Yakshagana, a unique theater form found mainly in coastal Karnataka and Malenadu region of Karnataka. It is a blend between dance, music, dialogue, story, resplendent costume, face painting. I always loved Yakshagana. As my dad writes Yakshagana Prasanga(songs and story), I was introduced to it from a very young age, be it Bayalata(open theater) or tent aata(closed theater). It stats at night and ends in the morning. When I was young, definitely it wasn't the Yakshagana drawed us. Down the memory lane: Early dinner at home, carry a mat and blankets, roam around stalls selling Bhel(Churumuri), peanuts, ice candy, sugarcane juice; stuffing everything to hearts content. We used to get pocket money for this special occasion. The program starts around 9.30 or 10. By this time crowd would have gathered. We spread mattress religiously, cover ourselves from blanket in chili winter. Effect of dinner and sumptuous snacks kicks in and we sleep like babies through the humdrum of program. Next morning, get up and go home. We get to bunk next day school because of our all night endeavors. That is how my love started. I slowly started developing genuine interest in this incredible theater form. I even had the opportunity to learn this. Alas! The teacher was my least favourite in school(I totally detest him)and spending a grueling months with him for training compelled me to drop the plan. Then teenage happened followed by college and work. The last Yakshagana I watched was 2 years back on Ganesha Chaturthi festival. Then it wasn't a full fledged dawn to dusk show, rather a small 3 hour show. One will be very well acquainted with it if he/she is from coastal Karnataka (North Canara, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada), Malenadu (Shimoga/Sagar), or part of Kasaragodu. There are 7 types I'm told, but I've watched Tenkutittu and Badagutittu. Yakshagana is being compared with Western tradition of Opera. The music is a combination Karnataka and Hindustani music, though of a different category with musicians playing instruments like Chande, Maddale, harmonium, etc. It doesn't matter if the story is mythology or modern, the characters will make sure the audience will have light moments with their witty, philosophical dialogues, completely staying in the original character. It makes me so proud to be part of this rich, cultural art form (remotely indirect). I'm longing to watch Yakshagana with same good old day settings sans sleep, preferably a mythological one, something like Krishna-Sandhana, Bhasmasura-Mohini, Rukmini Swayamvara, Bhishma Vijaya. PS-My dad's "Shruthi-Panchami" was a blockbuster, running more than 100 days, even in Mumbai. I hope I'l be able to publish all his works in the future.
Why I don't lend books? I was happy lending books to friends in the hope of having fun analyzing, appreciating, criticizing about the general awesomeness of reading books. How wrong I was. I don't have many friends who love reading, may be one or two. As I've mentioned in my earlier posts, I've an impressive collection of books. When friends visit us, they want to borrow. Those are gone never to return. Even if they return, not without dog ears, oil/food/coffee stains, drenched it water, highlighted paragraphs. It takes me a herculean effort not to smash their head. Which part of the word "lend" you fail to understand? The word borrow means 'you promise to return it in the same condition within said time." One friend flatly refused borrowing books from me. I reminded her name of the books, date, time, and the situation. She then blabbered something about misplacing or losing on house shifting. It left a bad taste in my mouth. And now we don't see eye to eye. Most of them wouldn't even read those books. Then why pretend? My firm believe is reading is a hobby. It is nurtured from childhood. You either have it or you don't. I don't know a single person who picked this habit in later part of life. Now I lend books only to my baby sister who promptly returns in the same condition. I'm even contemplating the idea of displaying a sign board in front of book shelf saying 'You don't ask, I'l not say no. Books are my priced possession. You can lend money and get away with it, not books. This compulsion and obsession only a book lover can understand. PS-I used to maintain XL sheet with book names, author's name, genre, lender's name, date, and time. Hey, I can't trust my impeccable memory for everything. Right?
Title: Gone Girl Author: Gillian Flynn Publisher: Crown Publishing Group Genre: Thriller Publication Year: 2012 From the blurb: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet? My take: Gone Girl is the international best seller. Book blurb was intriguing and it didn't fail me. Although, the ending baffled me a little, I assume it is the most befitting conclusion. It is told in two perspectives. Nick's narration in the present time and Amy's diary entries of 7 years from current date. It is in their point-of-view, and both of them are very good deceivers. The two stories progressively merges into one. First half is tad bit slow. It deals with what happens in normal couple's life; losing job, moving to another city, in-laws, parent's illness, death. The book picks up in the second half. The truth unravels and it is revolting. Amy is beautiful, super intelligent, manipulative, conniving, psychopath. She has an equally shrewd parents who wrote immensely popular "Amazing Amy" series, which is idolized version of Amy, their daughter. Nick is the handsome husband of Amy, narcissistic, selfish, insensitive, faithless, and carries a lot of parental issues. The way Amy and Nick play mind games with each other is thrilling. I felt really sorry for Amy's fairly controlling freak ex-boyfriend. He became a collateral damage in this dangerous game. Amy is rather in love with the idea of love, not really in. Her description of "cool girl" is engaging and disturbing. When Amy forces Nick to stay in the marriage, I couldn't sympathize with him. Maybe they deserve each other. The story is edgy, racy, fresh, deeply disturbing, sinister, chilling and absolutely original. I am told Flynn's previous thrillers, Sharp Object and Dark Places are even brilliant than Gone Girl. They are already laying atop in my bookshelf. PS: I loved Rosamund Pike's performance in the film adaptation. I could imagine no one better than her as Amy Elliot-Dunne.
Cast: Amitabh Bacchan, Deepika Padukone, Irrfan Khan, Moushmi Chatterjee, Jisshu Sengupta Director: Shoojit Sirkar Piku-directed by Shoojit Sirkar and penned down by Juhi Chaturvedi. They are the same duo who gave us another intense movie Vicky Donor. I liked "Madras Cafe" too. Piku is a story of Piku, a successful architect who is the primary caregiver for her hypochondriac father, Bhashkor Banerjee. Bhaskor has constipation problem and quite obsessed with color, consistency of his stool. They discuss about it on the dinner table as it is the most natural thing to do. Bhashkor is annoying and drives his daughter up the wall most of the time. They bicker all the time. He is selfish, insensitive, irritating, and brutally honest. Albeit this you love him. He is a staunch feminist and thinks women marring and settling down are of low IQ's. He embarrasses his daughter by discussing her virginity status and sex life with prospectus suitors. He selfishly tells her 'I gave birth to you, you look after me. Why look after in-laws? Now there there! 90% people can't digest this. Nobody has articulated this issue before. People expect girl to leave everything behind and adapt a new life in her in-law's place as her own while the boy doesn't get to change anything. When I raise this particular question, the only answer I get is Indian culture. They mean "patriarchal culture" I realize. I digress. Here enters "Rana" who volunteers to drive Piku and her father from Delhi to Kolkata when elderly man demands to visit his ancestral house. Irfaan Khan, one of the best actors of our time is witty with his dry humor, subtle dialogue delivery, emoting in silence. His antics in the course of road trip is so humorous, it cackles you up. The rapport he develops with Piku is endearing. The movie also tackles another sensitive issue, elderly care. What to do when your parents are fragile, completely dependent upon you, and their act is of 3 year olds. It delicately deals about the responsibility, sacrifice, and role reversal of offspring. The gorgeous Deepika Padukone in titular role expresses everything through her kohl-lined doe eyes. She has come a long way in her career, and she has set her bar literally high this time. Piku is the new feminist, who abashedly admits about her sexual needs, confident enough to pursue casual relationships, uptight, snappy, and real. Amitabh Bacchan sank his teeth into the character of Bhashkor Banerjee. Oh! this man has a brilliant comic timing. His Bhashkor Banerjee is nothing like mild-natured Bhaskar Banerjee of Anand. His squabble with his sister-in-law (Moushumi Chatterjee) is adorable. This could be the first film which handled the topic "constipation" in a comical way. It has been a very long time since I've seen the bondage between father and daughter. The last one I remember is Kannada film "Lali" starring Vishnuvardhan and Mohini, a sensational one. PS: Thank god I don't have a father like Bhashkor Banerjee because I don't think I could stand one. Well, maybe I can, after all it is all about loving your parents. Oophs! Sorry Karan.
"Dadri Lynching" sent shivers down most right-minded people's spine. I say "right-minded" because I knew few who support this mob justice. I'm disgusted beyond my wits. Most horrific is UP police sending the food sample for lab testing to make sure whether it is beef or not. This religious intolerance has become a norm these days. Anybody who raises voice against it is called anti-Hindu or worse anti-national. I feel this whole "beef banning" a absurd. I'm a hard core vegetarian and to be honest I'm just raised that way. Non-veg of any kind (chicken, mutton, pork, fish, beef) never tempted me. I may change in the future, you never know. Beef is eaten by Muslims, Christians, and large number of Hindus too including upper caste (I hate to use this word). In ancient times Dalits were outcasted from society because they were consuming beef. They had their reason, sadly nobody tried to understand. It is rich in protein and less expensive compared to other meats. India is the second largest exporter of beef in the world market. It is a great policy, really. You kill cows/buffaloes for country's economical prosperity. And you kill country's citizens to implement "the beef banning. Wow. Just wow! Has anybody thought what happens to old cows once they stop producing milk? Probably not. They were sold knowing very well about their future. Dairy cattle is a lot of hard work and it is rather unpractical to maintain un-barren cows or old cows. Humans domesticated animals to his benefits and should stay just the way it is. What people eat should be their own business. After all everybody works damn hard to get meals on their table. Shouldn't it be of their choice? I wonder how people supporting beef ban will feel when the government orders complete ban on non-veg? I can hear them throwing a huge fit and crying about basic rights and all. It reminds me of the chapter we studied in history about beginning of the Sipai Mutiny. It is uprising of Indian soldiers against British superiors for introducing pork and beef-greased rifles, which has to be bitten before use, infuriating Muslims who don't eat pork and Hindus who don't eat beef. There were no restrictions on the food we eat so far, but can we say the same thing in the future. Today beef, tomorrow pork, and then day after tomorrow may be potato-tomato-carrot? It would be even better if they can make a "National Diet and Nutritional chart, so all citizens can stay fit and healthy, thus downsizing budget on public health. I always knew I've it in me to be a policy making adviser (even if there is a thing called that). Time to change the profession. Pun unintended. To eat or not to eat, should be the matter of personal choice and nobody should impose views on others. Cattle meat was not sacred in Vedic period. Swami Vivekanand points out "You will be astonished if I tell you that, according to old ceremonies, he is not a good Hindu who does not eat beef. On certain occasions, he must sacrifice a bull and eat it." And in Ayurveda too. PS: Go on, call me pseudo intellectual. I just love to be intellectual either with suffix or prefix.
Books I'm reading now: 1. "The Girl On the Train" by Paula Hawkins. A psychological thriller, while many attributing it as "The next Gone Girl" and I can see tinges of similarities to a little extent. Having immensely enjoyed "Gone Girl", I'm looking forward to another racy, twists and turns of event.
2. "Eleven Minutes" by Paulo Coelho. This is my second book of Paulo after Alchemist. Based on the experiences of a prostitute, and her journey in search of love, and risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex. I've the gut feeling it is going to be a sex education in a philosophical way.
3. "Confessions of a Shopaholic" by Sophie Kinsella. "Meet Becky Bloomwood, an irresistible heroin with a big heart, big dreams, and just one little weakness. It is my first novel in the shopaholic series. I picked this book on a whim and I don't regret. Categorized in the chick-lit genre (If there is genre as such, I've no clue, just like Becky Bloomwood), it is making me laugh from the beginning. I'm surely going to pick other books of this series.
Have you watched this video "Dheere Dheere" featuring Hrithik Roshan and Sonam Kapoor, recreated by Yo Yo Honey Singh and directed by Ahmed Khan? A beautiful video to say the least. Greek God Hrithik is looking handsome than ever. And Sonam Kapoor like a million bucks. It is contrasting to Yo Yo's usual upbeat, party numbers and this peppy one is already a hit. The gorgeous location, Antalya, Turkey is just icing on the cake. After all the classic 'Dheere Dheere' song can never go wrong. I've watched this video over and over again and enjoyed every single time. It melts your heart and makes you fall in love all over again. It reminded me good old days of MTV and those lovely 90s Pop Songs. It started with Alisha Chinai's Made In India for me followed by Bombay Vikings, Silk Route, Shwetha Shetty, Sunitha Rao, Shaan, Sagarika, Anamika, Asha bhosle, Falguni Pathak, Sonu Nigam, Remo, and many more. Those videos were enchanting. They used to have story, meaningful lyrics, melodious song. I wonder why they stopped creating those kind of music or videos. PS: Filmmakers, Please sign Hrithik and Sonam for a romantic movie.
I've been absent from this space for a while. And I've a brag-worthy reason behind it. I was on an amazing holidays for three long weeks. I'm relaxed, de-stressed, and rejuvenated to take on the world. I shall update the snippets soon. Watching glorious sunrise in majestic Angkor, dancing on the street drenched in rain, strolling on the pristine beach, cycling in historical park, boat rides on the floating market canal, gorging on delicious food, getting high every night, touching and walking tigers, traveling pro like locals, despairing for blood-stained history, appreciating the fascinating cultural shows, a ridiculous strip dance, kissing under moon light, wandering like nomads. We did these and many more adventurous and corny deeds together. We have created many beautiful memories together to lasts a life time. Hubby, my partner in crime, thank you for the incredible holidays and everlasting memories. PS: It is clue that we start planning our next holiday soon.
