UK - City of Bath

Bath was founded in 1 AD, and gained UNESCO World Heritage title. It is a small city, best explored by foot; it is filled with history and culture everywhere you turn. Bath is one of England's prettiest, sitting on the banks of the River Avon. The city of Bath is so named because of the spas that were developed around Roman times. 

We stayed at Tyndall Villa Boutique B&B. I highly recommend the place. It was quaint, cosy and clean. 

Must see:

1.Bath Abbey

A Gothic-style building, one of England’s finest medieval churches. It took 120 years to build and it shows in the level of fine details, both inside and out. It reminded me so much of the church in Siena, Italy, a medieval town.. I have shared some pics of the church, both inside and outside, though I could not capture the church in entirety. 

2. Bath house/museum

This bath house is thousands of years old, from anvient Roman time. An audio guide is provided.

3. Pulteney Bridge (pronounced as Putney)

Pulteney Bridge was built in the 1700s, will remind you of Ponte Vecchio of Florence, Italy. Do check out the shops and charming cafés on it, that many don’t realise it’s a bridge. The river runs through a weir next to the bridge, which creates a cascading effect. Apparently, it is romantic when lit up at night. 

We missed seeing it. 

4. The Circus

If you have time, stroll across and you will be able to see the Circus, a historic ring of large townhouses in the city of Bath, Somerset, England, forming a circle with three entrances. Designed by architect John Wood, the Elder, it was built between 1754 and 1769, and is regarded as a pre-eminent example of Georgian architecture. 

UK - Windsor Castle & Bath

We landed in Heathrow airport after 24 hrs of flying, including transit of 3 hrs in Singapore Changi airport. Thanks to Singapore Airlines, we landed in Heathrow surprisingly fresh. We had booked for a car there and took off to Bath from Heathrow. En route to Bath, we saw boards for Windsor Castle and decided to take a detour. We were certainly not disappointed. 

The town of Windsor was quaint. Most of the current town's streets date from the mid to late 19th century. However the main street, Peascod Street is very ancient, predating the castle by many years, and probably of Anglo-Saxon origin.

River Thames runs through the town, offering boating facilities. The river was flocked by swans and ducks. 

Coming to the castle itself, it stood tall and majestic from all angles. It was saud that William, the Conqueror chose the site for Windsor Castle, high above the river Thames.

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest inhabited castle in the world and has been the family home of British kings and queens for almost 1,000 years. It was an official residence of Her Majesty, The Queen. It is still very much a working royal palace today. Her Majesty was buried next to her husband Prince Philip here at St George's Chapel. She was buried with only her wedding band and a pair of pearl earrings, despite owning a collection worth millions of pounds - food for thought!! 🤔

St George's Chapel would not be open to public on Sundays; since HM The Queen was recently buried there, the chapel was open for public to pay their respects to her. 

About the castle itself, the current lavish state apartments at Windsor Castle were created in the late 1600s by King Charles II. They contain many outstanding works of art by masters such as Canaletto and Rembrandt. You can view them and enjoy many glittering and wonderful items from the Royal Collection. The castle has over 1,000 rooms, and houses a substantial portion of the Royal Collection, including furniture, paintings, and armour.

Because it is a Royal residence, Windsor Castle is guarded by a detachment of Guards in traditional red tunics and bearskin hats. The Guards are active soldiers temporarily granted the honour of guarding the Monarch. 

How to get there from London? 

Though we drove from London, I later found out that Windsor Castle can be reached from Waterloo station in London.

#25daysofwriting; #Day6; #giving

"Your hand should always be on top"

Meaning, one should always be the giver and not the receiver.

A very noble sentiment without a doubt. In fact, it has been a way of life, I have always wanted to emulate. 

I have always wanted to be the giver and not the taker. Truth be told, there have been occasions when I have been silently proud of being the giver. Silent because I have not wanted to be considered proud.   

"வலது கை கொடுப்பது இடது கைக்கு தெரியக் கூடாது"

Since this was a message that had been ingrained from childhood, I had not thought much about it till a couple of days ago when I read an article. And for the first time in my life, my mind rejected it. 

The first thought to cross my mind upon hearing this was, 'Should we be teaching our children that 'giving is good' while being in a position of receiving is bad and/or humiliating? 

There could be many reasons for me thinking thus - probably the strongest one is that I have been more of a receiver than a giver all through my life. For the first time when I became a receiver of physical & emotional supports, I felt overwhelmed and humiliated. Receiving help has not been an easy process - I have had to give up my ego. There sure is a difference between ego and self respect, but, the line can be very blurry at times. My emotions have ranged from self pity, sadness and of shame that I would not be able to return the favours physically, to gratitude and sense of indebtedness for life.

Luckily, I have maintained to keep my hand up when it came to giving financially. This does not mean I am rich; just that, I am happy to share whatever little I have. It gives me immense pleasure.

Becoming a receiver has taught me humility. And at a life lesson level, it has taught me that one's circumstances or conditions will not be the same always - one can not have the upper hand at all points of time. 

Can we teach our young ones that being a recipient? 

More importantly, can we, as adults, accept that it is okay to be a recipient every once in a while? 

What do you think? 

#25daysofwriting; #Day3; #resilience

I read somewhere that a drama student set out to follow the footsteps of Grace Kelly and Robert Redford, when she started at the New York acting school they attended. She faced stiff competition – and never let a rare, incurable condition, gastroparesis (means she can’t eat solid food and must be fed via a tube into her intestine for 10 to 15 hours a day) come in the way of her dream. She’d feed herself at night, so that it didn’t interfere with her day-to-day life, as it was difficult to be connected to a machine on the main supply and can’t move. Adding to that, it was difficult to get a good night’s sleep.

When others face such daunting challenges, we look on and admire their fortitude. I have looked upon many such individuals with total respect and admiration, some are my very good friends.

So, how does a young person keep going? How does the mum having chemotherapy for a life-threatening cancer, get up, make the packed lunches and take the kids to school? How do parents who have lost a child, go to work and get back to normalcy? How does a person who has lost his or her whole family in the blink of an eye, cope with the losses? How did I, having been verbally taunted as a new bride at the age of 18, cope? How did I cope up, all alone, at the age of 23, in an all new foreign land, when told my child’s life was in my hands and I had to call the shots? How do/did I cope with all verbal abuses, hurtful remarks, few close calls with health, back stabbing, having been cheated on financially? How many times I have had to pick up myself?

What keeps us going at testing times? What helps us get up, try again, fight back, build ourselves from scratch? Is it resilience? Whether it’s dealing with a life-threatening diagnosis or the loss of a loved one, we are remarkably resilient as a species. We don’t fully understand the science, but we know the support of others is crucial. Is it the inner strength we never knew existed in us? I personally think it is bit of both. Adding to that, hope is another strong one that helps us get back on track once we are back on our feet.

Each of us, as parents should teach our children to see adversity as a challenge. You should tell them to react to adversity by reaching out. Suffering in silence isn’t resilience – it’s just suffering.

Resilience isn’t just about the individual having to deal with adversity alone; it’s about the family, friends, community that surround us. We need to overcome the idea that one must be brave, stay calm or bottle it up and eventually we would get over it all. I have done that many times in life. Trust me, it was not the best way to go about handling adverse situations; Surely it has affected my health and made me dwell in self-pity for a while. When I reached out and sought out help, I could deal with my situations better, knowing fully well there was someone to lend a hand emotionally or physically, to pick me up or sit beside. Bouncing back becomes easier then.

A comment made by an elderly person, that she admired my fortitude, made me feel good about myself, made me realise how far I have come in life, how I am perceived by others, some of whom might feel inspired by a normal lady like myself. Who knows who you might inspire!

What I learnt is, that the harder life gets, the stronger and more resilient we become!!

#25daysofwriting; #Day2; #etiquettes; #Valliyoor; #early1970s

First, let me give you an introduction to Valliyoor. Though it's a shanty village with people in farming and herding, people of Vallioor are known for their business acumen and high standard of education. It was a small town in Thirunelveli district with only 2 main roads, with 4 streets that cut across those main roads, with one of them that goes around the main temple for Lord Murugan with his consorts Valli and Deivaanai (Devasena). This temple has a rock-cut sanctum carved out of a hill and several mandapams surrounding it. At the time we were living there, there would have been less than 5000 residents. 

I started my schooling in Valliyoor. What does hashtag "etiquettes" have to do with a shanty little Valliyoor, you may wonder. Well, that's were I started my education. My year 1 and 2 were in a Christian mission school. That was the only school in the whole town. It may surprise you to hear that's where I learnt table manners, rather, floor manners, on how to eat with a spoon and with hands. Every student was made to sit on the floor with their lunches, most of them were given food at school; some like me would carry our lunch bags; in it, would be tiffin carriers, water bottles, cutleries, if any, and of course, a towel to spread on the lap while eating. Half way through lunches, every day a teacher would check each child's palm. There should be no food in the palms. Those that did, would get smacked on the knuckles. Also, we were taught to never eat with our mouth open. No matter whether there were delicacies brought from home or midday meals provided by the school, treatment was the same; etiquettes were the same. Random, unlikely place where I learnt my most valuable table manners :)

Do share the most random place where you learnt something valueable. What did you learn?

#25daysofwriting; #day1 #Nostalgia

Nostalgia, “a sentimental longing for the past”, as defined in the New Oxford dictionary of English, is an ambivalent,  though mostly positive emotion. 

I am a huge sucker for Nostalgia.. Those who know me well would know how excited I get, how my face would light up when the topic happens to be nostalgia.

Some of the things that we commonly look back on are:

*Our own past, through photographs, newspaper cuttings etc

* Food

* People - old friends

* Places - that we visited when we were children

* Magazines and comics

* Films

* Sports

* Classic toys

* Music

* Radio and TV programmes

* Jingles on radio or television

* Books we read years ago - in particular, books we read as children

I'd say my strong, favourite ones would be music, books, experiences – (both good & bad), and smells, food in particular. 

I am planning to give you a peek into my childhood in the  coming days. I will try to make them interesting for you.. Some of you may be able to understand, but, I doubt anyone would be able to relate. The reason for me saying is that, my childhood was unlike what many of you might have experienced. I was brought up in very, very small towns (?) or should I say villages or pattikkaadu.

What are you generally nostalgic about?

#25daysofwriting #forminghabit

A dear friend of mine, Kamala Aithal has taken up 100 days of writing. Well, she is almost nearing the finish line. 

I love her simple, relatable, no fluff added, sweet write ups every day. When she stops, I will surely miss them.

Penning something every day is not easy. One requires dedication, and of course, sheer commitment. 

It takes about 21 days to form a new habit. According to health psychology researchers at University College London, a new habit usually takes a little more than 2 months, 66 days to be exact, and as much as 254 days until it's fully formed. If you care to ask my husband, he'd say, "if there's anything Devi dislikes immensely, it is routine". Every time, I was tempted to follow suit, my husband's laughing face kept flashing in front of my eyes, going buhaha 😈😈.. 

What do you all think? Should I start? If you do, say yes in comments section below and I shall share.. 

 #myscribble

I lay in bed and think about you..

I love you so, I don't know what to do..

I feel your warmth on my side in bed..

the pain in my heart moves straight to my soul..

So far away, yet always so near..

you're the reason I'm in love..

I await the times, when we talk all night..

I await the times, our hands are entwined..

To feel you close, is my true desire..

our eyes come together, like million stars..

your smile so sweet, it makes me dizzy!

I await the time, when we embrace each other..

To hear you say, I love you too!

Even though you aren't here..

I still miss you so..

I'll love you forever, 

so far away my love!

#moviewatch; #amazonprime; #CUSoon

Many story tellers would have thought of such a narration during corona times, but this movie might be first in the league. Director's brilliance is very evident and the casts are very good and apt. 

Initially, we are pulled into the movie in wonder; right from the beginning and grip is never broken until the movie ends.  Plot and premise are very relatable to our real world, social media relationships, troubles and social issues.  Even though most of the scenes are on chats and webcam shots, scenes are arranged in such a way that the thrill is maintained throughout the movie. It’s really a challenging task to narrate a story through chat and webcam videos. Probably, the winning point is that the director has taken advantage of the current psychological status of every audience in his story telling. Fahad Fazil has again done the magic with his powerful, expressive and charismatic eyes. Darshana, the mysterious girl fits in perfectly and Roshan Mathews is a right pick and a brilliant actor. 

Very unique and innovative way of film making using an iPhone camera, making full use of lockdown period..

#Redemption; #ShortFilm: #RajheshVaidya
Arun Vaidyanathan

இரண்டு மாதங்களாய் அடங்கி இருக்கும் உலகின் நிலையை, அதிலும் மனிதருள் எழும் மாற்றங்கள், அதனால் உண்டாகும் மன அழுத்தங்கள் பற்றி நிறைய படிக்கிறோம்.
இந்த டைரக்டர் எடுத்துக் கொண்டதோ கலையில் மாற்றங்கள்; அங்கீகாரம்... இந்த ஒற்றைச் சொல் தான் உலகத்தில் உள்ளோர், ஓரிடத்தில் தேங்கி நின்றுவிடாமல் செயல்பட்டுக் கொண்டே இருக்கச் செய்யும் உந்துசக்தி. இயக்குனர் அருண் சொல்ல நினைத்ததை, எத்தனையோ விதமாக நம்மையே விளக்கம் தரும் வகையில் இரண்டே நிமிடத்தில், பேசாப் படமதில் உள்ளடக்கியதில் தான் இவரின் வெற்றி என நான் நினைக்கிறேன். இதனை நான் பகிர்ந்ததில் இருந்து நான்கு, ஐந்து, விதமான விளக்கங்கள் வந்தன, வருகின்றன. நீங்களும் சொல்வீர்கள்.

உலகெங்கிலும் ஒரு நிசப்தம். பிரபல வீணை வித்வான் ராஜேஷ் வைத்தியாவின் இசையை உள்ளடக்கிய வீட்டில் துவங்குகிறது கதை..
வீணைகள் மீட்டுவாரன்றி கிடப்பதாயினினும் அழகு.. நெடுஞ்சாண் கிடையாக படுத்துக் கொண்டே வித்வான்; வாசலில் நன்றியுள்ள அவரது பைரவர், எங்கோ ஒரு முதியவள் ஜெபமாலையை உருட்ட, இப்படி ஆரம்பிக்கிறது குறும்படம்..

வீணையை மீட்டிய வித்வான் கைகள் அதனை கண்டவுடன் மீட்ட, ஆயினும் நாத்ததிலும் ஏனோ ஒரு இழையோடும் சோகம். வாசித்த ராகமோ சோகத்திற்கே உரித்தான சாருகேசி! ஆரம்பித்ததும், அவருக்கே ஏனோ உந்துதல் இல்லை, பகிர ஆளின்றி. எங்கோ ஜெபிக்கும் அம்மூதாட்டியின் காதில் விழ, அவள் முகத்தில் சிறு புன்னகை.
வீணையின் நாதம் இயற்கையை விட்டு வைத்ததா? அழகாய் பூ உதிரும் மஞ்சள் பூ, ஒரு கவிதை.
வாசிப்பு முடிந்ததும் அம்மூதாட்டியின் கை அவரை அறியாது தட்ட, தட்டலில் கிடைத்த உந்துதலில் அதே சாருகேசி வாசிப்பில் பரவசம்.
வீணை வித்வான் ராஜேஷ் வைத்தியா பற்றி எழுத எனக்கு தகுதி இல்லை.. அவர் கடவுளின் பரிபூரண அனுக்கிரகம் அவருக்கு.
அந்த சாந்தமே உருவான மூதாட்டியாய்  ரேவதி வைத்யநாதன் அம்மா.. அழகான, அடக்கமான நடிப்பு.. அருமை!
ஒலியிசை கோர்ப்பு, படமெடுத்த விதம் அனைத்துமே அழகு! ஆக இரண்டே நிமிட கவிதை காண்பதற்கு..

The choice of the word redemption chosen for this short film is very interesting. In one's life when one falls down from a level, he or she strives to rise back to the orginal until position is reclaimed.

In this short film, artists in Rajhesh Vaidya & Arun portrayed beautifully on how artists redeemed themselves during the lockdown period and spread happiness, joy to all through what they are passionate about in their respective lives!

The film opens up with a scene showing the entire collection of Rajhesh Vaidya's Veenas are lying unused; then, the artist in him is lying low with no audience to play to.

He redeems himself by picking up his veenai and playing randomly, as if to motivate himself. Yet, he plays Charukesi raagam, raagam mostly associated pathos and/or devotion. Hearing it from afar, Mother Nature blesses him by shedding a flower and an elderly lady appreciates by clapping.. The film ends with Rajhesh Vaidya redeeming himself by playing in sheer joy!

Loved the KB touch in this Arun Vaidyanathan. Crisp and very well done. Need I say about the hero? The sound clarity is awesome! The cinematography is very beautiful.

Do watch this crisp 2 mins short video by a very dear friend of mine! Feel free to spread this joy and happiness!

https://youtu.be/OeXT7_3gNCw

Taj Mahal 1989

#webserieswatch #Netflix
Taj Mahal 1989

This series set in Lucknow in 1989, is a poetic portrayal of love and longings of couples of varying age groups, where true romance existed, before social media.

Unusual tales of love captured in a subtle manner - 1) The romance between a middle-aged married couple where both of them are professors of varied subjects and belong to a different religion, 2) a pure non-sexual humane affection between a Philosophy Gold Medalist (now a tailor) and a sex worker of a different religion, 3) a blossoming love of like minded students with communism thoughts, 4) a possessive love dragging into life miseries, and 5) a juvenile infatuation.

The dialogues are the best in this web series.. Here are some of the best ones:

"The Source of time is thought and the root cause of desire & pleasure is also thought"

"Intelligence & Romance don't go together"

"Philo means Love & Sophia means Knowledge in Greek... and that is Philosophy"

"Understanding is Binary, Zero or One"

"After a while, the feelings of love transforms into silence"

"Even couples that fight look lovely at the Taj Mahal"

Connecting all love at the backdrop of Taj Mahal - The Symbol of Love was apt in the last episode. Every character expressing their views on Love was class:

"You don't find Love when you look for it"
"When you begin to trust someone, it's Love"
"Love is a mutating Virus"
"Love is one, you miss someone"
"Love is friendship"
"People look for certain qualities in the opposite sex, and once those boxes are ticked, they call it Love"

This web-series directed by Pushpendra Nath Misra shines throughout and not to be missed. The inter-connectivity of the characters has been well-knitted.
Catch up on Netflix.. it's streaming now!

Verdict: A Beautiful Breeze of Romance!

The assassination of Gianni Versace - American crime story

#review; #GianniVersace; #Netflix

"The assassination of Gianni Versace - American crime story" I happened to binge watch the last couple of days. 

Though named as "The assassination of Gianni Versace, the mini-series only occasionally talks about Gianni Versace, instead, it seems something of a biopic about his killer Andrew Cunanan. It is portrayed that Cunanan was a habitual liar, a social climber and someone obsessed with fame and luxury. 

Homophobia, mixed-race identity, sexual abuse, the lust for fame, the worship of celebrity — each of these themes has been addressed in this series.

The series is gruesome, spine chilling, stomach churning, and hard hitting, in parts. But, in the end, like Cunanan himself, the show was a glittery, violent, extravagant mess.

Only thing I felt was an extremely creative mind and life has been snatched away too soon. Edger Ramirez as Gianni Versace and Penelope Cruz as Donetella Versace looked and acted the part. Ricky Martin was not worth mentioning. 

All in all, this serial is certainly not for the faint hearted.

Powder

Powder is a gripping Indian drama that's being showcased on Netflix, is a must watch for all those that like crime based stories. After watching this show, one would get a fair idea on how enforcement agencies work alongside bureaucracy and red tapes in India, while working very hard to keep the drug smugglers off the streets. 

I'd say, are acting, cast, direction and tight story writing are all exemplary. As much as we like the protagonists, the antagonist Naved Ansari and his body language as drug lord is equally impressive.

Big Aristotle's take on friendships and my 2 cents worth

I stumbled upon an article where the big Aristotle had figured out three kinds of friendships:
1) Friendships of utility: exist between you and someone who is useful to you in some way. For instance, perhaps you're friendly with your  mate mainly because he/she helps you figure out things.
These are friendships of the "You scratch my back; I'll degrade myself to menial job" kind.
I'd say these people are acquaintances, as opposed to big A's "Friendships of Utility".

2) Friendships of pleasure: exist between you and those whose company you enjoy. Often, these are "activity buddies",  those people with whom you do things like playing soccer, going for long walks or watch movies. You may have this kind of relationship with one of the other locals, the kind of person with whom you enjoy a little chit-chat or a good joke.

Would "friendships with benefits" fall into this category, because you're both enjoying the sexual pleasure? Or into the first category, because you're using each other for sex?
I think this is a bit closer to #2, because Aristotle says friendships of pleasure come about because we do like some or many aspects of the friend. We might like his/her wits, compassion or flirty manner, for instance. Friendships of utility, on the other hand, exist mainly because the person can help us out in some way.

Expecting the above 2 types to be there for you when you need a shoulder to lean on or sense your moods, pains without you needing to mention, is not a good idea.

3) Friendships of the good: are based on mutual respect and admiration. These friendships take longer to build than the other two kinds, but they're also more powerful and enduring. They often arises when two people recognise that they have similar values or goals; that they have similar visions for how the world (or at least their lives) should be. Not infrequently, they begin in childhood, adolescence or college, though it may form after that, too. If you have one or 2 in this category, consider yourself lucky, nurture those and hold on to them till your last breath.

Movie Review: Netflix Original - Lust Stories

When a movie is called Lust Stories, one wonders if it is a marketing ploy to lure in audiences that are pretentious and express hatred towards sex, but in fact enjoy. I wonder who came up with the name! I read very brief description about it before it got released in my country. I got curious to find out who in India would dare make a movie with such openness. Boy! Not just one, but 4 different directors have come up with segments with their own signatures.

As far as stories about four women go, Lust Stories is everything about the characters make feminists ask questions that make us uncomfortable, those that women try to shoo away in the cold reality of the day, inadvertently, yet can’t escape at night. They do it all by just go on about their lives the way many of us would; or just the way you and I wouldn’t have the courage to.

The First segment starts with the story of Anurag Kashyap’s Kalindi. Her issues with commitment and marriage makes her neurotic, misguided and eventually possessive. Kalindi is in a long-distance, open marriage. She seduces and sleeps with her student, tries to convince herself that the obsession she develops for him is born out of her worldly ideas of love and monogamy. Initially, she gets concerned that her student might get possessive, fall in love, ends up stalking her. She starts to stalk her lover with her sudden alarming behaviour and fixation. One gets uncomfortably aware of the unspoken gender dynamics unfolding on the screen and her sex protects her. I high expectations of Radhika Apte and was mildly disappointed.

The Second story is by Zoya Akhtar. This story is about a house maid who, for a brief moment, allows herself from the regular confinements of her life, to start a sexual relationship with her single employer. However, it is short lived and thanks to class consciousness, she is swiftly shoved back into her place, as her employer proceeds to get engaged to another woman, as she watches on. His thoughtless is something many women experience in life, be it from lover or husband. No one notices the maid’s unspoken and unspeakable desire. Her continued silence only underlines her invisibility in the house, society, and even the life of the man who was happy to have sex with her, until a suitable match, an equal comes along. The most poignant moment was when the mother refers to her son as Bhaiya, (Brother) while talking to the maid. You feel sad for her. Bhoomi excels in the role of a house maid.

The Third story is of Dibakar Bannerjee’s Reena, who is unhappily married to a rich and successful businessman, while having an affair with his best friend, a heart surgeon. The story unfolds through conversations — between the husband and wife, the two best friends, the lovers. The characters steer clear of the usual clichés that inevitably expressed when the theme of adultery and subsequent breakdown of marriages are handled/showcased. Though this story revolves around an affair, but it is actually simply about denial, and the way each of the characters continue to play their part in order to maintain the status quo. Beautifully, subtly yet effectively portrayed by none other than Manisha Koirala. She has performed the role with class. One slight, wrong move, the character could have turned out bad.

And the last story is by Karan Johar. Megha, a young and beautiful school teacher, waking up to her sexual needs, but, has no clue on how to go about the lust she. She gets married to a man who seems decent enough, hoping to be satisfied often yet respectably. Unfortunately, her simple-minded, run-off-the-mill husband is blissfully unaware that his bride is unsatisfied with his performance in the bedroom, until an unfortunate series of events results in an acutely embarrassing showdown. KJo’s leading lady is the only character whose motivations are purely fuelled by lust, but instead of treating her sexual appetite like a guilty pleasure that must be kept a secret, seen as a taboo, K Johar has painted her well that she owns it boldly in a way only very few of us can.

This series might be called Lust Stories, but it is just about life and the exhaustingly unimaginative, thoughtless nature of relationships. Sex is most certainly a character in each of the four films, but, it isn’t the only one that matters. Like in real life, it is in turns messy, transactional, unemotional, forgettable, unforgettable, possessive, and routine. Couple of my guy friends in fact messaged me saying that they found it not vulgar, but very interesting and good. As a woman myself, I didn't not find the story revolting or irrational in anyway.  All being said, Lust Stories is about what women India need! A break-free from many taboos!

சூரியகாந்தி

கதிரவனின் முகம் கண்டு
மலரத் துடிக்கும் அழகு
சூரியகாந்தி போல் - தன் 
தலைவனின் புன்னகைக் கண்டு
மலரக் காத்திருக்கிறாள்
இதோ இந்த சூரியகாந்தி!

Movie Review: Munnariyippu

Munnariyippu, A very pragmatic, under-rated Malayalam movie. Munnariyippu means Warning. It is sad that  mediocre films earn well and  we miss out on such a beautiful cinema.

The film follows the journey of 2 protagonists - a female journalist and a criminal convicted for 2 murders. The movie is about how their worlds merge for mutual agenda. One is struggling to make a mark in her respective field and the other who even after completing his term in jail, is happy to be within the confines of the jail. Anjali, a freelance journalist meets Raghavan, an interesting inmate, who outstays his jail sentence for a crime he vehemently claims to have not committed. His vastly different views interests Anjali who wants to desperately document his life and happenings. Here's Anjali who is giving in to the demands of the pragmatic and competitive world and then, there's Raghavan, who is not able to inscribe his words because he believes original thoughts can not be bound under the deadline of ruthless time frames. 

With a fine cast of Nedumudi Venu & Prathap Pothen in small, but significant roles along with a cameo by Prithviraj, but Venu is exceptional. However, the film belongs to Aparna as a character we identify with, in our daily life, struggling to make a mark and not letting go of that opportunity that she believes  that it could be a defining moment in her career. 

All the applauds should to Mammootty for giving a performance that will actually amaze you with sheer astonishment during climax. Mammootty truly underplays his emotions so effectively. The character of Raghavan is easily one of the most important characters ever written and no better artist to do justice to it than Mammootty.

Now, I understand what the hoo-haa about the movie was all about. We watch cinema all across the country; but there are films that go unrecognised, for reasons unknown and this is one of them. 

Movie review: RAAZI

Raazi is the story of a simple as any other college girl whose father is a core member of the intelligence bureau of India. The relations between India and Pakistan are on the verge of war. The story revolves around the sensitivities and volatile situations on both sides of the borders. The father who is under the disguise of a friend to the military officials of Pakistan decides to sacrifice his daughter’s life by getting her married to Brigadier’s son. Before getting married, she gets trained by the best Intelligence personnel.

Sehmat, the girl, sacrifices her everything to move to Pakistan and spy for the intelligence bureau. Living amongst them, Sehmat risks her life every day, to gather all the confidential information needed, in order to give India an upper edge in case war erupts. Dodging the risks, how her life changes when she falls in love with her husband Iqbal and what she has to endure all through, in order to protect the pride of her nation is what forms the crux of the movie.

Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s music is good. Less dialogues mean, more emotions beautifully captured. First half was not satisfactory on many aspects. Introducing Sehmat as a sensitive girl and then, portraying her as a strong-willed girl was not convincing enough. The girl accepts her father’s decision (to have become a member of IB, and in turn, the girl needing to become one is not convincing enough in the first place). Editing was poor. Alia Bhatt has grabbed a role of a life-time and she has done justice to it. Meghna Gulzar, daughter of legendary Gulzarji has made him proud with her directorial ability. Costumes, especially, Kashmiri embroidered outfits and the sets look good truly reflecting periodic story.

I told couple of friends that when so many people rave about a movie so much, I tend to walk out from the theatre feeling “”MEH””. This was one such movie. Nevertheless, a good attempt!

A day to remember!

Oh! that very special day; A day to remember!

The day you walked into my existence

You effortlessly captivated my heart.

A chance to see your soul through your smile

A chance to look in to your eyes

That look that said I love you..

Each night when I went to bed

I lay my head back down, and would pray

Lord, don't let this be a dream!

There was an empty place inside of my soul

It's the place I tried to fill repeatedly, a void

And then that day my day to remember,

You walked into my life to fill the void

And made my life complete.

ஊகிக்க சொல்லாதே

ஊகிக்க சொல்லாதே..
ஊகம் மிக எளிதன்று..
ஊகமெல்லாம் வேண்டாம்.. வேண்டாம்..
சொல்ல வேண்டியவை அனைத்தும் சொல்லிவிடு..
புராணங்கள் கூறும்படி ஆன்மா ஆனபின் தெரிந்துதான் என்ன பயன்?
அது பதில் கூறுவதைத்தான் அறிவதும் சாத்தியமா?
இருக்கும்போதே சொல்லிவிடு..
கவிதையாய் கசிந்துருகி,
கதையாய் கொட்டித் தீர்த்து,
வார்த்தைகளாய், வாசகமாய்,
பாட்டுக்களால் அல்லது மெட்டுக்களால்..
அடிக்கடி அள்ளித் தெளித்துவிட்டு போ!
போவது நம் கையில் இல்லை..
ஆயின் வாழ்வது நம் கையிலுண்டு..
வாழ்க்கையை வாழ்ந்து, ரசித்து பார்ப்போம், வா!