Defeat

Defeat is not so evil, dear

It is a way of life that we bear

You can be safe once you surrender

The happiness will eventually render

Why take pain in creation

What you need is in abundance

Submission will fetch you accordance

Contentment will be your sentence

I try, make my way and yet comply

But the slave is what they crave

The universe is my shelter

And my spirit is my mentor

I gift your defeat to you

May your pleasures renew

My struggle is my ally

Your rules do not apply

Vaibhavi

The Poison

This is my attempt at poetry!

Here is a condition, that you will hold this notion

You will not retreat, not even cheat

Your loyalty will be rewarded

And the approval shall be awarded

We are the ones who made you and fed you

We are the ones who shielded you

The big bad world would have hounded you

The freedom will lure but with us, you are secure

Stay away from Alien, we will provide you Familiar

Familiar poison will suit you, alien bliss will cut you

The poison will grow in your vein, we will get our reign

We will protect you and disconnect your Soul

Our poison is your reality now, you’ll never know how

Your soul has dissolved and your blood is frozen

Do not worry, your future is chosen

You belong to your own poison

Vaibhavi

Shahrukh Khan - An Ego Maniac

SRK – I had originally thought about writing a review on his last movie Ra.one but later, decided to write a review i.e. express my personal views about the man himself as well.  

Whenever a movie starring Shahrukh Khan releases, the entire nation takes notice either by admiring it or criticizing it. Whether you love Shahrukh Khan or hate him, I’m sure you cannot ignore him because he is everywhere! On Talk shows, Radio, Media Event, Internet, Television…This man was omnipresent before the release of Ra.one.  He promotes his all movies with the same enthusiasm but this time the financial investments were much higher. After all, it takes momentous efforts to make the Most Expensive movie of Bollywood!

Ultimately, Ra.one did recover its costs and managed to be a HIT; it had to be. Everyone who invested in the movie knew they cannot lose money when this man is involved because movie profit is not just about box office success these days. It’s a huge business deal involving overseas rights, music rights and various other rights. So when you have as “reliable brand” as Shahrukh Khan, generating a few hundred crores of investment is not difficult at all.

So! After investing hundreds of crores of rupees for his over ambitious project, what did he finally deliver to the audiences? A Sham. Yes, it was. The basic purpose of movie making is just one: Story Telling. But here, the purpose was ONLY to show off the stardom of SRK. It was all about him. So much, that other acclaimed senior actors (like Rajnijant, Sanjay Dutt, Priyanka Chopra) did pretty crap scenes which they otherwise would not have done for anyone.

What gives this guy so much power that he can deceive the nation of one billion people into believing a sham, an entertaining movie and also earn praise and awards (in future)? It’s his “Star Power”. India is a country obsessed with Stars; mainly movie stars and cricket stars. Once someone achieves much coveted “stardom”, they pretty much achieve status of God who cannot do anything wrong. There are other such Stars such as Salman Khan, Amitabh Bacchan who have achieved Godlike status but I bet; even they don’t manipulate the audiences as much as this guy does.

I can figure out few reasons why this guy achieved so much stardom despite his looks and questionable acting abilities.

-          Fanatical Passion: This guy puts tremendous amount of passion in almost all his projects. If you watch his old movies when he was not a star, you will surely notice his passion.  There are very few people who can put this much of dedication to their chosen area of work.

-          The “click” factor: Yes, he “clicked” with the audiences. There are no rules in show business and if you click with people, they’ll accept you.

-          Smart Connections: Shahrukh scored in this area like no one has ever succeeded. In the beginning phase of his career, he enticed the Yash Raj productions. Then he took the help of Karan Johar and now, makes movies for himself! He  has maintained an excellent rapport with the right people so that he can get the right rewards such as Filmfare awards. :)

Now comes the negative aspects of this man.

-          Tendency to manipulate audiences and media: This has become his habit and it may work for him for few more years but if continued, it will result in the loss of goodwill for him.

-          Reluctance of trying new roles: This guy plays pretty much same characters, which are of a “Hero”. He wants all the focus just on himself and nothing else, not even movie scripts. I’m sure he’ll never be interested in doing movies like “Taare Zameen Par” where script is the real Hero.

-          Self Obsession: This has made him a Deceptive Ego Maniac which is disastrous for his own creativity. This guy needs to think beyond his stardom and at least attempt to make a genuine creative contribution.  

Let’s hope that this guy starts focusing on creativity rather than the extravagant business equations.

Vaibhavi

Reconnecting

Let’s imagine the scenario where you are shopping in a mall and suddenly, someone who you haven’t met in say, 10 years bumps into you. It could be a school buddy, an ex coworker, an old friend, ex lover; basically someone who’s not in your life anymore. How would you react? Would you ignore him/her? Would you greet him/her and recollect the time you both had shared or you’d walk away saying a curt “Hello”?

The people we meet, the conversations we have do have an impact on us and that’s why it’s quite important to be careful about the people who we associate ourselves with.

My suggestion is: If that person reminds you of some happy times spent in past, then it’s okay to re-connect. But if the memories associated with that person are not so nice such as a bad relationship, a bad job, a heart break, disappointing time then it’s best to ignore them.

Many people have the assumption that the best friendships of our lives are the ones formed during school/college times. I do not agree with it. Besides, during childhood days, our exposure to the life is too narrow and hence, the friendships formed during those years cannot be taken ahead once we grow up, unless after growing up, your wavelengths still match. My best friends are the people who I met after finishing my studies. None of them comprise of my school/college buddies and all of them are wonderful humans. I don’t feel the need to know someone since years to be able to make friends with them. They should just be able to strike a rapport with me and should be able to gain my trust. (which is very hardJ)

“Old is Gold” just doesn’t hold true as far as the friendships are concerned. Friendships are supposed to help you grow as a person; they are supposed to give you optimism for life. If they are not doing that, they are simply not worth your time. Open your mind, get out of your "frog in the well" mentality and try making new connections. Just because you know someone since 20 years, doesn’t mean he/she is your closest friend.

Your thoughts/opinions are welcome.

Vaibhavi

I dreamed a dream....

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

That’s so hopeful, so optimistic, seems like a perfect “Dream”!

Now imagine this: A 47 year old lady who’s unpolished, ugly, fat, unarticulated, not so smart, poor wants to be a professional singer and wants to be as successful as Ellen Paige (highly successful Hollywood actress). Not so perfect Dream! Sounds like an overly dreamy joke, isn’t it? Wait, the story’s not over yet. So what if she’s ugly, poor, not so smart old lady, what if she’s not plastic, fake and sugarcoated like others; she’s got TALENT, and more importantly, HOPE that encouraged her to showcase her talents despite all odds. And guess what? Her “dream” did actually come true; she enthralled everyone so much by her singing and she is now so popular that she actually CAN become a professional singer.

No, it’s not a fairytale; it’s a true story and the lady’s name is Susan Boyle. Susan is a British lady, is unattractive and raw, poor and unemployed, and lives in a “village” (as per her words). Susan participated in a high profile talent competition TV show Britain’s Got Talent (BGT). There, she sang the song “I dreamed a dream” (perfect song for the occasion!!) which I mentioned in the begining and completely floored judges and audiences by her talent. Her performance was widely reported, and tens of millions of people viewed a video of her singing on YouTube. (Check out her performance clip here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-KiGva9dV4)

But why were judges and audiences so mesmerized when BGT being a famous talent show boasts of number of talented singers like Susan? What was so different about Susan’s performance? The answer is: From her appearance, nobody “expected” her to perform well and when she did prove everyone wrong, people were “surprised” and that’s what differentiated Susan from all the other talented singers.

What is the similarity between Ms. J.K. Rowling, the movie Slumdog Millionaire and now Susan Boyle? They all were Underdogs, no one believed in them, no one anticipated them to succeed, they were expected to be losers and when they shocked everyone, proved themselves; world got completely captivated by them. Everyone loves underdog fairy tales; they are shocking, mysterious, optimistic and very very fascinating. Such Rags to riches stories gives out an inspiring message to all those who think they are not from “right” backgrounds.

People are so obsessed with the (so called) perfection, that a seemingly imperfect person succeeding makes a very appealing story. As Amanda Holden (a BGT judge) perfectly reflected that sentiment after Susan’s performance by stating, “We were all being so cynical and that’s the biggest wakeup call ever.”

Let’s hope that Susan’s dream continues and she can emerge as a successful singer in future. Meanwhile, after going through Susan’s story, a thought is crossing my mind. Why don’t we have any Underdog success stories in India? Why is it that such incidences happen only in West? Why in India you need to have a “strong family background” to succeed? Why a Rich Daddy and not talent, integrity is considered an indispensible ingredient for a good life here? Why are we considered just an extension of our families rather then being known for our individuality? Maybe that’s how the Indian culture goes.

If we talk about culture, let’s say, how would an unmarried, old, ugly lady will be received on a similar platform in India? People will probably think of her as an overambitious Aunty, will feel sorry about her for still not having “husband and kids”, will consider her miserable, lonely and unhappy, will ridicule her, will advise her to “stay at home and take rest” at this age. What about her dreams? Ambitions? Eternal optimism? Forget all that, After all, the cardinal calling of every Indian woman is to take care of husband and kids, to stay at home and be a “good wife”!! (Sick!!)

I dream a dream in time coming by, when women in India will be more than their ages and looks, when there will be more important tasks for them than kids and husband, when they will not be expected to be unrealistically perfect, when they will have freedom to be themselves, when they will be allowed to be imperfect and still happy and, (more importantly) when they will be able to fly high with the wings of their aspirations.

Vaibhavi

10 Useful Writing Tips

Here, I’ll share some useful tips about writing. Whatever the form of writing is, be it creative writing or technical writing, basic rules should be followed. My tips do not guarantee you to make you a Shakespeare, but you’ll surely be able to produce a decent piece of writing if you apply following rules.

Sort out the thoughts you want to express: Writing is a form of self expression. It’s a mean of communicating ideas. We talk to a lot of people and practice oral communication everyday; which is very different from writing. Oral communication is spontaneous. You speak as you think, so thinking and talking takes place simultaneously. Of course, at times you many have a specific plan of what to talk in mind for example during a presentation; but when you actually engage in a conversation, the mind has to generate ideas instantly. Feedback of oral communication is also quick and can be gauged through body language of the audience as well.

When it comes to writing, you have the time to arrange your thoughts and present them as you want. So, there goes the basic requirement of writing: You should have something to express, to communicate. Sorting out what exactly you want to communicate will help you to present your ideas clearly in the written format.

Stick to your topic for the sake of clarity: Do not deviate from your subject of your article by putting irrelevant information or comments. Unwanted information will make your article vague and unclear.

Watch out the length of the writings: An article shouldn't be excessively long that can bore readers; neither should it be too short which fails to provide any value and information. Editing helps in controlling the length of writings, which I have discussed later.

Avoid grammatical mistakes at any cost: Make sure your basics of the language that you are willing to write in are clear. However interesting your ideas are, if you make grammatical mistakes, readers will not appreciate it; it will make you seem like an amateur, irrespective of your knowledge and experience.

Avoid jargon: When I say “Jargon”, it indicates terminology which is not frequently used and need dictionary/reference to be understood. Putting a lot of literary jargon will not project you as a seasoned writer; in fact readers will not appreciate the article for which they have to search dictionary several times. Avoid unnecessary hassles for your readers by using popular and easily understood vocabulary. Writing complicated and unknown words will make your article vague and unclear and it would kill the basic purpose of writing; which is: To be read and understood.

Form short sentences: This should be particularly applied if you are a budding writer. Short sentences avoid confusion and are easier to understand. Once you get considerable experience and confidence with writing, you can play around with sentences as you want.

Follow a consistent tense: Follow a single tense through out be it past tense or present tense or future tense. Generally, for non fictional articles, present tense is used and for a narrative or a story, past tense is used. Decide which tense to be used and stick with it.

Edit your writings: Editing is vital step in the writing process, it’s often overlooked by some writers but the fact is; editing is as vital as the writing itself. You can correct grammatical mistakes, if any; restructure the sentences, add or delete information during editing. Basically, editing refines the writings. If you find it boring, ask someone else to edit your articles.

Take Feedbacks: This is crucial for writers, whether you are an experienced writer or a newbie. Have others read your writings, no matter how amateurish you think your writings are. Others will perceive your writings from a different point of view and will surely contribute constructively by their opinion. If in case you get appreciation from your readers, it will boost your confidence, if not; use your readers’ criticism as a tool for improvement.

Format your Content: Formatting is ignored and even considered optional by many, but the fact is: well written content attracts more readers. The value of the writing will ultimately be decided by the content but good formatting projects a professional image and indicates the concern of the writer for his article. Good formatting adds value to the writing just the way good packaging adds to the consumer products.

Maintain consistent length of paragraphs, leave enough white space (without it, the article looks clumsy; many would be intimidated and would even avoid reading it despite its useful content), use bullets and numbered list when required.

Those were some basic rules that form building blocks for creating a good piece of writing. Hope it was helpful.

Vaibhavi

The Reader:A Vague Query!!

“The Reader” is based on a German novel of same name by Bernhard Schlink. The plot is based in West Germany; the movie starts with a lawyer Michael Berg’s (Ralph Fiennes, Sad looking) narration of his teenage days in 1958. As a 15 year old boy, he (David Kross, Charming) had an intense physical affair with a 35 year old lady Hanna Schmitz. (Kate Winslet)

Hanna is controlling, has a no nonsense and tough attitude, and loves listening to classic literature narrations. They establish a ritual of Michael reading classic stories to Hanna and lovemaking. Hanna remains emotionally distant from Michael despite having a passionate physical affair with him; however Michael falls head over heels in love with Hanna. He even avoids his friends and family to be with her.

After few months, Hanna leaves the town without leaving any trace and without informing Michael. Michael gets devastated, gets badly hurt but moves on anyways.

The story takes an eight year leap here and we are shown Michael as a law student. As a part of a special seminar, he has to observe a trial of six women who were accused of letting 300 Jewish women die in a burning church when they were SS guards on the death march following the 1944 evacuation of Auschwitz camp. Michael gets the shock of his life when he sees Hanna as one of the six defendants.

Here, we come to know that the movie has a Holocaust angle. From an Indian context, there is not much awareness about Holocaust. Let me explain what it is: Holocaust is the term generally used to describe the deliberate mass murder of approximately six million European Jews during World War II, by Adolf Hitler. Hanna was a guard at Auschwitz concentration camp, so her “job” was to “select” certain people each day for killing in “Gas Chambers” built specially for the brutal murders.

Michael gets terribly disturbed by the situation, gets sad by Hanna’s tragedy but feels guilt and betrayal for having blindly loved and trusted a remorseless criminal.

During the trial, Hanna gullibly tells the truth by stating that Auschwitz was a concentration camp, unlike her fellow defendants.

And why did she take up this job? Because they were “recruiting”!!!

The other guards then accuse Hanna of planning the church fire and writing the report on it. The judge asks for her hand writing sample for verification of the allegation. Hanna gets greatly uncomfortable and finally admits having written the report without giving any writing sample.

Michael suddenly realizes from his past with Hanna that she had hidden something more to him than her Nazi past. She is an illiterate and is so embarrassed about admitting it that for her; the shame of being illiterate is bigger than the shame of having burned 300 women alive!! With Michael’s horror, this act leads her to the life imprisonment.

During Hanna’s imprisonment period, second and final phase of Michael and Hanna’s relationship is shown and like almost all the classics, this one also ends tragically.

Imagine this: A passionate and tragic story of a Nazi SS guard. The story should have been deeply moving but it fails to connect with you in anyways. Maybe because “The Reader” is Michael’s story and not Hanna’s; and Michael’s story (an affair with an older lady and his subsequent failed relationships with the women in his life) isn’t that moving.

Hanna’s character is extremely contradictory, and vague. During her affair with Michael, she comes across as a manipulative and controlling lady who has no qualms in seducing a "kid" and sleeping with him, but during the trial, she innocently tells the truth unlike the other defendants, why is that? How did she suddenly turn so gullible?

Why did she prefer life imprisonment rather than the confession of her illiteracy? Why did she consider illiteracy a bigger crime than mass murders? Why? Why? Why?

Unfortunately, above questions remain unanswered and as a result, you neither feel sympathy nor any hatred for Hanna. Not a hint of Hanna’s background is shown in the movie.

I wish “The Reader” was Hanna’s narration instead of Michael’s. The ending of the movie is equally weird, with Hanna deciding to give her money to the daughter of the camp survivor. On Hanna’s part, was that the act of Repent? Gratefulness? Generosity? Apology? God Knows!! Just way too many questions!

Avoid this movie if you are not comfortable watching nudity and sex. I suggest watching this one on a DVD instead of movie hall; because despite giving it an “A” certificate, a lot of sexually explicit scenes have been cut, which are vital for the story and which spoils the flow of narration. When will our censor guys grow up? (That Sick Indian Mentality!!)

Technically, the movie is brilliant. Intimate scenes between Kate and David Kross have been presented very aesthetically. Kate’s makeup as a 66 year old lady is unbelievably real. It’s an out and out Kate Winslet show. The lady has given her 100% for this courageous, complex role and quite deservingly won every prestigious award for this one.

To summarize, “The Reader” is a love story that doesn’t really portray love; it’s a Holocaust movie which doesn’t really deal with Holocaust. Because of its inexplicability, “The Reader” leaves you with a vague feeling.

Vaibhavi