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Movie Review – THE DESCENDANTS

[Image source: Wikipedia]
*ing George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller

Before posting the review, the figures first:

The movie has grossed $ 51 M (Rs.270 Crs) as on Jan 22, 2012 in the US since its release in mid-November 2011.

It has been nominated for the Academy Awards in the following categories

• Best Picture
• Best Actor in a Leading Role, George Clooney
• Best Director, Alexander Payne
• Best Adapted Screenplay, Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
• Best Editing, Kevin Tent
• It has won the Golden Globe for Best Picture (Drama) & Best Actor in a Leading role – George Clooney (no surprises here!)

Source: Official website – The Descendants

The Story:

The movie revolves around a hot shot Real Estate agent Matt King (George Clooney) with a thriving legal practice business in Hawaii. His wife meets with an unfortunate accident and the movie is all about how the agent brings his family together – He has his younger daughter aged 10 years (Amara Miller) to take care of and his eldest of 17 (Shailene Woodley) is away at a college and not exactly on friendly terms with her parents. Its about how the family comes together and copes with this real time crisis and also about certain skeletons that tumble out of the cupboard during the process.

My view:

The movie released in India on January 26, 2012. I spent my Saturday night i.e. 28th January 2012 watching this movie at Big Cinema at R-Mall (not to mention the 180 bucks that I shelled out for the theatre ticket and Rs. 170 on refreshments!)

One would expect any movie with such a star cast boasting of the ever green George Clooney and with the number of awards/listings pinned to its chest to be a houseful one for atleast the first week if not for an entire month. However reality hit hard when the 3 of us (which can be read as 3 Idiots – hey no offense guys who were with me) reached the theatre at 10:45 pm for the 11 pm start. Once the movie started till the end, there were only exactly a dozen who were present!

The reasons are not hard to imagine.

The movie seemed more a portion of the numerous Saas-Bahu operas running on Indian television all week long with no beginning no end. George Clooney seems to have put in quite a lot into this role what with Penguin style walk(remember the Batman movies) and his Forrest Gump like scene when he runs to his friends place to check out on a piece of startling information provided by his daughter (Don’t want to spoil the fun for all those Descendant & Clooney fans!). Every time they came up with a close up shot of Clooney, It seemed that I was staring into the face of Mr. Wagle (Anjan Srivastava from Wagle ki Duniya!) ace cartoonist R.K. Laxman’s Common man epitomized on television. The movie just about wanders along predictable lines with a little bit of forced buffoonery in a supposedly serious picture. It has the usual parenting scenes wherein Clooney does not seem to have his daughters under control and how they seem to be in a state of constant disagreement.

However one needs to give full marks for the performances of Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller for doing full justice to their roles and playing them out well.

Last but not the least, My award for Best Actor in The Descendants would be for Patricia Hastie in the character of Elizabeth King, Clooney’s wife who plays the role of a comatose wife to be taken off life support!

I thought the movie to be a one time watch. Do share your reviews and opinions with us.

9 Tips on How to survive the Workplace:

Cubicle

“How to survives” have been part of each one of us at some point or the other in our lives, especially with regards to workplace. Today,  I bring out here certain tips which will help you to be at peace with yourself & others including fellow employees, subordinates and the most important of all – your boss.

The various tips listed below, mirror my attempts at survival at the workplace in the short career that I have had. This in no way can transform into the Bible or a magical potion to attaining nirvana at the workplace.  Kindly note, they are my personal views and as I would like to call them, the – golden rules to survive the workplace.

1. Never Compare: This is especially true when you have joined a new company which is more or less engaged in the same activity or in the same industry as your previous company. Yes, comparisons are bound to arise on the work culture, infrastructure, technology and other issues which one might find different from your earlier employer. However this does not go on to translate into a good company-bad company thing. One has to remember that every organization has its own ways of functioning and this may create limitations in the style of functioning. You will be required to appreciate the presence of certain things. However it is not necessary to get stuck at the things that you don’t like and crib about them especially to senior colleagues or other team members who have been there for a long time. Instead try to devise work around solutions to these things which will enable you to live the same or similar life that you lived in your earlier organization. Besides if everything were to be like your previous organization, Why Change in the first place??? Point to ponder isn’t it.
2. DO NOT enter into Conflict situations: A wise man rightly said – There are two things in life that you cannot wish for – A good wife and a good boss. If you manage to get both, then maybe you are dreaming! However most of the times, from my experiences, there have been differences of opinion between the boss and the subordinate (you). In such times, rather than a heated discussion on the subject, it is always better to put your point of view/justification across and then let the boss decide on the future course of action. This not only enables closure of the topic under discussion but also ensures a better working environment around you. One only needs to have two to three interactions with people to know their body makeup. Also most bosses are known to trust their instinct more than anything else. So rather than arguing on something and wasting precious time and peace of mind accept the verdict and move on. This may sound to be due to a lack of self confidence in your abilities to some readers but personally speaking, this is a much better way of being in a win-win situation.
3.  DO NOT cozy up: We may have seen many of our colleagues in action doing exactly this. These are people who may wish the boss hello in a more than endearing manner, carry their baggage, go to lunch with them, bend over backwards to do things for them, go to lunch with them and nod off their heads to every word  and every decision taken irrespective of the consequences. These are people part of the yes-brigade who may find themselves at cross roads when the boss just dumps them for a better opportunity. Though certain of the activities mentioned may form part of your routine unknowingly, but this kind of attitude brings you into a direct line of conflict with your colleagues and subordinates. This is what we call a “chamcha” in the colloquial language, here in the city of Mumbai, India. Also, if this guarantees promotion (as expected by some) you are better off being in a new organization than imbibing this quality. Always make your work speak for itself.

4. Never draw comparisons with anyone: This is especially true when we try to compare salaries, promotions, work profiles etc. These kind of comparisons will only end up in you being even more disgruntled and dissatisfied and may start affecting your performance. This will also lead to a stressful work life and you will end up a psychological wreck. Every man is there for a reason and you are also doing what you are doing for a reason. Just try to become the best in whatever you do and leave the rest to the others. Always remember we are never short of options. Give it your best shot. If it doesn’t work the first time, put in even more effort and if the outcome is still not up-to what you wanted, you always have the option of moving on. There is no dearth of opportunities in this world. Only require people to look in the right places.
5. Work-Life balance: This is the latest management mantra that’s going around. However rosy it may seem let me assure you, there is no such thing as a work-life balance. Work, these days has become so intense that it has started to seep into our daily lives. Also with the advent of nuclear families, family life has also crept into our line of work. When we crib about us having more work to do, we need to just stop for a moment and think about the last phone call or email we have had from our friends or near and dear ones. And I can safely vouch that there would be no man who has not received a call or an email from family or friends on a single day of his working life. I also do personally feel that we are always better off not scheduling any personal engagements on a working day even if it is after office hours. So stop cribbing and start working.
6. Stop looking at the watch: This is especially for those of us who are of the belief that office timings should be as defined in the company rule book. Had that been the case, India would not have been the outsourcing super power that it is today. Also, a work day should be defined by the activities at hand and ensuring completion of these tasks. In such circumstances, one needs to just stop and think of what would happen to the work left unattended at our table in case we are unable to resume the next day due to various strikes or disease or a family urgency and the additional burden it would create on our own colleagues and put ourselves in their shoes. I am always reminded of the opening scene in the movie Hollowman wherein Kevin Bacon ( the actor playing Hollowman) takes a break from his work and looks up and the sign pasted there says

“You should be working”

7. Resolve issues: Always try and resolve issues at your table itself. If it seems that an issue may go out of hand, consult your immediate reporting authority. Rather than letting an issue take its own time and getting escalated to various higher-ups and turning into a nasty situation, take control of the situation. It has often been seen that people take great pleasure in sending emails after emails on the same subject making it a pain in the eyes of the other people marked in the mails, without taking any action. This only complicates matters further and leads to frustration at the work place.
8. Enquire: At the cost of being branded an obtrusive colleague, enquire about what your fellow colleague is doing and what you can do to reduce his load. This is especially helpful in times when within the same team one of the guys is engaged in a demanding project and the other is having a relatively easy day. The very act of asking in itself helps soother the other colleagues nerves and help him in completing his work in a more efficient manner. Also, never be shy of helping out your co-colleague  in completing his work even at the cost of being late than usual in getting home. Remember this may happen to you too.

9. Remember: Finally remember the following two golden rules.

Rule 1: THE BOSS IS ALWAYS RIGHT

Rule 2: IF THE BOSS IS WRONG, APPLY RULE 1

So go ahead, work your worries away. Have a great day ahead!

Regards

Mani.S. (A.k.a Ananth.S.)

Related Posts:

Relationship called Love

Married, but to caste and religion

DC & MARVEL COMICS

I am a man of action. I love the power unleashed by DC Comics and Marvel Comics. I love all the gadgetry, the car chases and even the increasing ingenuity of the villains that come with the thrills of watching an action movie. However it is the superheroes segment of the action movie business that I like the most. Like many of the movie buffs, I have been out shopping for the latest Spiderman series starring Toby McGuire and the Batman series starring Christian Bale.

I have to confess that I have been to various places starting from flea markets to the many shopping malls in search of the DVDs which can provide me the complete series of these superheroes. However my efforts have come to a zilch. Another reason being there aren’t too many legally selling superhero combo movies in a three or five dvd set. Let’s face it. What’s real should stay real. I just hate Piracy!

Hence it was with great interest that I finally got to watch BATMAN: The Dark Knight courtesy HBO who were the first to premiere it on television a few weeks ago. A fantabulous movie for all its action sequences, pyrotechnics, stills, drama and the concept, it also set me thinking. A thought that appeared has materialized into this write-up.

Somehow my mind started making comparisons of the Bat with another of my favorites Spiderman. The more we thought these super heroes were different, the more they appear as long lost brothers or as the saying goes brothers in arms. The following comparisons may seemingly be different in nature at the beginning but by the very end, you will be convinced that Batman and Spiderman are two sides of the same coin!

Batmans parents were killed by a mugger named Joe Chill when he was just 6 years old and was raised by their loyal and trustworthy butler Alfred.  A young Batman swore revenge on the enemies plaguing Gotham city and sought to protect it from crime.

The Spidey did not have much knowledge of his parents who are supposed to have died in a plane crash. He was raised by his Aunt May & Uncle Ben ever since. However the accidental death of Uncle Ben at the hands of a burglar turned Peter Parker from a shy, emaciated boy into the Spiderman who fights crime in New York city.

Both Batman and Spidey did not have friends and felt lonely most of the time. I guess that stands true for any true superhero.

The Bat was a millionaire living in a city that had much of Bruce Wayne – The industrialist, playboy, only heir to the Wayne family and last but not the least being Batman to thank for. Thus deemed to be far superior and wealthier than any of Gotham city, the Bat mainly found himself alone with an on and off relationship with Rachel Dawes, his childhood friend.

BATMAN

On the other hand, Spidey and his family lived a hand to mouth existence with Peter Parker doing odd-jobs and landing a temp job as a reporter with the Daily Bugle (Well Superman was a reporter too in his alter-avatar!!!). He loves Mary Jane, supposedly a neighbour for 20 years but is afraid to tell her and also since she has had more success than he has (so he thinks) leading to an on and off relationship as in the first case.

How much truth does the phrase “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown” hold

Both have had the ignominy of turning friends into enemies:

Batman’s friend in Dark Knight – Harvey Dent turns into “Harry Two-Face” hell bent on revenge for thinking that the Gotham city police and Batman were responsible for the killing of his girlfriend.

Spiderman’s best friend Harry, son of wealthy industrialist Norman Osborn turns against him when he comes to know that Spiderman was responsible for his Fathers death.

SPIDERMAN

The enemies too sound pretty similar –

Catwoman and Scarecrow for the Batman and Lizard and Chamelon for the Spider

Clayface and Sandman – Both beings one a treasure hunter and the other a petty thief, converted into villains by willingly or unwillingly becoming a part of an experiment they were unaware of

Dr. Freeze and Dr. Octopus – Both scientists whose lives changed after failed experiments

Both wear capes so as to not reveal their real identities in public

The creators of Batman were Bob Kane & Bill Finger (B & B) whereas Spiderman was created by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko (S & S)

For the movie buffs, it may seem as an amazing coincidence that the characters of Rachel Dawes enacted by Maggie Gyllenhaal and Mary Jane enacted by Kirsten Dunst look fairly similar in appearance.

I guess my super powers of drawing conclusions on two of my favourite superhero characters is closing in. What’s your say?

Readers are welcome to add to the list and to comment on this write-up.

Grab Your cool Desktop Downloads from them: DC COMICS

Thanks

Mani S (A.k.a Ananth. S)

—

Image Source: DC Comics & Marvel Comics

Hi friends,

I am back again with yet another post.

Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) – 2010 – MY DREAM RUN!!!!

The Start, the dream run and the finish:

I thought that a mere reply or comment to Techdivine’s SCMM article may not encapsulate the myriad range of feelings that one encountered during the Marathon.

I Would like to thank TECHDIVINE Creative Services for updating through tweets too the status of the marathon.

The Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon has been around for 7 years now and I have had the good luck of running the marathon 6 times leaving aside the first time. However this year was a watershed year for me personally speaking. I have had 2 Dream-runs, 3 Half-Marathons & this year I ran the FULL MARATHON!

Let me trace the steps that led to this marathon for me.

Somewhere in the beginning of August, one of my friends’ mailed me about registrations for the marathon being open.

Lazy as I am, I logged onto the SCMM site a week after the communiqué. I was surprised to find that the registrations for the half-marathon were closed. Hence I registered for the next best option – the 42 Km Full Marathon. This was done keeping in mind the fact that the runners for the 21 Kms & 42 Kms begin their respective races from the same starting point. Hence I always had it at the back of mind that I will start off as a full marathon runner and end up running the 21 Km Half-marathon along with my friends.

Come Saturday 16 Jan 2010, my friend and me, went to collect the Bibs and Goodie bags. At the WTC Expo, realization dawned on me that the starting points for both the Half-marathon and Full marathons were different. While the Full Marathon commenced from CST, the Half marathon started from Bandra.

I saw this as a great opportunity coming my way. Never had I attempted anything of such a kind. As for practice for these races, the only practice that I ever did was on Race day!!!.

So, come race day & I was pretty much eager to go the full distance. (Kindly note, this is not advised at all)

I have always been either a quick runner or a brisk walker. Not the average jogger kind of guy who would easily go on jogging till the end of the race. Normally, I carry a small travel bag with all sundries in it and deposit it at the baggage counter. However, today, I had made up my mind that, if it seemed tough, I may return from the very place where I gave up. Hence I carried only my backpack which had a change of shirt and a few energy packs of electrals (FDC Ltd).

On Race day, I reached the venue 15 minutes before time. The race started sharp at the anointed time of 6:45 AM and there were a million feet pounding the asphalt. Here I was, surrounded by a sea of people many of who were playing the follow the leader game & went where the person ahead of him was going. I tried to keep up pace but after 10 minutes, I started my walk.

Every time I felt some amount of energy in my body, I would run. Then once I was exhausted, I continued walking. I had one simple plan and a few smaller ones that helped me on my way. From my past experience, I knew that an hour of walking will enable me to complete a minimum of 7 Kms. This translated into 6 hours for 42 Kms. So rather than counting the Kms left, I counted the hours.

Smaller numbers meant the brain was always in agreement.

Then another trick was when a marker came along, indicating the number of kms completed, I told myself that 21 Kms still remained.

Irrespective of whether the marker showed 5 Kms or 10 Kms or 15 or 25, I tricked my mind into believing that there were only 20 Kms left to travel and since I had done the 21 Km half-marathon before, the brain sheepishly nodded in agreement.

By the time, I was convinced that I would be able to complete the marathon came the stunning and mighty Bandra Worli Sea Link.

For someone who has never seen it previously, this was a God sent opportunity. However little did I know that this was also one of the worst stretches that the Marathon had to offer. With the clock reading 10:30, I set foot onto the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL).

The sun was at the horizon and every thought of a cool breeze subsided. This coincided with the fact that the water stations that we runners took for granted at every 100 mts, were nowhere in sight. All runners were left to fend for themselves for the entire stretch of 6 Kms on the sea link. So much that all of us were quite thankful when we stepped off the BWSL.

By this time, I had only around 8-9 kms left to complete my first full marathon. As if on cue, my leg started sending signals to the brain that it had had enough and that it may stop walking any minute. There were some indications of this happening earlier too before I set foot on the sea link resulting in a small icepack session at the medical stall put up for this purpose. By the time, I reached within a striking distance of 7 Kms, my legs literally gave way. My toes were starting to turn inwards, my calf starting to bend backwards and my thighs unable to sustain any more body weight. I limped my way actually dragging both legs upto the finish line and heaved a great sigh of relief to have completed the Marathon and still in one piece.

However I would like to thank all those who made this possible. My friends who supported me throughout the race. Then there were parents with their kids lining the streets encouraging us participants to go on. There were kids handing out Parle-G and Marie biscuits, some enterprising ones even handing out soft drinks to the thirsty. There were little slum kids who were thrilled at the number of people who were running and gave us hi-fives. It was a pleasure to see those lit up faces. To see the people who came out onto the streets on a Sunday morning for no reason of their own but just to watch all of us participate and to egg us on in our initiative.

I would like to also make a special mention of the seniors who were running this marathon just like any other youngster and yes there have been many who in their 60s have gone past me while jogging along as against my trundling.

It is really a big appreciative effort on part of the populace to turn up to attend events like this and make their august presence felt and make Mumbai known for what is famous the world over. – For its welcoming hands and open heart.

This was my Marathon and I lived every kilometer of it. Would participate the next year too!!!

Thanks

Your views are welcome.

Mani (A.k.a Ananth.S.).

3 IDIOTS – *ing Aamir Khan, Madhavan, Sharman Joshi & Kareena Kapoor

***Give Me Some Sunshine, Give Me Some Rain, Give Me Another Chance, I Wanna Grow Up Once Again***

and so the story unfolds………………

Written by:

Credits:

Writing credits
Chetan Bhagat -  book “Five Point Someone” (After reading the book and watching the movie, its probably just about 10% that’s been taken from the book)
Rajkumar Hirani     –    story
Abhijit Joshi      -   writer

Original Music by
Shantanu Moitra

Cinematography by
C.K. Muraleedharan

Production Design by
Acropolis
Rajnish Hedao

Art Direction by
Rajnish Hedao

I watched 3 IDIOTS at PVR Cinemas thereby making my long & lovely Christmas holiday have a wonderful end. How? Well, I watched it with my friends, my high school friends.

My verdict – Ensure that you have a ‘dhekko’ of this movie. It is absolutely worth the moolah. This movie is definitely one of the finest produced this year.

The concept of the movie takes off from where Aamir left off in Dil Chahta hai. It is the story of three guys (3 Idiots) who meet at an engineering college, become room mates and then become the best of friends. One of their less illustrious friends Chatur Ramalingam reminded me of a friend in school days. So did few others too.

This very feature of the movie wherein the audience can relate to the characters and the situations is what works in making this movie the hit of the year.

The Characters & Plot:

Aamir Khan, if he can make it to the Education industry, he can well transform the entire education delivery system in the country by the intelligent ideas portrayed in Taare Zameen Par & 3 Idiots system of teaching and learning. Nevertheless, the beauty is, we will only get to watch these beautiful teaching techniques only in a movie, as our Indian education system will never change.

Boman Irani has given a great performance as usual again proving to one and all that he cannot become an effective Principal/Headmaster – All his students tend to get the better of him in his movies. First Main Hoon Na then Munnabhai MBBS & now 3 Idiots. He has again done it with ease.

Madhavan and Sharman have under acted and done it amazingly well. Their characters are definitely not the main catch of the script but the end scenes and performances given by both of them, takes the story and those characters to a totally new level.

The story begins with two friends Farhan (Madhavan) and Raju (Sharman) trying to hunt down their old friend Rancho (Aamir) 10 years after they completed their engineering. This journey leads them through many a twist in the midst of which we are given a detailed account of their years at the engineering college. They manage to even gate crash Kareena’s (Aamir’s love interest) marriage in their search.

I would like to divulge the details rather the entire movie but do not want to spoil the fun for those who are yet to see it.

So Watch it and come back impressed by Aamir’s performance coupled with Sharman & Madhavan playing the perfect foil.

My advice: DO NOT miss the first 10 minutes of the movie.

Movie Rating:4/5

To bolo: All isz Wellll……………………….

Regards

Mani S (A.k.a Ananth S) & TD

Book Review – 2 States: The story of my marriage – Chetan Bhagat (CB)

The book, 2 States – The Story of my Marriage, lives up to what we have come to expect from the Chetan Bhagat stable. In the true sense CB had proclaimed that he was writing a book meant to be made into a typical Hindi movie. Movies of these days which have a strong dose of comedy sprinkled by largesse of love and family drama with a bit of rona-dhona thrown in for good measure. This is the very essence of this book that traces its way back to IIM where the protagonists of the story meet. A few meetings later they both fall in love with each other, the only problem being him from the North & her from the South.

The boy is a typical North Indian guy with loads of education and class. The girl is a typical generation Y Southie who has a penchant for non-veg and the like. Both have to convince each others families of their choices and this is where the fun part of the story lies. Both families have their own characters be it Ananya’s (the girl) super studious brother or the boy’s retired  father. Did I mention he was a retired army man. Ahem!

This coupled with a typical Punjabi marriage and the Delhi way of celebrating it in great style and splendour as also the various different ways in which the boy and girl go about impressing on their families about their choice forms the core of the book.

Since I would not like to play spoilsport and delve into the specifics to annoy the author, I suggest you lay your hands on a copy of the book & enjoy a fabulously good read.

A good source for Your Purchase too: Buy it here:CB’s 2 States

Enjoy!

Mani (a.k.a. Ananth S)

DISAPPOINTED!!! This would have been the word on every avid cricket fan’s lips post India’s defeat in the Twenty 20 match played against Sri Lanka at home. Especially with the defeat coming at the end of a successful Test series which saw India crowned as Kings of Test cricket and in a week which saw Pakistan defeat New Zealand in their own den and the meek West Indies holding Australia to a draw in the second test.

However this article, if anybody thought was going to be one of the countless ones dished out on cricket day in and day out and running into pages, then they are in for a surprise. This column is not going to be about cricket at all. It is going to be about its poor cousins who are getting poorer by the day while cricket gets richer by the minute. IF at all any mention of cricket is made, that will only be in the form of a comparison.

What is the national game of India?
If this question were to be asked in schools around the country, chances are that 50% of the students will reply “Cricket” in an enthusiastic, all knowing manner. Such has been the stronghold of cricket on this country that we have forgotten that we have a national game which goes by the name of Hockey. This game is played by 11 players who run after a ball with stick in hand for 70 minutes. Their only aim is to outscore each other by pushing the ball into the opponent’s goal. The team with most goals at the end of the game wins. This in short explains hockey to a layman.

What is the common thread that binds Dhyanchand, Dhanraj Pillay and Pargat Singh?
The answer to this question maybe – “All are Indian names” and I for one will not be surprised to hear this since there doesn’t seem to be any other connection that links these three men to the Gen X of India. However fact remains that these are three men who captained the Indian Hockey team at various stages. Dhyanchand captained the Indian Hockey team when it was at the peak in the 1930s very similar to the heady times we are having in Indian cricket. Pargat Singh captained an Indian side which kept the momentum going in the early 90s and Dhanraj took over the reins in the mid 90s when chaos was the order of the day.

Most people will remember the painful sight of Kapil Dev crying over the alleged match fixing allegations levied by his team mate Manoj Prabhakar. But very few will remember Dhanraj Pillay crying on the same TV channels lamenting about the dying nature of his sport. “I should have played cricket and not hockey” – These were the very words coming from a veteran of 15 years.

However the sport has itself to blame for the mess it finds in. The so called administrators of the sport Indian Hockey Federation never thought of giving the sport a direction or trying to get it into good shape. The players were treated like low class government employees and on tours used to share beds and put up in cheap hotels. So much for playing a professional sport!!!!. Also the facilities and infrastructure required by the players is more often than not unavailable. Due to this many of the players have quit the sport in search of greener pastures. The Indian Hockey Federation itself is embedded in a few controversies of its own and the players and administrators do not see eye to eye. Coaches are appointed and leave midway through their stint due to the overall lackadaisical attitude and non-payments. Even the Sports Ministry does not deem it fit to intervene and change the manner in which the game is run. In short no one seems to be really concerned about what we call the national game of India.

Everyone thought that the movie Chak De India would improve the lives of hockey players and maybe help Indian hockey turn over a new leaf. However the public has a memory that is shortlived and Shahrukh Khan walked away with all the accolades along with the producers who got their money’s worth. ESPN Star came out with a Hockey Premier League which also got fizzled out after a couple of seasons, having lost popularity with Indian audiences which prompted Dhanraj to say “SRK ne movie hockey pe banayee aur paise cricket pe lagaye”.

It will require a Herculean effort on the part of the Sports Ministry and the hockey players to get Indian Hockey back on the winning track. It will also require some support in the form of financial muscle from the cash rich BCCI. We also as Indians should help in drumming up support for the national game in every possible way. It is upto the die-hard fans of the sport to cultivate interest in the sport helping it to grow further. There will be no player in the world who does not like to hear the roar of the crowds which will help him perform better than his opponents. Else I can soon hear the death knell for Indian hockey and the fat lady singing her last tune.

Ananthakrishnan S a.k.a Mani

Love ....

Love makes life livable, said someone!

Somewhere here I am trying to decipher and decode the exact meaning of the phrase and yes before people reach to any conclusion on what kind of love that I am talking about, let me clear the air.

The Love that will be described and poured out in the coming lines, is the one that makes two people go “I Do” at the altar.

I would like to touch upon aspects in this post, about whys would two people who have nothing in common, become what they become, until they meet each other and discover a whole new world – together.

The very reason for undertaking this exercise is my own experience at this peculiar feeling which is known as LOVE the world over.

I am 25 and by the time this article is published, I will be a year older. I have had many crushes in the formative years of my childhood and have been seriously interested only once……….. ok…….. I am exaggerating, may be twice.

The feelings just fizzled out because I am the type of guy who lets things like love take their own way rather than forcing myself on it. This is what led me to ponder as to what makes people tick?

This article may have a subcontinental flavour to it due to the fact that I am quoting examples from the, up and coming land called India of which I am a proud citizen. It’s then that I have tried to get into the “What of Love” and to say that I got satisfactory answers in my quest.

I will be best based on the analysis of the cases presented here and the readers own judgement. (Do not Judge me! )

I believe that Love is an important part of any relationship and is one of the pillars other than trust and loyalty on which the tree of mankind stands. In this regard, I have had certain observations to make and will tell you real life incidents of which I have been witness to or been a silent spectator of.

Case I – A young man whom we all knew of as a studious and very intelligient person who normally kept to self and incapable of doing no wrong along-with being protective of a blind father and an illiterate mother shocks everyone by proclaiming marriage to a young lady whom he met at his workplace

Case II – A young man who is given all freedom in the house and is an intelligient fellow does well in his education, completes his Masters in Business Adminisration where he falls in love, joins a high profile company complete with a good salary and perks. Then he confides about his desire to marry his lady love.

Case III – A young lady born and brought up in a liberal family has had many affairs by the time she reaches woman hood and goes on and marries a person whom she met at the workplace.

Case IV – A young man who has both parents who go off to work leaving him and his younger brother alone meets his lady love in college and they tie the knot. The lady in question in this case was junior to him in college and lived in the same complex as him

These are the samples that I have delved upon and arrived at certain conclusions after making careful observations. These are real life stories with the proverbial “& they lived happily ever after” theme ringing true.

The following observations were found to be true in each one of the cases mentioned above.

Ability to take decisions: In all of the cases mentioned above, the individuals involved have had to take/make decisions at a very early point in life. Be it the guy in case I where he was thrust the responsibility of being the head of the household or in cases II,III or IV where the individuals were required to take decisions due to the fact that there was very little parental assistance involved. It may be noted that people love persons who make their own decisions without getting influenced by other factors especially those which are emotional in nature.

I hope me making points and taking you back to ‘cases’ does not make this sound like a court ruling, it’s just that I would like to share different such scenarios, based on which  began to quote this post on the most beautiful thing in the world, Love!

Read on……

Self-Confidence: All the characters mentioned herein have amazing confidence about themselves. It may have been the result of their minds not being clogged by parents constantly advising about what is good and what is bad, When should one call the stops, What should one do and the likes. As a result of these, an individual goes into a mental state of being wherein he prepares a checklist before making any decision and ensures that the checklist is strictly adhered to. This process ensures that such a person arrives at a decision, which may be right or wrong, much later than those who go by the gut instinct. Also many a times such decisions may seem to be erring on the side of caution so as to ensure that one is always on the right side of the universe whereas confident people may go ahead with a decision that may seem to bewilder many but get positive results. For these people there is the inner belief that they can do no wrong because they do not distinguish between right and wrong and also believe that they can always survive any bad effects that their decision may entail. This leads to the making of a very self confident individual who also appears to be confident with an ever warm smile that pleases most people and charms the toughest of ladies.

Unfettered Lifestyle: Due to the minimal parental objection in their lives, these people live life to the fullest. They work hard, make loads of money, party harder and are always enthusiastic and positive about life. These are people who want to live lives that are worth meaning to them rather than sulking around, thinking about others or about decisions that may have far reaching consequences. That’s the reason why, when one comes across such persons, one feels quite positive and they are like a whiff of fresh air that has invaded your senses carrying you along with it.

Here I would like to rest my case wherein I have always been smitten by some one or the other. However when the time comes to make a choice, it’s always about making them a part of my life rather than colonizing them. So my mind starts throwing up questions like Would she fit the bill, Will my parents approve of her, How would the elders react about the match, What mother tongue will the children adopt and so on till the mind is left totally confused. What finally emerges is a chaotic situation. If not that then by the time I make up my mind, the lady is already been taken!

So friends I think I have unraveled the human mindset about love to a great extent and its physiological aspects. And for those who try desperately to fall in love but don’t, may be now we know why…

Enjoy

Do share your views with me.

Thanks.

Mani (A.k.a Ananth S)

Thinking of my sweet memories with the rising sun

As i woke up today with the shining rays of the sun, I got a phone call. It was good news, great news, actually surpirisngly good news.

What I had just heard took me back the memory lane.

Just like our childhood, the Middle years too hold a very important place in our lives. These are the years when a man needs to grapple with his inner demons and make decisions that have a very profound impact on his future. These may be decisions both personal and professional and may be ridiculously easy or exponentially difficult.

This period in life which begins at 20 and ends somewhere in the mid 30’s is marked by various stages like higher education, employment, marriage, children, aged parents etc.

Against this backdrop, I would like to introduce to you one of my best friends who has a lot in common with me and I would like to take his case as an ideal one to see what it takes to make the most toughest decision of all time that many men shudder to even think of, many cower and others relish – MARRIAGE!!!!!

This friend of mine from, how do I put this, well, from pre-historic times, has got characteristics similar to mine.

He hails from an orthodox TamBram family, a very pious man who goes to temple daily and also on weekends, very particular about reaching a place in time and also a stickler to rules and regulations as well as one who thinks thousand times to cross that unquoted line that parents draw for their kids.

This friend of mine, Lets Call him Mr.A, was enchanted in our high school days by a girl who was far more superior in the academic field (crazy, how those things mattered then) & he was afraid to go and talk to her about his crush on her. The result being the girl getting married to one of his own classmates who would ideally not be seen as the perfect combination at that time.

Then another major crush happened when he was working in a premier financial institution wherein he fell in love with a young lady who was known to be a fierce individual and also was one step above him in the corporate ladder. Our man tried to open up to her many times but never could make it face to face resulting in yet another heart break. Last heard the girl is happily married for nearly a year and wonder of wonders has moved to a locality near our own hero’s house!!!!

I being a friend was always aware of his various crushes and out of curiosity asked him about the reasons for this since I knew for a fact that there would not arise any inter-caste repercussions if he were to go ahead and marry any one of them since both ladies in question were simple TamBram women. He was blatant enough to tell me the truth that these two girls whom he liked a lot had many things in common that he wanted in a girl –fiercely independent, go-getters and people on whom you can depend if ever you were in a life threatening situation that they would take care of your family and not bat an eyelid about their personal loss (at least that’s what he thought). He would tell me in is own humorous way Arrey yaar, ‘Imagine I propose to her and she accepts my proposal, then I will have to marry her. But afterwards, there arises a situation wherein I have to play the judge and juror in the house after a hard day in office that would lead to an unpleasant situation. Especially if it’s a case of mother pitted against the wife. Coz no matter what decision the man gives, he stands to lose either way, be it the husband or the son. So I always wait for them to come to me!’ Also his parents being real orthodox, there are quite a few rules in the house which may or may not be liked by all.

Then I put forth another question – How is it that you cope up so well with your so called loss since he has an ever smiling face except when he is angry or in one of his moods.

I even went to the extent of telling him that a man not mourning about his lost love ever thought about loving at all.

That’s when he repeated one of the oft mentioned cliches in Hindi films about Bus,train aur ladki – Ek jaati hai tho doosri aati hai!!!!. I was appalled at this emotionless (Though he is never an emotional being at least to the outside world) and seemingly childish answer to my question. The next moment he surprises me with – Tho kya karoon Suicide kar loon gham main doobke? I cannot even do that coz I am a coward. I asked him in what sense do you term yourself a coward.

He says – “Ask any man to jump from the top of a 10 storeyed building or to consume a bottle of rat poison or rather to shoot/knife himself and he will look at you like you are a crazy man. That is because every man however much obstacles he may face, loves his life. So men who are courageous enough to make that decision should be appreciated. I cannot bring myself to do it since the moment such a thought enters my mind, the sullen faces of my parents occupy center position and all such thoughts get blown away. However much I try to be emotionally un-attached, I cannot bring myself to do it.”

I do not know whether anyone else is satisfied with this explanation, But I sure was and these words coming from a man who I have known to be an emotionless creature. Now for the twist – Life sure has its ways of proving things wrong just when they seem to be right.

Last heard our man has married a Northerner, a Kashyap girl and is presently honeymooning in the backwaters of Kerala.

He married so suddenly that even friends like us came to know after 2 days.

P.S. – Mate, if you are reading this, Please don’t think of this as my way of getting back at you. Am waiting with open arms for your return to our world.

Tell me what you think. I had a great start for my day.

Mani S