This post is to formally announce that, I have migrated to Wordpress platform. I shall not continue to write on this blog anymore. Thank you all for your wonderful support and encouragement all these days. And I hope you will continue to read/appreciate/criticize my work in future too....here's the link to my blog on wordpress....see you all there.
http://hemanthology.wordpress.com
Adieu,
Hemanth
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
0
Migration...
Sunday, December 21, 2008
0
Mangalore Calling...
This one promises to be a great journey for it marks my first trip to the Western Coast. So, here it is, Mangalore-Udupi-Dharmasthala and a bunch of other places and beaches, tour is just around the corner. Tour dates...25th-28th Dec...
Will soon blog about the whole journey as soon as I am back....:)
Signing Off,
Hemanth
Friday, December 19, 2008
0
Life is a funny thing. There are those who sit on one side of the prism and say, life's colourful and some sit on another side and say, life's got too much variety and so on. So, what happens when all these perspectives culminate? Well, I don't know...quite frankly, I think, either people go crazy, or we see a whole new set of species who are more sensible and intelligent.
We in Hyderabad, have been grappling with a new wave of disease called political fever. And in this madness, a code has been set to reach each and every one of us through enormous publicity. Look around, and you will find trillions of small party flags, thousands of vehicles claiming to support some or the other party and hundreds of cars labeled as " MLA/MLC" and yada...yada. I must add that, some are leaving no stone unturned to make their presence felt, so much so that the basic ideology of electing a leader is questionable. These days, I have been coming across hundreds of hoardings of countless youth who have put there "100 watt glowing and smiling" photo along with their friends, claiming to be supporting some "God Knows Who" political leader. I am sure I will bear witness a lot more action in the coming days, and have every intention of writing something about it. Here's one such poster I have come across...have a look.
For those of you who cannot understand Telugu, here's the translation of the content in the poster...
"World is beautiful.
And without eyes it is meaningless.
....Pic...
On the Occasion of Jagan's Birthday, please donate your eyes.
Jagan Charitable Trust"
By the way, Jagan is the son of the current Chief Minister of A.P, Mr.Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy. Correct me if I am wrong Mr.Jagan, I went bonkers, when you (or atleast people supporting you) appealed to the public to donate their eyes on the "occasion of your birthday". You couldn't ask for a better birthday gift?!...:D...What next? You want people's blood, kidneys, liver, heart for several of your family member's birthdays?! It's a very noble intention to run a charitable trust, but it would be even great if you were more sensitive to people. Maybe next time, you can try to appeal to a broad set of audience sans your name on it, atleast not in the body of the poster...let people judge you for what you are. I have already seen some communities on orkut, which have termed you as the equivalent of "Rahul Gandhi" in A.P...and I wish you good luck for that!
I think, this is only the beginning of what promises to be a great election in the state this time. Already three lions are showing their prowess across the state, but we will have to wait a watch who stands up to be the fourth of the lions. It's funny, because, an election which is soon assuming a strong flavour of caste, political affliations and bias cannot be fair! Unless we, the people, stand up for what we truly believe in and try to make a difference. I think God has a plan for us this time, He's playing this mind game to see how far can people go to make things happen...and as we go on constructing our Tower of Babel, He's watching us...waiting for the moment when we forget what we are and who we are....and then...He will strike upon thee with fury and great vengence.
P.S: I am not a supporter of any political party...am just a ghost around...am just a common man!...:D (I know, I contradict myself!..)
When People Go Bonkers....
Life is a funny thing. There are those who sit on one side of the prism and say, life's colourful and some sit on another side and say, life's got too much variety and so on. So, what happens when all these perspectives culminate? Well, I don't know...quite frankly, I think, either people go crazy, or we see a whole new set of species who are more sensible and intelligent.
We in Hyderabad, have been grappling with a new wave of disease called political fever. And in this madness, a code has been set to reach each and every one of us through enormous publicity. Look around, and you will find trillions of small party flags, thousands of vehicles claiming to support some or the other party and hundreds of cars labeled as " MLA/MLC" and yada...yada. I must add that, some are leaving no stone unturned to make their presence felt, so much so that the basic ideology of electing a leader is questionable. These days, I have been coming across hundreds of hoardings of countless youth who have put there "100 watt glowing and smiling" photo along with their friends, claiming to be supporting some "God Knows Who" political leader. I am sure I will bear witness a lot more action in the coming days, and have every intention of writing something about it. Here's one such poster I have come across...have a look.
For those of you who cannot understand Telugu, here's the translation of the content in the poster...
"World is beautiful.
And without eyes it is meaningless.
....Pic...
On the Occasion of Jagan's Birthday, please donate your eyes.
Jagan Charitable Trust"
By the way, Jagan is the son of the current Chief Minister of A.P, Mr.Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy. Correct me if I am wrong Mr.Jagan, I went bonkers, when you (or atleast people supporting you) appealed to the public to donate their eyes on the "occasion of your birthday". You couldn't ask for a better birthday gift?!...:D...What next? You want people's blood, kidneys, liver, heart for several of your family member's birthdays?! It's a very noble intention to run a charitable trust, but it would be even great if you were more sensitive to people. Maybe next time, you can try to appeal to a broad set of audience sans your name on it, atleast not in the body of the poster...let people judge you for what you are. I have already seen some communities on orkut, which have termed you as the equivalent of "Rahul Gandhi" in A.P...and I wish you good luck for that!
I think, this is only the beginning of what promises to be a great election in the state this time. Already three lions are showing their prowess across the state, but we will have to wait a watch who stands up to be the fourth of the lions. It's funny, because, an election which is soon assuming a strong flavour of caste, political affliations and bias cannot be fair! Unless we, the people, stand up for what we truly believe in and try to make a difference. I think God has a plan for us this time, He's playing this mind game to see how far can people go to make things happen...and as we go on constructing our Tower of Babel, He's watching us...waiting for the moment when we forget what we are and who we are....and then...He will strike upon thee with fury and great vengence.
P.S: I am not a supporter of any political party...am just a ghost around...am just a common man!...:D (I know, I contradict myself!..)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
0
The Persistance of Perseverance
One of my favourite movies, V for Vendetta, has a beautiful monologue about a man trying to kindle a sense of hope and optimism in the imagination of his fellow brothers and sisters. And it goes something like this...(An excerpt from the movie, V for Vendetta)
" V: Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot. "
The above passage has a great sense of pragmatism associated with it. And if you read closely, you will see that the speaker has appealed to what we believe in and what we subsequently end up doing. Take any great speech for that matter, and you will find the aroma of hope and at the end of it, a sense of relentless will to do something. Al Pacino's speech in "Any Given Sunday", is another example of words having an impeccable impact, so much so that, I can't sleep without listening to that clip atleast once! Over the past few years, I have come across video and audio clips of some influential speeches, out of which, Steve Jobs speech at Stanford's commencement, James Nachtwey's speech while accepting TED prize, and Barack Obama's Victory speech stand out. I would like to point out a bit about Obama here, since he's the man who seems to have captured the imagination of millions of people across the world.
A lot many things have been said and written about Obama, but nothing compares to the feeling which you undergo when you hear him talk. He doesn't say great things, but I have always wondered why some speeches become the talk of town and sometimes of the country, world as well. And after having listened to his Victory Speech in Chicago and another speech in 2004 in Illinois when he was campaigning for John Kerry, have cleared all doubts in my mind about the power of words. I have realised that no matter what, a simple phrase will reach people's heart if you utter with utmost sincerity and belief. No wonder, his political meetings bring such huge cheer and crowds from all walks of life. Probably, the next thing I am gonna do is to listen to all his debates and speeches to inject a dose of hope and optimism into my otherwise banal life.
They say, the simple and most beautiful things in life are free. Like a smile, tears, love, anger, fear, joy...ideas, perspective. And if we have to fight for them or even struggle to be able to catch a glimpse of them in our life, then be sure that there is something wrong with your life. It's not what your mirror shows you, but it's that brief moment of doubt in your mind, which makes you stand (or not stand) infront of a mirror for a longer time...that is a sign that things aren't what they have to be. People write tons of random stuff (including this post!..:P) to address how to resolve the crisis under such circumstances, I say, bullocks! How does one know what's with your life? How does a doctor know what's wrong with your head? There might be a cure for a lot of things, but is there a cure for hopelessness, the void in your life, the isolation...? Things like this can stay for a long time, consuming you from within, but life works in a magical way. All you need is a perspective called...Belief! God knows what sort of endorphin is released in our brain, but it's true! Things seem brighter and more chirpy when there is belief in our mind and heart. And what can be more beautiful, than seeing this sense of belief cure the dogma, that we cannot stand on our feet unless we have a helping hand!
At the end of the day, I wonder, how much of a changed person I am. Few years ago, when someone asked me, what do I want to be? I said, I wanted to be a respected person in the society. I didn't have an iota of knowledge what meant or how can I achieve it. And now when people ask me (after having seen how out of place I am in my current profession) what do I really wanna be and do? I say, I want to be a writer. And they laugh...See, this is what I call "The Persistence of an uncurable dogma". I now see a clear path ahead and as far as I can see, there's no one around. And I just walk alone...with a hope that, others will smile and rejoice when I reach my goal one day. Right now, I am in the middle of nowhere! Probably I would need a lot more Steves, Obamas, David Mitchells, Al Pacinos, Pete McCarthys, friends, strangers, movies, books, videos, blogs, ideas, thoughts, perspective, belief...to believe that,...."Yes, I can."
To put an end to this endless stream of consciousness, here's a modification of another quote from "V for Vendetta"...
"Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, my friend, and ideas are bulletproof."
Amen,
Hemanth
" V: Good evening, London. Allow me first to apologize for this interruption. I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, thereby those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle, a celebration of a nice holiday, I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth. And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, to think and speak as you saw fit, you now have censors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror. I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now high chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten. More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked. But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot. "
The above passage has a great sense of pragmatism associated with it. And if you read closely, you will see that the speaker has appealed to what we believe in and what we subsequently end up doing. Take any great speech for that matter, and you will find the aroma of hope and at the end of it, a sense of relentless will to do something. Al Pacino's speech in "Any Given Sunday", is another example of words having an impeccable impact, so much so that, I can't sleep without listening to that clip atleast once! Over the past few years, I have come across video and audio clips of some influential speeches, out of which, Steve Jobs speech at Stanford's commencement, James Nachtwey's speech while accepting TED prize, and Barack Obama's Victory speech stand out. I would like to point out a bit about Obama here, since he's the man who seems to have captured the imagination of millions of people across the world.
A lot many things have been said and written about Obama, but nothing compares to the feeling which you undergo when you hear him talk. He doesn't say great things, but I have always wondered why some speeches become the talk of town and sometimes of the country, world as well. And after having listened to his Victory Speech in Chicago and another speech in 2004 in Illinois when he was campaigning for John Kerry, have cleared all doubts in my mind about the power of words. I have realised that no matter what, a simple phrase will reach people's heart if you utter with utmost sincerity and belief. No wonder, his political meetings bring such huge cheer and crowds from all walks of life. Probably, the next thing I am gonna do is to listen to all his debates and speeches to inject a dose of hope and optimism into my otherwise banal life.
They say, the simple and most beautiful things in life are free. Like a smile, tears, love, anger, fear, joy...ideas, perspective. And if we have to fight for them or even struggle to be able to catch a glimpse of them in our life, then be sure that there is something wrong with your life. It's not what your mirror shows you, but it's that brief moment of doubt in your mind, which makes you stand (or not stand) infront of a mirror for a longer time...that is a sign that things aren't what they have to be. People write tons of random stuff (including this post!..:P) to address how to resolve the crisis under such circumstances, I say, bullocks! How does one know what's with your life? How does a doctor know what's wrong with your head? There might be a cure for a lot of things, but is there a cure for hopelessness, the void in your life, the isolation...? Things like this can stay for a long time, consuming you from within, but life works in a magical way. All you need is a perspective called...Belief! God knows what sort of endorphin is released in our brain, but it's true! Things seem brighter and more chirpy when there is belief in our mind and heart. And what can be more beautiful, than seeing this sense of belief cure the dogma, that we cannot stand on our feet unless we have a helping hand!
At the end of the day, I wonder, how much of a changed person I am. Few years ago, when someone asked me, what do I want to be? I said, I wanted to be a respected person in the society. I didn't have an iota of knowledge what meant or how can I achieve it. And now when people ask me (after having seen how out of place I am in my current profession) what do I really wanna be and do? I say, I want to be a writer. And they laugh...See, this is what I call "The Persistence of an uncurable dogma". I now see a clear path ahead and as far as I can see, there's no one around. And I just walk alone...with a hope that, others will smile and rejoice when I reach my goal one day. Right now, I am in the middle of nowhere! Probably I would need a lot more Steves, Obamas, David Mitchells, Al Pacinos, Pete McCarthys, friends, strangers, movies, books, videos, blogs, ideas, thoughts, perspective, belief...to believe that,...."Yes, I can."
To put an end to this endless stream of consciousness, here's a modification of another quote from "V for Vendetta"...
"Beneath this mask there is more than flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea, my friend, and ideas are bulletproof."
Amen,
Hemanth
Sunday, December 14, 2008
0
The Good Doctor
Weekends are always reserved for the best of things I suppose! No wonder every week, a new movie or concert happens to be on a weekend. Over the past few weeks, after having grounded myself to the confines my room, I felt a void growing in me. A void of not having done any activity which some of my fellow countrymen would say, "Fun Stuff". So, there I was, aimlessly going through loads of books at a second hand book sale and ended up picking four books. I came across, a David Mitchell's book named "Number9Dream" and another book by Pete McCarthy titled "The Road To McCarthy" and both promise to be genuinely fantastic books owing to all the great reviews the respective books have got. Sunday, 14th December has been an unusually short day for me. After having slept till 12 PM, there was little time to do anything else, so I ended up keeping my promise and landed at NIFT, Hyderabad to see, "The Good Doctor" a play performed by "Dramanon"-a theatre group.
The Good Doctor:
Based on a play by Neil Simon of the same name, "The Good Doctor" is an anthology of six stories. The story set in Russia during the 19th century, has a distinct style of Chekhovian comedy. It is composed of a series of scenes in which the only connecting thread is the character of the Writer. The writer while giving his reason behind taking up this profession suddenly comes across an idea which he feels will be a good short story and bingo...we enter that scene. And thereafter six stories are enacted one after the other with only the writer as the narrator. They are about a working class man feeling the pressure being an underdog, a Casanova taking a class on the art of seduction, a liberal father wanting his son to have a stint with a prostitute, banker being harassed by an unknown lady, a tramp willing to entertain for a few rubles and two aged strangers meeting in a park.
The Good Doctor:
Based on a play by Neil Simon of the same name, "The Good Doctor" is an anthology of six stories. The story set in Russia during the 19th century, has a distinct style of Chekhovian comedy. It is composed of a series of scenes in which the only connecting thread is the character of the Writer. The writer while giving his reason behind taking up this profession suddenly comes across an idea which he feels will be a good short story and bingo...we enter that scene. And thereafter six stories are enacted one after the other with only the writer as the narrator. They are about a working class man feeling the pressure being an underdog, a Casanova taking a class on the art of seduction, a liberal father wanting his son to have a stint with a prostitute, banker being harassed by an unknown lady, a tramp willing to entertain for a few rubles and two aged strangers meeting in a park.
Of the six plays, I liked the story of the underdog, father and son's discussion, banker's story and the aged strangers meeting in a park for the sheer energy and honesty in engaging the audience. To be honest, I have never been able to understand the Russian writers. Tragedies are more difficult to understand and to interpret them in a way that makes sense, requires a degree of careful thought. Likewise, at the end of first story, the writer mentions a possibility of "Alternative Ending" and the story of the tramp who attempts a drowning act to entertain a gentleman are brain-teasers! Why did the man forget to shout for help? Were the old couple in the park able to express their emotions to one another? Why does the writer choose to cast a spell of gloom on the Casanova when everything was going great for him?! I might turn into yet another Chekov if I knew the answers to all these...:D. But the fact that the play left me and (hopefully) few others like me thinking is in itself a success. If only the movies were engaging as this...a well spent two hours I must say!
The director, R K Shenoy, who I have realised is the soul of the unit, needs special mention. Not only does he bring in a style which is so distinct but also the characters of a veteran stage actor are clearly visible. And how can I forget his rendition on the guitar!!!..Somehow, he reminds me of a senior of mine from college named, Anshuman Bagchi...both have an impeccable aura of bringing a smile onto your face. Of the rest, Madhu (as the lady who harasses the banker) is a gem of an actress! She was brilliant and hopefully we theatre enthusiasts will get to see more of her in future. Utsav, Anshu are well cast in their roles and so are the rest of the cast. After having seen couple of plays by "Dramanon", I am not surprised that they have been identified by "India Today" amongst the top five emerging threatre groups in India. A well deserved recognition I must add.
But...there is an alternate ending to this post! After having sat there for two hours, I still couldn't comprehend why was it named "The Good Doctor". It wasn't until Varun (also a member of Dramanon) clarified from where the play's name has been derived, that I realise the slow and ubiquitous undercurrent throughout the play, which made sure that we never stop laughing or smiling. Thanks Varun, if not for your explanation, I would be having the number7Dream even now!. The troupe promises to come back in 6 months and I must say, I am eagerly waiting for their next production. And thanks to Srinidhi, Harish, Astha, Gunjan for having accompanied me to this play. I am sure it was a nice experience for all of you!
There it was...yet another sunday....yet another day of my life. And I am still here waiting for an alternative ending!...
PS: Number7Dream is derived from the title of David Mitchell's Number9Dream.
PPS: After having seen NIFT and the crowd, I realise why they are such a hot favourite!..:D
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