part of last three years, I always welcomed the easy going Jaipur life. It had just the right blend. You could enjoy as if in a metro, without being bothered by the hectic pace. Parents didn’t feel alarmed if you returned at 11 or twelve in the night. However it has been going downhill for the past couple of years. Crime has steadily increased, and yesterday’s incident would prove to be the final nail in the coffin.

In hindsight one could say that one should have seen this coming. Its proximity to Delhi, and lax security coupled with a booming economy made Jaipur an ideal target. The most disheartening fact about yesterday was the reaction by the security forces. Though at par with most other places in India, there was a lot of scope for improvement. Till 2 hours after the blasts the major exits out of the city had not been blocked. No directives were issued by the administration as guidelines to the citizens.

Another fact that’s worth mentioning is the strategizing that must have gone in planning these blasts. By no means was it a casual show. The details had been meticulously chalked out. The blasts shook the heart of the Old City and had been aimed at creating communal tension. Hanuman Mandir was chosen on a Tuesday, a day guaranteed to attract the largest number of devotees; and the time of the blasts again in sync with the time of the evening aarti. Though the bombs targeted a number of major areas of the walled city, Ramgunj, a locality densely populated by members of a particular faith was conveniently out of range.

The aura that had surrounded Jaipur has been shattered. Its not that night life would come to an end or the citizens would alter their life style drastically. No, it’s not that. It’s just that it would never be the same again.

Choice

Choice is the fundamental element of human nature. Where you currently lie, you choose to be!
If you happen to be cribbing about something, STOP, and make a CHOICE!

If only Life was like that....

The Children of Hurin: Book Review

"A man that flies from his fear may find that he has only taken a short cut to meet it."

Many of us have read ( or seen ) the Lord of the Rings. Most of us would agree that J.R.R. Tolkien was a genius. But it’s The Children of Hurin that will separate the true fans from those who have just put up LOTR among their list of favourite books and movies on Orkut. The Children of Hurin throws more light on the genius that was J.R.R. Tolkien.

The book is as different as it could be from The Hobbit and LOTR. First and foremost its set in the day of the Eldar or the First Age while the former are set in the Third Age. First Age was the period in Middle Earth when the original Dark Lord, Morgoth was the 'Great Enemy'.

The book had been written by J.R.R. Tolkien before LOTR or The Hobbit. It was conceived during that days of the First World War, and that’s perhaps the reason that the book is so grim and humourless. It has been edited by his youngest son Christopher Tolkien who had earlier presented us with arguably the best book on Middle Earth, 'The Silmarilion'.

The story starts on an optimistic note as Men and Elves assemble a huge army to overthrow the Dark Lord. However the optimism and hope soon end and the book follows the course of Hurin's son, Turin's joyless life. Hurin bravely tries defy the Dark Lord and is taken prisoner, a curse laid upon his children. Turin finds the curse laid upon him and tries everything from denying his identity to hiding in distant lands to evade it. But the curse somehow manages to catch up with him at every turn.

Despite all odds Turin refuses to be bogged down, to bow down to his doom, instead he assumes the name Tarumbar meaning 'the master of his doom' and his determination to fight on is evident. In what could be the last book on Middle Earth, Tolkien has painted a sombre picture and the book is not everyone's cup of tea.

OSO

Ahha its Diwali! And is the trend Diwali tends to see some of the most anticipated releases in Bollywood. While it was Veer-Zara a couple of years back, this time it were OSO and Saawariya that were doing the rounds.

Well orders from high command (read my mom) had made it absolutely clear that i was going with the family for at leats one flick this diwali. Which one was left up to me. And well, i chose OSO simply coz of one reason: Deepika Padukone! Any ways will deliberate upon this angle a little later, first let me put forth some of my observations and opinions regarding the movie:

• As with most of the bollywood movies, you would do well if you don't think a lot during the movie. In fact it would be great if you could switch your mind off before watching it!
• SRK has no doubt worked hard in the gym but his much anticipated six pack fails to impress. He would have been better off keeping his shirt on.
• If you have not been in touch with bollywood and have forgotten who are the movers and shakers, go and watch OSO right now! From Subhas Ghai to Farah Khan to Amitabh Bachchan to Priyanka Chopra, every one is in there. Farah must have called in favours by truckloads!
• Though around 40 stars have been showcased in the movie, there's a glaring omission: the sensuous Sush. After her breath taking performance in Main Hoon Na, i was waiting for Sush to appear again in a Farah flick, just to see as to how would Sush be portrayed this time. Alas, it was Shilpa Shetty in the red saari this time.
• Although the movie wasn't meant to provide any food for thought, it inadvertently did so. Though you would have to read between the lines for this. The showcasing of the irresponsible attitude of big stars, the pampering and unnecessary attention that all star kids tend to get is a case in point. I was particularly touched by SRK's observation to his dad "Agar main Om Kapoor na hoke sirf Om hota to..."
• 70s have always been a sort of enigma with our generation. We often end having conversations with our parents "hamare zamane mein..." . For the first time we got to see that zamana form a different angle. Those long side burns, bell bottoms et all.
• A couple of tracks are simply great. A taste of the enigmatic 70s once again. Its refreshing.

Hmmm... Now i return to my favourite aspect of the movie; Deepika Padukone! Boy is she hot ? You bet she is! And not only hot, she is sizzling hot! Blessed with grace and poise, this beauty has an ethereal feel to her. Barring Sush, I haven't seen such grace in any of the present day actresses. Hope she betters the achievements of the other Liril gal in bollyowwd, namely Preity Zinta.

Dil, Dosti etc.

Disclaimer: This is not a movie review rather my views on certain issues raised by the movie. The ideas expressed may not go down well with everyone. Please use your discretion.

Just watched the movie Dil, Dosti etc, a couple of hours back. There's not a lot that would strike you in the beginning. It sounds just as another movie that portrays the changing lifestyle of our youth. However if you think about it a bit, just a bit, what comes up starts to bother you (well it at least bothered me!).

I would but pick a few instances form the movie to act as pointers along the way.

Take 1: Prerna asks her dad his opinion of Sanjay: "...middle class values in place..."

Take 2: Snajay "What about my values, my struggle..."

The question that we, and the Indian society as a whole faces today has been brilliantly put forth in the movie. Unlike RDB, where the message was obvious, Prakash Jha has put the art of subtlety to great use.

The issue of westernization its negative impact on the Indian issue has been debated a lot. However we need to understand that its not westernization that is the problem rather the problem is the blind copying of all western practices. Are we ready to live in a society with high infidelity? Are we ready to accept extra-marital relations as a norm rather than exception?

How many of us so called westernized generation next are comfortable with their spouse sleeping with their friends or worse still siblings? What Prerna and Apoorv did may have happened because of the circumstances, but wasn't their one act of betrayal enough to end Sanjay's life? How many of us would be willing to pardon our spouse if we found that he/she was sleeping around with their best friend?

There is no reversing of the process of westernization. It has taken grip of today's youth and wouldn't be stopped. What we need to realize is that all that we are trying to accept is not good. There are a lot of good things inherent in our culture and present social structure and these traditions need to be preserved. If not then we would be heading towards the same society with skewed relationships, high divorce rates among couples and increasing insecurity among the children. What Prerna's father scoffed at wasn't the middle class values but the Indian traditions, values that have been preserved over centuries which no doubt has it flaws but is certainly better than the social environment we are trying to adopt.

The Days Ahead...

Its been almost 3 months into the semester. And naturally, after such a long stint away from home, you start feeling nostalgic once in a while. Well thank God! The Diwali break is just round the corner, where I would get a chance to get back to the one place which i like the most, my home!

And well what an itinerary I have before that! A weekend of music at MICA, followed by a possible one day trip to Abu! It doesn't get better than that. I guess its the perfect way to recharge all my batteries ( and spare ones too) coz the coming days are going to be challenging to say the least.

End sems would be looming large when I return form the vacations and would have to hit the ground running. And then when for most the work would be over, and it would be time to enjoy the winter sunshine, we, the Synapse team members would tighten our belts and get into the nitty gritty of things.

Hmmm... Interesting things are up ahead to say the least! Anyways will handle them as and when they come. For now it is time to let down my hair (which unfortunately are no longer as long as they used to be :S) and unwind!

Saru...

Once upon a time there was a boy. A fun loving light hearted guy who used to enjoy life to the fullest. And then, he took VLSI [:P][:D]

Time!

The insems got over today. In what has almost become a ritual, I went for an haircut. While I was waiting for my turn, I thought of something and decided that it would make for good blogging material.

Alas! By the time I had returned back to college, my brain's scheduling algorithm had already scheduled other priority items (yeah guys I had my CNS paper today :S ). And then as i log into orkut, what do i see? Things are not going well for the eternal blogger, Sid too! Frustrated by the low turnout and cliched title of his blog, he has decided to rename it!

Anyways this post wasn't meant to discuss all this stuff. I just wanted to let everybody know that i still like to blog. its just that a combination of factors make it quite difficult, not least of them is the ever decreasing speed of the internet.

Well for anybody who has happened to read this crap, don't worry am coming out with crappier stuff soon!

Need a Reason to Blog?

If you fall among those who still are looking for a reason to enter into the world of blogging, here's one which am sure would motivate you and get you started in the world of blogs.

If recent HR trends are to be believed HR managers and recruiters are increasingly looking at a prospective employee's blog before hiring. One of the main reasons for the same is to get an insight into the personality of the candidate.

Many have believed that one can't judge a person well enough in an interview and so nowadays recruiters are trying to build an image of their prospective candidated via their blogs.

Pretty innovative, isn't it? :)