Words

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7 Things I learnt from Breaking Bad.

Heisenberg’s journey is over. The show that so thoroughly engaged us is now over. Mourn over it, if you must, for you may not get to witness such a profound show in the history of television, ever again.

A 50 year old sheepish, hesitant man gets cancer which turns him into a cold blooded meth king. While the premise of the whole show may seem too farfetched, it is in fact so wonderfully tailored with layers of details and gripping plotlines, it will absorb you without making it seem fictitious.

Every show/film teaches us a thing or two. Here’s what Breaking Bad taught me—

7. No one can say ‘Bitch’ better than Jesse Pinkman.

"Bitch!"

Over the years, we have witnessed many actors immortalising themselves with particular catchphrases or dialogues. Marlon Brando with “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse” and Bruce Willis with “Yippie-kai-yey Motherf**ker!” are just a couple of examples. Aaron Paul has done the same with Jesse Pinkman. Never have I heard a word so phonetically liberating as ‘Bitch!’ by Jesse Pinkman.

6. We are all just Grey.

The show is about Walter White and his infamous deeds, or misdeeds. Generally in any form of cinema, you’ll find that there is a protagonist, and an antagonist. We all love the protagonist, the central figure of the plot, and we support them wholeheartedly. Such is the might of the protagonist, that we even find ourselves patronising a dark, cold, blood thirsty serial killer like Dexter. 

However, Breaking Bad breaks these norms. While you may grow to admire Walter White or be irked by Pinkman, you’ll see how their characters change as the show develops. Both of them fuck up bad, and with consequences; and both of them do enough good to make you like them back. That’s how life is. Everyone is both good and bad; everyone is a hero, and everyone is a villain.

5. Extreme circumstances call for extreme measures.

Mr. White finds himself diagnosed with lung cancer. A man, who had done no bad in his life, not smoked cigarettes aplenty, or cheated on his wife, or harmed anything beyond his own ego now saw himself living an undeserved crisis. The injustice was tumultuous. Life had fucked Mr. White, and for good.

So Mr. White decided to defy the circumstance. The man had but few moments to stamp his significance over the ungodly world, and he did so in style, even if it was a tad too extreme. This is how he redeemed himself.

Similarly, we all find ourselves facing such extreme circumstances embodied by unfairness and pain. We all feel the tempting need to break those cultured shackles and beat the injustice. However, we don’t always do that, we can’t always do that. Only a few great people can. C'est la vie.

4. Men in Albuquerque are mostly bald, and the Women, ugly.

Image Courtesy - Democratic Underground.

One unsettling thing about Breaking Bad is that almost every man in it is quite bald.

The women, though quite well equipped with hair, are plain ugly. Marie’s face is a buzz kill, Skyler has jaws that would put the manliest of men to shame, and Wendy the prostitute could give some competition to the aliens in Alien. Even Jesse’s girlfriends are quite okay, and Lydia, well, only Todd would fancy her.

3. Music and Cinematography play a significant role in providing a wholesome experience.

Image Courtesy - www.icgmagazine.com

Breaking Bad’s cinematography is based on a 35 mm film, instead of its digital counterpart. The cinematographer Michael Slovis has given importance to the contrasts in colour, the lighting, the usage of the ‘tobacco filter’ and other such technical aspects. The end product is a brilliant visual experience in an age of bland and bright television cinematography.

The usage of music is particularly great too and reminds you of Quentin Tarantino’s films, wherein each song is hand-picked to fit the frame. Vince Gilligan and the men behind Breaking Bad have done the same, and with such good measure! 

The background music too, is prepossessing and adds plenty to the scene.

While a normal viewer might not gauge parameters like photography and music, these details unwittingly add a lot of charm to the whole setting.

2. Good quality is never out of demand.

Thanks to his unparalleled chemical cognizance, Heisenberg produced the highest quality blue coloured crystal meth in town, and such quality paid dividends.  The druggies went gaga over his product and he soon became the talk of the undertown.

Image Courtesy - www.heisenbergschemistry.com

This just goes to show that while the manufacturers fidget over scores of factors like marketing, branding and whatnot, there is no substitute for unbesmirched quality. The long and short of it is that you give a quality product, and you will definitely be rewarded. Alas, if only people realised that.

1. “La familia es todo”.

Walter White does everything for his family. At the end of his life, he breaks bad so that he can deliver to his family, what he could not deliver for all these years – money and security. Yes, he does admit towards the end that he did it all for himself, but while there may be a hint of truth to it, he was actually just being a bigger man.

A scene from Breaking Bad. Worth every frame.

Well, what he did to make the ends meet was obviously very disagreeable, and ultimately his family did not stand by him, but then again, the man did what the man did.

So often do we see men and women going or having to go beyond the accepted spectrum in order to provide for their family, and this sentiment in itself is quite overwhelming. While friendships may not last forever in this superficial world, family quite often does. The family is what often provides you with unconditional love when all things fail. The family is all.

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The Good, the Bad and the Bug up your Arse

Today, we find ourselves living in a world so profound, yet so wretched. We can walk on water, we can fly without wings, we can heal people, and we can build a paradise; such is the magnificence of the human genius, unparalleled and unrelenting. However, at the same time we kill each other inhumanly, we connive and conspire against each other for temporary worldly things; such less is the value of the human genius, unforgiving and ungodly.

So why do we do such things? Why do we choose to be so evil, so corrupt, and so weak in the face of power? What is the root cause of all evils? Is it money? Or is it power? Is it perhaps our failure to accept Jesus as our one true saviour?  – A question ever so clichéd, yet whose answer is ever so elusive.

Perhaps we are meant to be so. Some are good, and some are bad – the usual two sides of the coin. Maybe Satan and God are waging an epic war in the skies, and that is being reflected here on earth; well, the church would certainly like to believe so.

Image Courtesy - www.comicvine.com

Well, let’s look at this whole conundrum this way – nobody is black or white, we are all just grey. Who is to decide if someone is right or wrong? It is all a matter of perspective. While we, as humans form rules to set the rights and wrongs apart, we do so knowing that we ourselves are fallible, and full of fallacies. Walter White will definitely concur.

However, there is one thing, one common characteristic that governs the entirety of our human race, and that is the need for something more, a need for something else. Human beings are in this constant search for satisfaction, which they will never get, for the grass is well and truly, greener on the other side.

There is this proverbial bug up every human’s arse that makes him so dynamic. The pauper will direct his whole life towards the quest for wealth, but the moment he finds his treasure, he will drift away towards other new needs. That’s how life works. The beggar with his family will have no money to feed it, and the lonely billionaire will have no family to spend the money on. So we will continue our quests, never stopping, never satisfied.

Even the Rolling Stones agree.

The stone-age man had everything – a barbequed dinosaur, a scantily clothed wife, and a 3-BHK cave to dwell in. He wanted more though, he wanted to explore; so he invented the wheel. You would think that exploring the world would be enough, but no, he now wanted to rule it. So he built armies. So what if people died for his desires? It is desire that drives a man. Man now had the world on his fingers, but of course, he’s not content. He wants more. So now he destroys the forests, kills all dragons, poaches animals, and loots his own people. He then decides that while all this may be okay, the bug up his arse wants more. So he visits the moons and the planets.

Even a 5 year old kid will pester his parents for the latest toy, only to discard it after a new one comes up (Apple fan boys will relate). You see, there is no end. It is not money, or power that propels a man, but man himself, and his constant need for something more.

Image Courtesy - www.mattandkatieblog.com.au

Do not mistake that ‘something more’ for greed. It is not greed, but the dynamism of humans. We can’t just stay put, we have to do more! It is because man did more that we can now talk through phones which are smarter than most of us. It is because man did more that we can have unfathomable information on our palms. It is because man did more that we know about those stars which are inconceivable distances away.

Learn to love this bug.

We are humans. We create. We destroy. It is not in our nature to stop. There is no root cause of evil, for there is no good or bad, only perspective …

Education, simplified.

Ideas are bulletproof – the protagonist from the acclaimed film ‘V for Vendetta’ makes quite a statement here, and rightly so. As human beings, our progress has been driven by ideas. Telephones, air planes, computers, infrastructure, science, art, commerce, all these were merely ideas at one point of time. A figment of constructive imagination that shaped the world we live in today.

We live in an absurdly amazing world which has boundless fodder for a curious mind to feed upon, if only we decide to. Over the ages, we have developed this system called education which enables us, and instructs us to feed upon this fodder.

Education is most definitely an answer to most of India’s pressing problems; it is a solution which hits the right areas, and promises betterment right from the grass-root levels. Unfortunately, this system has devolved in this enigmatic nation of ours.

Forget the fact that basic education is still not accessible to the masses, due to an array of reasons which can be documented on another day. Let us have a look at the education system that is prevalent in India. Take a metropolitan city – Mumbai. We see children and adolescents routinely going to institutions and returning home all enlightened and educated.  Look closely, and the cracks appear.

The average school going 10-year old boy packs a bag heavy enough even for a polar bear to carry around. His schedule is busier than or as busy as his fully developed adult father, riddled with school, tons of expensive classes, and extra-curricular activities which he will be forced to leave once he reaches 10th standard. The streets used to be replete with young souls playing cricket, football and a multitude of little interesting games – which are now probably extinct. These streets can now be found empty in the evenings, because children have to attend those mandatory classes.

In this large-scaled disarray, Angad Nadkarni, an 18 year old hacking genius comes up with an idea.

This video was presented by Franklin Templeton Investments which partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.

Angad says, why stress the minds of the child with unnecessary clutter? Why do they need a digest, class notes, professor’s notes, text book and friend’s notes to study for one paper? Well, most of it is gibberish, with only handful of important information that needs to be learnt for the exams, information which embodies the syllabus in a concise and proficient manner.

Angad’s app ‘Examify’ does precisely that. Angad, along with his people performs a lot of complex operations which involves a lot of esoteric terms. Ultimately, the app presents to the students, the quintessential information which they need to study for the examination. This gives them a proper direction, studies-wise and ameliorates the current nerve-racking examination system.

Let us not devour the creativity of the youth by narrowing their paths. Let us simplify the process of giving them a wholesome education.

What ‘Examify’ does is move towards that direction, a positive ray of light in our dismal education system. Plus, it is an 'app', something that all of the youth can identify with.

It is not a good exercise to burden the young mind with the troubled fruits of the adults that bear them. A young mind must cultivate their lives with freedom, and build their path with choices of their own, not those of the society.

Let us work together with Angad Nadkarni in that direction, for simplification is often, if not always, the answer to everything...

For that which wasn't lost, and never earned.

I lived in an ocean, dormant & grey,
Full of unmindful mist and nay.

I slept on thorns, blunt as buns,
And woke up to a fallacy of gilded puns.

I mocked the banal for what they were,
Ever to deride, never to concur.

Yet it was that I always yearned,
For that which wasn't lost, and never earned.

I walked on the path of solitude,
Until I met a peahen, elaborately hued.

She told me of a place where I could,
Fly without wings, if I would.

Flummoxed by the vista, into oblivion I stared,
Change maybe good, but change I had not dared.

Unwittingly so, I opened the door,
Oh it was paradise, I wanted more.

But as with things of the world all,
The forest of green too had it's black wall.

Through the opaque wall, I could see,
That to find my soul, I must lose me.

Thusly I endured the committed way,
Lost in the tempest of own my mind’s say.

So I summoned the bird with the radiant tail,
But she alluded forever, always behind a veil.

Then I sat by a pond, silver and green leaved,
I saw myself in it, both happy and grieved.

Feeling queer, I asked myself if I was wrong,
Making a show of someone else’s song?

No came the answer, like a sword to the flesh,
The direction is right, I must hold the thresh.

As night fell upon the verdant trees,
I thought of my mind and it’s violent seas.

I'm at the crossroads when I should have been ahead,
It is so easy, still so difficult done than said.

Think not much, forget it now, sleep in the gloomy sky,
My quest is hard by my own doing, but I shall fly.
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10 Bizarre Etymologies

As clichéd as this may sound, English is a funny language. English words, as we know have been borrowed from various languages around the globe. They have been contorted and modified to our liking. This is the concept behind etymology. While some words have pretty straightforward origins, there are some which leave us baffled. After all, it is not common knowledge that the humble china-ware in our house has something to do with pigs. Little do we realise that the spirits that make our Saturday evenings fun are related to Arabic eye-liners or that the word weird meant destiny.  These are 10 fairly common words, with rather fascinating origins –

10. Weird

Today ‘weird’ means strange or supernatural. Weird as this may sound, it once meant ‘fate' or 'destiny’

Etymology: Weird was known as wyrd in Old English and it meant ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’. Wyrd in turn came from Proto-Germanic wurđíz. Its Proto-Indo-Eurpoean root is wurt which means ‘to come to pass’ or ‘become’.

Foundation: The modern word ‘weird’ was developed from its use in medieval English. In Germanic mythology, there were Goddesses known as Norns who governed human fate or destiny. They were known as the ‘Weird sisters of three fates’, or the ‘Three witches’.

Shakespeare’s Macbeth made ‘the three witches’ popular by describing them as odd and frightening, giving birth to the word ‘weird’.

9. Cretin

The dictionary states that a cretin is a person with deficiency of thyroid hormones, or as we say – a stupid idiot. Well, far from all this, it actually meant ‘Christian’ in the past.

Etymology: Cretin is most commonly believed to be derived from crestin, a word from the Alpine dialect in France. Furthermore, crestin was obtained from Latin christianus which means ‘a regular guy’.

Foundation: People with dwarfism in certain regions of French Alps were called Crestins – a word which originated from christianus, Latin for ‘Christian’. Back in those days, anyone in general was referred to as a ‘Christian’ and it essentially meant ‘a regular or poor fellow’. Now the idea behind this particular etymology was to signify that those affected by Cretinism were just regular people, and were supposed to be treated the same.

We may call a cretin a deformed person with thyroid problems. However, as far as etymology, and of course, morals are concerned; a cretin is just a regular fellow.

8. Slave

A slave today is known is a person who is the legal property of another and is forced to obey them. However, it referred to a Slav (Central/Eastern European people) in the past.

Etymology: Slave comes from the Old French word esclave, which is further obtained from Medieval Latin Sclavus. The latter is ultimately derived from the Byzantine-Greek Sklavos.

Foundation: Skalvos was in reference to the Slavs, people from central and eastern European speaking Slavic languages. During the medieval period, in times of wars, many Slavs were captured, sold, and enslaved under the Byzantine and Roman Empire. The westerners caught wind of such Slav trade, and the word slave came in to being.

Hence, the Slavs and their misfortunes gave rise to the English word ‘Slave’. It’s a common misconception that ‘Slav’ originated from ‘Slave’, but we now know that it’s exactly the opposite.

7. Quarantine

Quarantine Ship – ‘Rhin’

The word ‘quarantine’ means ‘a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease’. It previously represented the number ‘forty’.

Etymology: While quarantine seems to have multiple etymologies, the most fascinating and relevant one comes from the Italian quarantina, which means the number forty. Quarantina has its origin in the Latin word quadraginta.

Foundation: In the medieval ages, especially during the cursed period of the plague epidemic, ships were mandated to be kept off shore for a term of quarantina giorni (Italian for ‘forty days’). The crew and all the people on the ship would be kept off shore, on the ship or on a local island to see if they were affected by the epidemic. This was done as a precautionary measure to avoid the spread of the disease on land.

As a result of this, the word ‘quarantine’ was coined in English.

6. Alcohol

As we all know, alcohol needs no introduction. However, this enchanting beverage once meant finely powdered eyeliner.

Etymology: Alcohol, which has a Latin origin, was known as alcofol in the early 15th century and it meant ‘fine powdered ore of antimony’. It is ultimately derived from the Arabic al kuhl – a powder used as eyeliner.

Foundation: Al kuhl was held in high regard for its finesse and usefulness. Besides eyeliners, it was used in several cosmetics too. At times, other powder of similar ilk and obtained by the process of sublimation or distillation came to be known as al kuhl. As a consequence, alcohol was called the same, being distilled, exalted and fine.

This made way for the word ‘alcohol’ in the present-day English dictionary.

5. Muscle

Animal or human tissue consisting predominantly of contractile cells is referred to as muscle, or simply put, something most of us wish we had.  In olden times though, it was just a mouse.

Etymology: Muscle comes from the French word muscle which is derived from the Latin mūsculus. The interesting point here is that mūsculus literally translates to ‘little mouse’.

Foundation: ‘Muscle’ came to be known so because the muscles resemble a mouse running inside the skin when one flexes them. This likeness is also supported in Greek, where both ‘muscle’ and ‘mouse’ are both known by a single word – mys. Another interesting fact is that the combination form of both gives us the prefix– myo which is used in the medical field.

So, English adopted the word ‘muscle’. Go on; flex those biceps to summon little mice.

4. Trivia

Since we are doing trivia, it would be a shame to leave the word out. Trivia is nothing but information of little consequence, or as ancient Italians called it – a three way.

Etymology: Trivia comes from the Latin word trivia (singular – trivium) and stands for ‘triple way’ (tri – triple, via – way).

Foundation: Trivium is Latin for ‘crossroads’ or ‘junction’. In olden times, there were certain forms of kiosks in parts of Italy that held secondary information. These kiosks were placed at three ways – trivia. The information was also known as trivia due to its location. Also, it wasn’t particularly valuable or interesting. Subsequently, trivia came to mean information of little value.

This idea stuck, and the word ‘Trivia’ was adopted by English.

3. Sinister

The Heraldic Escutcheon: Dexter–right; Sinister–left

Wicked, harmful, malicious – call it what you may, sinister just meant left handedness back in the past.

Etymology: Sinister comes from the Latin word sinistra which means left. Its counterpart Dexter is obtained from the Latin dexter, meaning right. Sinistra is dexter’s antonym, thus forming the pair dexter-sinistra which means right-left.

Foundation: Now in ancient times, when superstition was as believable as science is today, left handedness was considered to be evil. Right was literally right and stood for everything good. Consequently, dexter came to be known for good – dexterity meant skillfulness and artfulness in English. It is quite ironic though; that the creators of the famous television show ‘Dexter’ would name their protagonist so, considering that he’s a serial killer.

On the other hand, Sinistra gained an infamous status for being unlucky and ominous, and this trend continued in English too, where evil means sinister.

2. Assassin

Hassan-i-Sabbah

An Assassin is a man who murders prominent people. Long ago, it meant ‘extract of cannabis plant — hash’. Both remain illegal activities till date.

Etymology: Assassin is considered to be derived from Hashshashin, a Persian word which has its roots in another word – hashish. Hashish is the source of ‘hash’, a widely-known drug.

Foundation: The etymology, though widely debated, is still an interesting one. A group of Shi’ite Muslims known as Nizaris, first led by Hassan-i-Sabbah existed in and around the 10th century A.D. They were known for killing many Islamic and Christian leaders and groups for reasons both political and religious. In doing so, they were believed to be using hash, which made them hash users or hashishiyya.

This evolved in to Hashshashin, and English turned it in to the word ‘assassin’. 

1. Porcelain

Porcelain today means ‘A white vitrified translucent ceramic’. That is after the Italian’s stopped associating it with a pig’s vulva.

Etymology: Porcelain comes from the French word porcelain, which comes from the Italian porcellana.

Foundation: Word for word, porcellana means ‘cowrie shell’ which has a strong similarity with porcelain’s glossy surface. While this may seem convenient, it is fascinating to note that porcellana has its roots in porcella, which means a young sow (sow is a female pig). This is because a cowrie shell’s opening takes after the pig’s exposed genitalia.

This distorted analogy led to the etymology of the shiny piece of china that we call porcelain. Well, things definitely won’t be the same when we look at that piece of porcelain again.

Sources: http://www.etymonline.com/, http://en.wikipedia.org
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The Old Bat

A young man was walking on a footpath surrounding a garden. He was returning home from what was arguably a stressful day. The cool evening and the walk in the garden had mellowed him down though. As was his habit, he was listening to soft music from his phone through the default earphones.

He looked down at the footpath tiles, pink and white, now rendered weary by time. They were like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The man was now nearing the lane where he lived.

As he passed the point where the roads bisected the garden, he saw a man. The man had a cricket bat in his hand. Strolling in the middle of the garden, on the brown-green grass blades, he was admiring the bat. He must have been around 30 years old. His clothes suggested that he was a labourer or a worker; his body chiselled, if not huge.

It was then that the young man noticed the bat. It was a rather small, aged piece of wood. The intact stickers on the frame said that it was of a good brand. Its bottom edge was well-worn and had lost its symmetry. There were marks and abrasions on its body. Furthermore, it sported printed signatures of some of the most famous cricketers of the game.

It was the same bat that he had lost around ten years ago.

However, he had to be sure. Excited, he followed the man around the garden. He passed the gigantic banyan tree and intercepted the man at the end of the footpath.

“Can I have a look?” the young man asked politely, pointing at the bat. He removed the earphones from his ears, not caring to stop the music. The worker obliged without uttering a word. He held the bat in his hands for him to examine. The young man saw that he had big, bland eyes, a moustache and stubble. The man's face remained impassive.

The bat was exactly how he had remembered it to be - the same vivid colours, the same cuts and scratches. A childhood memory, gone missing for ten years, and it was now before him. All this while, and it was still in his locality. It wasn't the dump truck which had collected the bat after all.

The young man smiled, in awe of the subtlety of the moment. He recollected how his parents had been hard on him for losing an expensive thing like this. He remembered how the loss of the bat had ended his interest in cricket as a hobby.  Yet here it was, now a relic.

He looked up to the man, and calmly asked “is this yours?” Still impassive, the man tried to utter some words in a clumsy fashion.

“Is the bat yours, sir?” shrilled someone out of the blue. “Is it yours?”

The young man turned to his right, and saw that it was a little boy who was addressing him.  He was a poor lad, ragged with a jaded frame. He looked at the boy; his eyes were unlike those of the worker. They had a twinkle in them, an honest innocence, and they sat perfectly above his brown pudgy cheeks.

“Is the bat yours?” repeated the little boy eagerly, advancing towards the young man.

The young man gave his old bat one final look, and sighed with content.

“No”, he said, looking at the boy.

He then turned away and continued to walk home with a quaint smile on his face …

Reflections - Life of Pi

Life of Pi

Life of Pi was one of the most accomplished films of 2012. It is known for its amazing visual effects, its vibrant appeal, its breathtaking story, its Oscar winning direction and whatnot.

All this may be, but there is another, astounding side to the motion picture too. Recollect one of the last scenes of the film – when the adult Pi (Irrfan Khan), after narrating the alternate story asks the author-

Adult Pi Patel: So which story do you prefer?

Writer: The one with the tiger. That's the better story.

Adult Pi Patel: Thank you. And so it goes with God.

“And so it goes with God.” This, for me was quite a twist ending. The truth as to which story is real and which is false has been left to the viewer’s discretion. Let’s consider the alternate story – the one with the humans in the boat, to be true.

Pi Patel has been subjected to a catastrophic trauma, one which is extremely hard to deal with. He is leaving his beloved homeland behind, his ship gets wrecked in a storm, he somehow manages to escape in a boat, his father is dead, his mother is killed by a monstrous man, and he is stranded without any direction. Safe to say, this is one of the worst forms of hardships that can be faced by an adolescent man. So, what does he do in such a situation? Does he lose hope? Does he rest all the troubles on his tired and miserable shoulders? No; Pi Patel believes in God. He chooses to believe in another story, one which assuages his horrendous experience. He chooses to believe in a better story, because fake as it may be, it eases his pain. And so it goes with God.

One may face a lot of troubles in life, troubles that can destroy a person, make them morose and depressed. In such times, one can take to oneself and hold all these troubles on their shoulders. Or they can believe in God.

Now God does not necessarily mean the bearded old man sitting on top of the sky monitoring all your activities. God can be a higher entity, someone who is a figment of your imagination, an imaginary friend you may call him. You just unload your troubles upon him, and hope for good.

Now some may consider this a cowardly act, not standing up to your troubles isn't the most recommended thing when it comes to life. But think of matters that are out of your hand, like those of Pi. You can't do anything; you are in a sorry state. At such times, you can either choose to face all the pain, or share some with an imaginary friend. It is much like sharing your woes with a beloved person, only that this God of yours won't judge. Moreover, believing in an imaginary entity does not mean that you are going to step down and not face your problems. You are going to tackle them, just that those problems will be easier to deal with.

When did I realise I was God? Well, I was praying and I suddenly realised I was talking to myself. 

- Peter O'Toole

Believing in God is much like praying. When you pray, you are talking to yourself, just accepting your problems. A believer admits to all his misery. He asks God for help. By admitting, he rests his problems on God. This is acceptance, and acceptance is the first step towards solving a problem.

This is what you call faith - believing in good. You don't have to be a religious person to believe. You can be an atheist or an agnostic; it is just a simple matter of sharing your problems with a higher entity. For an atheist, this entity will be imaginary, for a believer, this will be God …

Review - The Broadway Funnies!

It isn't everyday that you're invited to a musical. So, it was a rather normal evening and I was at the Comedy Store at Phoenix Mills, Mumbai to see Delna Mody along with her companions perform Broadway songs - a show called The Broadway Funnies!!!. Not a connoisseur when it comes to musicals, I was fascinated by the prospect nonetheless.

Now Comedy Store with its incredible ambience always assures a good evening. The comfortable seating, the compact auditorium and the neat lighting means that you are at the right place.

It was at around 5:30 pm that Delna Mody stepped on the stage along with her crew. The cosy stage was equipped with a Piano and some props strewn neatly across the floor. I could feel the subtle excitement as I grabbed a seat. In came Delna, looking ravishing in a red dress and wearing a merry smile on her face. The piano was taken over by a lovely Nadine Jo Crasto. Also on stage was Winston Travasso, supporting Delna with the songs

Delna Mody

Theatre and musical fanatics will surely identify Delna Mody. The talented singer, actor and dancer has worked in Canada as well as Mumbai in productions like Raell Padamsee's Sound of Music, Stop-Gaps in Widening the Street and Good Morning Miss Kathya, to name a few.

Delna elegantly introduced us to the concept of the show-a collection of 16 songs from famous Broadway musicals, which were sure to tickle your funny bone.

The artistes started off with the song Paris Makes me Horny. It was a snazzy song with a titillating tune, sharp rhymes and witty lyrics. All that coming from a blonde character in Paris. As if the first number wasn't joyous enough, what followed was a treat to the senses. We were entertained by amusing songs like 100 ways to lose a man, National Brotherhood Week, Good thing he can't read my mind among several others. The idiosyncrasies, the puns and the impeccable satire all served on a sumptuous plate made my evening.

The beauty of the songs aside, what struck me most was the vigour with which Delna and her crew performed. Delna with her charming voice and nuances will keep your eyes firmly rooted to the stage, while the ears are given a sweet treatment. Winston was majestic as well; with a booming voice and a magnificent presence, the man sure possesses a great gift. There is no song without music, and Nadine on the Piano could not have done a better job.

But like all good things, the musical had to end. End it did, but not without a bagful of hearty laughters, and rib tickling humour. A sweet showing indeed.

So, musical lovers will surely be there. But for the others, go for this, go for a change. Experience music and acting live on the stage in stead of white screens.

It isn't everyday that you're invited to a musical. But it sure is an indication that you will go for many more...

  

Who are you?

Humans are very interesting beings. We are social, we use language as medium, we are inventive, we are dynamic and we are the most powerful. We have created so many things, so many fields to work upon, and so many domains to ponder about. Among us human beings, there are engineers, economists, doctors, labourers, artists and a multitude of other varied professions.  It is quite marvellous if we give a thought to the magnitude of it all.

We, as people are similar on the outset. But then again, we are so unlike each other.

So, the question is, considering the humongous scale of humanity, how would you end up defining yourself? Who are you? Are you a friendly lad with great social skills and a happy go lucky nature? Or are you a conniving scum who charms people to get their way? Well, you could be both. That is the amazing thing about perspective.

As you walk through life, you meet different groups of people. These people have their own opinions and points of view. People perceive things differently. That is a given. So, everyone has a view of what you are. Some may find you funny, some dull. Some may find you hard-working, some just lazy. But you can’t be two things at the same time, can you?

I have heard the most diverse adjectives about myself. While a group of people would call me a pervert, the other would call me an innocent and simple guy. A man once called me highly mature and philosophical; a woman describes me as childish and immature. Such contrasting opinions.

Hence, one reason for such a difference is people’s perspective. Perspective is an amusing thing. What is good to me may mean bad to you. That is how it works.

The other reason is you itself. As you interact with people, you inadvertently adjust a wee bit to accommodate yourself within the opposite person’s wavelength.  That too, is a given, no matter how much you claim to be yourself.

To the man who calls me mature, maybe I don’t show him my idiocy because we never came to see each other’s larky side. To the woman who calls me childish, maybe the exact opposite happened.

You behave in a disciplined manner at home because of your strict parents. Yet, you perform random idiosyncrasies with your friends. That is because, you are free out there. It is also the other way around. You do the most embarrassing things when at home within the familiar walls, things which you can’t imagine doing with others. Obviously, there will be people who beg to differ with this concept, but in general, we adapt.

Thus, it is the fundamental characteristic of humans to adapt. We know about physical adaptations, how our bodies adjust in different situations. However, mental adaptation is something we don’t always study about.

This is who we are. We are, as they often say, reflections of the people around us. It is very droll and fascinating if given a thought - seeing ourselves from different perspectives. Being conscious of how we change with people. Perspective and adaptation are good words. A change in perspective can make your life easier and make you more optimistic. Adaptation can help you adjust in the most stringent of situations.

As varied and adaptive as we may be, in essence, we are unique. And that is the ultimate truth. While we are different for different people, it is most essential to see ourselves as an integral entity, for living in the shadows of others is not advisable, as heard and read many times. It is primary to know yourself, and secondary to know what others deem of yourself...

Calendar 2013