Friday, April 27, 2007

The Art of Talking

I talk. You talk. But when Nick Naylor talk’s people listen. They are mesmerized, confused, embarrassed and totally bamboozled. For all the non Independent movie aficionados, Nick Naylor is the protagonist of the Sundance featured film Thank You For Smoking. It’s a hilarious social satire that takes a hard look at political correctness. The best part of the movie is that it mines comic gold from a topic that’s not laughing matter.

Nick Naylor says “Michael Jordan plays ball. Charles Manson kills people. I talk.” Talking is what he does as the chief lobbyist of the big 5 tobacco companies. Its best summed up by the strapline of the movie “Nick Naylor doesn’t hide the truth…he filters it”. He practices an art of public relations called Spin. Spin is a term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one's own favor of an event or situation. Naylor tells his son about winning as “it’s not a negotiation, it’s an argument”. And when his son asks what happens when he’s wrong he replies saying that’s the beauty of an argument, when you argue correctly you are never wrong. You don’t have to argue that you are right, just prove the other wrong and you will be right automatically. Now that’s what makes a spin doctor.

The funniest part of the movie is when the MOD (Merchants of Death) squad gets together for lunch and mutual support. Nick is joined by a lady from the booze lobby and another guy from the gun lobby. Once they get into an argument of which industry takes toll of maximum number of people in a year. This argument is worth watching. Naylor comes out trumps by sarcastically dismissing that it’s a great tragedy that 270 people die of boozing compared to 1200 by smoking.

One of the best parts of the movie is when Naylor is sitting with his son and arguing about ice creams.

Joey: So, what happens when you're wrong?
Nick: Well, Joey, I'm never wrong.
Joey: But you can't always be right.
Nick: Well, if it's your job to be right, then you're never wrong.
Joey: But what if you are wrong?
Nick: Okay, let's say that you're defending chocolate and I'm defending vanilla. Now, if l were to say to you "Vanilla's the best flavor ice cream," you'd say...?.
Joey: "No, chocolate is."
Nick: Exactly. But you can't win that argument. So, I'll ask you. So you think chocolate is the end-all and be-all of ice cream, do you?.
Joey: It's the best ice cream; I wouldn't order any other.
Nick: Oh. So it's all chocolate for you, is it?.
Joey: Yes, chocolate is all I need.
Nick: Well, I need more than chocolate. And for that matter, I need more than vanilla. I believe that we need freedom and choice when it comes to our ice cream, and that, Joey Naylor, that is the definition of liberty.
Joey: But that's not what we're talking about.
Nick: Ah, but that's what I'm talking about.
Joey: But... you didn't prove that vanilla's the best.
Nick: I didn't have to. I proved that you're wrong and if you're wrong, I'm right.
Joey: But you still didn't convince me.
Nick: Because I'm not after you. I'm after them.

In the next shot, they are seen on a Ferris wheel, both eating Vanilla ice cream

All in all the movie is very well made, a must watch for all those who want to sit back and get wholesome entertainment and not to mention those who like wit talk.

And yeah, Thank You For Reading.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Woh Lamhe..

There comes a point in your Life, where things seem just perfect. This is of course is realized in retrospection. When you look back, you want it all back, frame-by-frame. But, alas, you can’t get even a moment of it. Those were the times you were the happiest. You enjoyed the nonchalance, irresponsibility and just about everything that came your way. But not quite now. Things have changed. People went places.

Time: Fall of 2004
Place: Pune
Actors: V, G, H, R

I was with my college friend. Then a friend of that college friend came along. I thought what a geek. He offered me some “prasad”. I thought “oh! Come on” (no offences here, it’s just me!).
Then I saw the “brothers”. One was sweating profusely. I thought “are the skies gonna come down falling ?” I saw the “other” brother. I thought “What on earth is this elderly man doing with us kids and isn’t he too old to be wearing that?”

I ended with my college friend’s friend in the hotel room. By this time the geek seemed to be much lesser geeky than I had imagined him to be. So I thought shacking up with this guy would not be too difficult. I till day can’t believe that I used to rant till 1AM in just a couple of days of acquaintance. Hmm...Good. Once went to see what the brothers were doing. One was too busy sorting his stuff out and the other was too involved in preparing something off “puri”, which in retrospection makes you think “yeah, what else?”

We moved into a flat. Although this time my roomie was V, much to the chagrin of G. He had to shack up with the 9-inch nail (no offences again, he was a very sweet man but you know the types). And the brothers put up their tent together. Three moths went in a jiffy, with all the studying, boozing on the balcony, playing TT, pulling each other’s legs, christening each other et al. A bond had formed.

Time: Summer of 2005
Place: Pune
Actor: B

Probably the most special person ever to come into my life till-date. We got acquainted really fast. And before we realized that, we were watching movies, going shopping and eating out together.
A bond had formed.

It was like living a dream. I was surrounded by such wonderful people. When I was at work, B would be there and when I came back home V, G, H, R would be there. In addition to this there was a sign, K, BD and $. All in all it was a rat pack.

With such a group, weekends were bound to be fun. Most of the times I would be with B and in times other than that we would be in one of the heavenly places around Pune. Else it would be luncheons hosted at our place or at the sisters’.

There were times I would fall sick. But with such people around, you actually wouldn’t mind it. V, G, H, R would ensure that I would see a doctor and take medicine and food at the right times. In the evening B would visit to check on me. Half my illness would vanish looking at B. It seemed like an eternal bliss. Life could not have been fairer.

But just when you tend to think that, things start disintegrating. Maybe we had more than our share. It was the turn of $ to move first. Then it was the turn of R, then B, then H, then sign. All though some of them did come back, it would never be the same. Things hit rock bottom personally and professionally. The place, for which you longed, seemed so unwanted. The fun, passion had all gone. It was curtains to the rat pack.

Looking back I feel like asking one day more of such a life. Maybe even more. But such things can never be duplicated. Quite sadly, all good things have to come to an end.

They say you live your life in a heartbeat. Maybe it’s true. It’s that one heartbeat in the midst of a million heartbeats that makes this life worthwhile.

I just don’t have words to express how much I miss all these beautiful people. I know that I’m not the nicest person around, so if I ever have hurt you guys knowingly or unknowingly, please forgive me. And I wish all of them very best on the roads that they have chartered for themselves. I think I would leave it here; my eyes are getting a li’l moist. So long!!

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Kannadigas to Canadians

There goes a popular joke when it comes to South Indians and their “love” towards their language. That when you hear 2 people conversing in Telugu you know that they are from AP. When you hear 2 people conversing in Tamil you know that they are Tamilians. When you hear 2 people conversing in Malayalam you know that they are Keralites. But when you hear 2 people conversing in English, yes, your guess is as good as mine, they are Kannadigas.

It puzzles me quite a lot. Why is it so?

I have stayed in Pune for 2 years, where Marathi is the local language. Seldom have I have come across 2 locals conversing in Hindi, leave alone English. Even in the office it would be Marathi most of the times. My PL would be speaking in English with me and when the PM joins in, they would hit off in Marathi, and switching would continue for the rest of the time.

In Bangalore, you will find, even speaking statistically, the majority is of non-kannadigas. You will find that most of them stick to their native language, barring kannadigas. Once one of my friend had traveled with me to Bangalore. We got down at the airport and went near the rickshaw stand. There was a Traffic police constable taking down the details of the individual before boarding the auto. I just went up to him and asked “Sir, Majesticge hogabeku”, to which he replied, mind you in these exact words “What is your name? Do you have any luggage”. I continued asking in kannada and he continued answering in English. I just looked at my friend and she was in total disbelief, more so because she is a north-Indian and they tend to have a notion that south-Indians are madraasis. And we all know how it works in Tamil Nadu when it comes to their vernacular. Well, everybody here (B’lore) speaks English and its not that I’m complaining.

When I was just thinking over, I stumbled upon a few things which could be good reasons for this. With the large influx of non-kannada speaking people, given the very accommodating nature of people here, started to speak in a language that they could understand. This persevered into their general speaking and has made a place hence. Another reason is the way things are at home. I had been to a friend’s house the other day and all they spoke was English. I met one of their neighbor’s kids and that 4 yr old was speaking such good English. And yes, his parents were speaking only in English with them. Some people, no matter whatever broken English they are speaking, do so, because they believe that it enhances their “status”. Some are so adamant that they refuse to speak in Kannada even though it’s absolutely required. Like a few days ago, I read that some kid was lost in the crowd at big mall and the authorities refused to make an announcement in Kannada!! Even though the parents were saying that the boy doesn’t understand English!! It’s utterly utterly preposterous. And the rest who do speak Kannada, it more or less sounds like Kanglish at its best. I have a very bad feeling that Kannada is soon going to be totally effed! (Please excuse my language).

The silver hair generation says that it’s the lack of pride and passion in people’s minds that is taking away the beauty of a language that is as good as any other. No matter whatever reasoning was done above over the fate of our language, I somewhere tend to accept what the oldies are saying is more rational.

When I was typing ‘Kannadigas’ in the above paragraphs, that word was getting underlined in green, meaning that there could be a spelling mistake. When I right-clicked on it, the first alternate word that was suggested was ‘Canadians’.

Do I need to say more?

Monday, April 09, 2007

Are you a racist?

No, Iam not. Yes, Iam afraid Iam one.

Most of the dictionaries would describe a racist as “A person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others”. After all that we heard from the Mel Gibsons, Jade Goodys, and Michael Richards’ made the world sit up and call them racists.

But, sometimes it makes me wonder, who isn’t?

In my opinion everyone is a racist at some level or the other. It resides in the minds of each and everyone, which is a direct result of the superiority we want to feel over the other person. A white looks down on a black, a black looks down on an Asian, an Asian looks inside and finds someone among them to look down on and so on. So it does make you feel that it might be an irrevocable part of every human.

Lookin’ at this from an Indian perspective, makes you ask, where do we stand? I sincerely feel we are no different from anyone in the world when it comes to racism. It’s just that we do it at different level. A North-Indian looks down on a South-Indian, a Kannadiga looks down on a Tamilian, a Tamilian thinks he is the most superior of all the South-Indians and the ‘looking-down’ chain continues.

We were all very agitated about the Jade “Not-So-Good” Goody’s racial slur on Shilpa Shetty. But come to think of it, it just seems hypocritical to me.

So where does the buck stop?

Thursday, April 05, 2007

The IITs And The IIMs

We all know the IITs and the IIMs have the best to offer when it comes to Engineering and Management education in India. I want to set a backdrop before I express my share of opinion about them.

The IITs were created to train scientists and engineers, with the aim of developing a skilled workforce to support the economic and social development of India after independence in 1947. The first IIT was established in 1956 in Kharagpur after the Parliament of India passed the IIT Act, declaring it as an “Institute of National Importance”. These institutes offer education in “cutting edge technology” at a very subsidized rate.

The first IIM was established in 1961 at Ahmedabad to cater to the nation’s requirement of management professionals who would help to catapult India onto the world stage. Again the IIMs are completely financed by the central GOI.

The very institutes that were started for the economic and social good of India started to witness the phenomenon of “Brain Drain”. This was mostly attributed to our country not being able to provide “good job” opportunities. And the big winner in all this was the US. They were getting brilliant minds that were educated in India at the expense of our tax payer’s money. The whole purpose of starting these esteemed institutes was lost. It must have been really frustrating. One positive way to look at it would be look at the money they helped to bring in to our country as foreign investments.

But the situation has changed now after the liberalization policies post 1990s. People are willing to stay back and do something here. People are ready to give up high paying jobs to start their own ventures.

The only way of consoling ourselves at things that happened in the past, is by looking at the kind of work that these guys did which has helped in certain aspects of changing people’s lives and making a difference to humanity in general.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Explore.Dream.Discover.

I read a couple of wonderful quotes and here they are:

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the action stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dreams. Discover.