Rock star Dad

If Harvey's Bristol Cream and Flush/Teen Patti/Flash reminds me of my dad(in a good way, my father is neither an alcoholic nor a gambler :P), taking into account that I haven't turned out that bad, my dad must be a rock star. I will consider myself successful if I'm half as cool as him(again, taking into account my kids are not that bad).

What beautiful Saturday nights are made of

- Doner on chips with chili sauce
- Pear cider
- Autumn Apple candle
- Project Runway episodes

Snow!

So apparently it snowed last night! Given that I had slept for 2 hours the night before thanks to a review submission, I slept at 9 and missed it. But look what I saw when I woke up!

I haven't been out yet, because, well, I'm lazy. But its SO pretty!
Accompanying the mood is some seriously good coffee, and a 'Winter' scented candle. Happiness.

Cuban Salsa on Masakalli

                                      

                                   

Cuban Salsa on Masakalli, on Dance India Dance(and I'm not the biggest fan of reality shows) managed to save my otherwise miserable day at 3:40 am.

Sharan and Piu, I was so thinking of you guys!

Make Me Happy

So I've been watching movies. Brilliant movies that were nominated/won at the Oscars, and some older ones from Sharan's collection.

-The Reader

-Revolutionary Road

-Milk

-Wall-E

-Dead Poet's Society

-The Great Debaters

Among these samples of utter brilliance, I HAD to catch up with happier chick-flicks that I'd already seen, as you see, most of the above do not, let me repeat, DO NOT make a-frustrated-girl-who-desperately-wants-to-go-home-and-not-EXAP feel any better. They make you sad, and feel ashamed with your uselessness. They also instill you with a tremendous amount of fodder for thought. Yeah I know that's supposed to be good, but these movies strip you off your existing beliefs and make you doubt what-you-think-you-know. Hence, not recommended if one wants to rejuvenate.

I still haven't figured Revolutionary Road out, its that brilliant, and here I don't mean it in the Peter Keating way. Its rare that I don't have an opinion. Its the way the characters are moulded-so utterly grey. Kate Winslet's character, i thought, was a half-way between a Rand heroine and a non-Rand person, a very vulnerable area to exist in. Please leave your comments on the movie, might help me. 

Anyway, so my question is why brilliance is synonymous with sadness. Wall-E was the only completely happy one, but not considered right now since it was animated, also about robots-in-love(which, by the way, I thought was adorable). The Great Debaters was a great and happy movie, hence will not be included in the discussion. Also Milk, since its a true story. The Sound of Music is a beautiful exception, too.

So why do all 'good' movies have to be sad? I know about the reality theory, that sadness is real. Isn't happiness? Or is it not worth to be portrayed? One might think its easy to be happy. Trust me on this one, its not, but its important.  I'm also aware of the you-learn-more-from-sadness theory. Might be true, but that doesn't mean one stops making happy and good movies. Chick-flicks are hardly considered to be 'good' movies, though I personally believe some of them are. They don't get the awards, anyway. But the awards issue is yet another one.

So please remind me of some happy and brilliant movies and make me happy. :)

P.S.- I seriously think Kate Winslet is a goddess in disguise of an actress. Anyone to second me?

Mumbai, my Bombay

Bombay has always been Mumbai for me; I never had a conflict of calling it Bombay or Mumbai. Perhaps Bombay reminds me of the British influence that made it ‘Bombay’-South Mumbai architecture, trains, Gateway of India, etc. Not that I don’t like these, mind you, if South Mumbai was a food item, I could have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can’t be thankful enough for my college being in an area I so love. At the same time, it makes me uncomfortable, to not see Mumbai in its totality-including the suburbs, the koliwadas, the beauty of the Marathiness of Dadar, the new developments in areas like Bandra Kurla Complex and Powai, and the history of the city before the Brits made it ‘Bombay’. After all, these are the things made by us.

Maybe I prefer calling the city Mumbai since I am a Maharashtrian. Would Parisians call Paris the way we call it? Would the Germans call Munich the same? Palestine? Mumbai, for me, retains my roots, my Maharashtrianess.

I, having been fortunate enough to study the history of Shivaji Maharaj, don’t have a problem with naming landmarks his name. I am proud of my history. Why do I call a station by some Brit Queen of the 1800s, who exploited colonies, which incidentally, includes my country? What’s wrong with calling it instead by the name of someone who resisted the Mughal invasion of this very region commendably? Those who complain of the complicated pronunciations and long name of ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’ , ‘Franz Josef Strauss’  is the name of the airport in Munich, ‘Charles De Gaulles’ is of Paris and of course, ‘John F. Kennedy’ of New York. It is probably our more Anglicised exposure as compared to our own language, that makes it easier for us to pronounce and remember the others better. Those who still want to be critical should be excused to call it as they please. Their choice  should be respected.

 

It is a wonder, how infrequently I speak Marathi once I step out of home. Thankfully I get my enough dose at home, where it is the only language spoken, however my level of fluency in it may be. How many of us learn an extra foreign language, but have never attempted to learn Marathi in spite of calling Mumbai our home? Because it is not exotic enough? I have never gone out of my way and explored the rich culture my language provides; never made an attempt to read Marathi newspapers which might have something different to say. Shame on me!

Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city, yes. It is secular, yes. It is welcoming, yes. But let us not ignore the roots.