Bajrangi Bhaijan - Film Review

I rarely write film reviews but I couldn't stop myself from writing something today! I watched the movie today, now in its second week and true to the industry predictions and the box office numbers, it has lived up to expectations!

I know Salman Khan delivers hits, one after another and he times his movie release dates well! I think everyone does! But movies like Dabang etc held no charm for me and I am no Salman fan either! But this really is a good movie! There was not a single moment which bored me and there was enough humor in the movie too! In fact I will rate it better than PK. Aamir over-did in PK and of course the concept was borrowed from OMG.

What struck me most was the simplicity of the movie, the songs, and the Salman style ofcourse even in a sad setting.

But there are a few things beside the movie that comes to my mind and that includes Salman's trial and may be this movie has become the savior for Salman not only in terms of his acting, his choice of movies but also a relief from the personal battles he is fighting. As I said I am no Salman fan and though he cannot be forgiven for the crime he committed years back and his hiding the truth and his contradictory statements, I somehow feel any human being would have done that. Being human is after all not just being compassionate but being yourself with some flaws and some kindness! We all are that after all! How many of us would have confessed our guilt had we the power, the money and the people with us?


This movie is very strategic too. Not only he manages to win the sympathy of the common people, he introduces the selfie song to show his patronage for the selfie loving leader. He rescues a child, saves her thus strengthening the notion that here is a human being who is good at heart! Always!

I don't know about law! I don't know what punishment he deserves! I don't know his intentions when he talks about Yakub Memom! I sure know that those who lost their life were unfortunate but it could have been anybody instead of Salman!

But for the moment he has won! Either by fair, natural or very unfair means!

Ward's Lake, Shillong

My hometown is a quiet, little place, well not so quiet politically but quiet because of nature, because of its beauty and serenity and because it is not so much known! Blame it on our tourism or blame it on yourself, now that you know there is a place which is quiet and serene, you must visit the Ward's Lake in Shillong!

Situated in the heart of Shillong, this one is an artificial lake is named after Sir William Ward, the then Chief Commissioner of Assam, who initiated the plan for the construction of this lake, which was later constructed by Colonel Hopkins in the year 1894, this lake is nature at its very best and  and houses the prettiest of lotuses.

The lake offers boating like another other lake in any hill station but the surrounding view is for your eyes to remember.

The bridge over the lake was its real charm but with years of wear and tear this one is getting repaired. That part of the lake seems to have lost a little of its charm but I can't wait to get there and see how the new bridge will look, will it be a replica of what was there or will it be more grand is for time to decide!

The adjacent park is a nice place to sit and relax, for children to play or to get a bit of the sunshine. You can also catch the most beautiful flowers and not just that you will see a natural and beautiful way the dustbins are placed. Well, that's my hometown! Welcome to some peace, quiet and some relaxation.

Just reach Shillong and anyone will tell you where the lake is! And yes, the entry fee is just so negligible!

Chilli Paneer my style

My kinda chilli paneer recipe for you! And I mean pepper/capsicum! Not that I don't like the green one but this special recipe is incomplete without one yellow and one red capsicum at least.  And what do I do? I cut them in small pieces while the oil in the pan gets heated. I fry the paneer and set them aside.

And then I add the onion to the oil and fry them till golden brown before adding some tomato pieces. I add a bit of coriander seeds as I love the flavor  a lot! Next step is to add the capsicum pieces, add salt according to taste, and cook till done. I will never add water to boil it but will let the steam do the job. Remember to put your gas on sim, so as not to burn while the capsicum gets cooked on a gentle flame.

And as the capsicum gets cooked, add the paneer and mix well and let it cook for a while!

And then garnish it with black pepper. Your lunch is set!

It's perfectly OK to talk

I was talking to this young girl whom I have known since she was a kid. I did not see her much during her growing up years however when she told me she was suffering from depression I was left speechless and though I did not say anything on her face, in my heart I had questions like why, how, what...

I didn't ask her why or since when but from what she told me spontaneously I could figure out that it was pressure, pressure to perform at her studies, pressure to be like her classmates or outshine them and most importantly the comparisons between her and her elder sibling. And that came from all corners - relatives, cousins. Thankfully her parents were supportive and she is well on her way to lead a normal life.

And this incident reminded of someone else who unable to deal with the pressures of his professional course and started behaving different and it took some time for his family to deal with it and get him out of it.

What I don't understand or know is whether such symptoms are on the rise today considering the rat race for which we are prepared for right from our childhood! Dance class, music class, swimming class, foreign language class and what not! Give it a break please, dear parents! Don't let your child do everything that you wanted to do and could not do whatever might have been the circumstances then! Let her choose whatever she is interested in!

And to everyone, young or not-so-young, please talk! It does not do any good keeping things to yourselves and trying to solving it all by yourself! Don't do that! Talk to friends, cry if you must but don't think you are alone! Every one goes through ups and downs in life and there is no magic available to come out of it. It takes time, patience, family and friends to help one out of a situation. Speak, get some advise and walk ahead! Don't compare your journey with anyone else's.

Go for the right reason and you will only have smiles

At a gathering of some family friends this was the discussion that was happening! The bride in question had spent some time with her husband and his family and returned to hers! Then after spending quite a good time with her parents she decides to file a case against her husband and in-laws. On what? Dowry and related harassment!

Have we not heard this very often? I guess most of us will utter a resounding yes! But not many of us will dive deep into the truth and the facts. And as was apparent in this discussion that the girl did not know what she wanted or may be she knew the intricacies just too well. She filed some case, she did not want to withdraw that, she wanted to come back or not I was not too clear but what I got from the overall discussion was she was waiting for the husband to take the calls. That would ensure that she would get a huge alimony since it was the husband who asked for it!

I hung my head in disbelief but somewhere my heart knew that this was not the only instance of taking advantage of a benefit that one has been entitled to! So you see society has reached that point where even a institution like marriage is used for trading, counting the benefits and deciding what next steps to take depending on the benefits!

I am not sure if ever we as human beings will come out of this give and take complicity and simply live life as it is meant to be lived, not on any terms but simply because you love it that way!

That brings me to the essential question of marriage! Why is that such a necessity to survive in a society and why money and benefits become the most important factor?

A few days back I read how the internet was trending with the news of Suhasini Mulay's marraige, four years back, when she married at an age of sixty! Why is it a big news? She married when she wanted to! But if the news is making positive impact, well then it should be a news! A big one! Let us strive for a society where feelings matter!

Education or Business or simply a joke?

Often I wonder why our universities don't rank among the top universities of the world and often I have realized that our educational system does not fund enough research work perhaps because we are a generation of muggers! We believe in quick wins, we believe in use and throw! No wonder why we have never perfected any art! We are jack of all trades and master of none.

And it starts early, from school and its deteriorating day by day. I don't know what I am going to write here applies to everywhere in India or not, I am simply citing an example of Delhi, yes Delhi, the country's capital! Here is a class VII student and his holiday homework is like a paperwork on pollution, what causes it and who are the victims. Okay, as far as understanding the causes of pollution I can say that this will add to his knowledge but when he is asked to interview people who suffer due to these causes I am left speechless! First this is not something a holiday homework is made of, second why would someone discuss his or her ailments with a young boy? I am not sure what this homework is aimed at! And what value is received by writing on a colored paper in multi colored ink! And when I ask the same student if he knew how many states India has, there was no answer! I just don't understand today's educational system! What fun in fancy note pads and all colorful outside and a hollow inside!

And above all, its not that the child is doing all by himself! This is a burden to the parents except for the fact that the parents are also learning but the intent of these holiday home works is not clear by any means! Also these days the holiday homework etc are uploaded on internet, shared on whatsapp etc...but why? Is this utilizing technology or simply creating unnecessary burden for the student and his/her family. Okay its good to be techn savvy but to what extent?

I really want to know what the school does with these papers, do these go to the waste basket? We talk of saving our environment, is this the way? Or more importantly does the teacher have the time to check each of these assignments and provide feedback to the students, other than awarding some marks? And is the child really learning something or is in a hurry to get the homework finished before the school re-opens.

I think it's time to review the educational system, I also think parents collectively should question the logic behind mindless holiday homework. I read only today that India is the second most obese nation in the world. Instead of driving the children and their parents  to compulsory internet connections why not drive them to the playground, to a session of yoga or simply a daily morning walk. I reiterate the right to question  the schools, the syllabus and the educational system.