The winner wolf!!

Of Coach Carter and Kites!!

This weekend was one of the most hectic weekends ever. But the best point was that I was still able to catch up on two movies I had not seen earlier. The first of the two, the Samuel L. Jackson starrer 2005 film Coach Carter, was an excellent movie. The film is supposedly based on a true story about a Basketball Coach, Ken Carter (Jackson in an amazingly endearing performance), who believes that there is life beyond Basketball for the boys on his team and forces them to sign contracts to achieve a 2.3 / C+ in their studies as a pre-condition to continue on the team. And then when some of them fall short on their goals, he locks out the entire so-far undefeated team from practice and tournaments amid widespread protests and media cry. The boys finally forced to meet their scores make it to the State championship but lose in the opening game. Nevertheless, they do excel in their lives, go to Colleges, earn Scholarships and make respectable Careers.

So much for the synopsis; but, the movie was a time well spent. Not only was it a technically well-made movie with a taut screenplay and near-perfect performances from everyone, I personally liked it because it did, in some way, resonate my viewpoints on education and career. No matter whether you excel in sports, arts or any other area, education is very important. It instills in you a sense of discipline, security and confidence, even though you may not choose to earn a living out of it. The mode with which a person earns one's living is a personal choice and one may choose the path that gives us maximum satisfaction. Satisfaction is important for happiness and one must enjoy and feel passionate about what one does. But, basic education is important and that should not be rejected. And that was what Ken Carter ensured for his team-members.

Coming to Kites, I had heard a lot of negative reviews from people who had watched the same on movie theatres. Personally, I saw it on TV and I found it 'okay' for a TV viewing although I wonder whether a movie that looks 'okay' on TV would look 'bad' on the big screen. If one momentarily forgets the costs involved in the big screen viewing, the effect of a big screen and modern sound systems in movie theatres is such that they make mediocre movies look good. The cinematography is enhanced and the sound systems echo the minutest of the chords. This should generally make a good viewing. But, watching a movie in Theatres involves so high costs nowadays that if people say the movie is not good, they usually only mean that it's not worth the ticket price. For a cheaper price tag, it just might as well been fine. This was for movies in general but Kites is a rather special case in point. For starters, it's not a conventional Hindi movie. In fact, to publicize it as International Version and Hindi Version was a wrong strategy as the so-called Hindi Version hardly has any Hindi dialogues and the only thing Hindi about it is the subtitles. This film should have been publicized as an "International film in Spanish-English with Hindi sub-titles". In that case, it should ideally have worked with a niche audience.

For a brief synopsis, the film is a modern-day rehash of 'Ek duje ke liye' where the male and female protagonists do not speak each other's language and yet fall in love and fight it out to be together. However, the drama of 'Ek duje ke liye' has here been replaced by a thrilling action and fast-paced car chases by including the gangsters in the plot. People say there is no story. There is actually, only it's an old, stale and 100-times-retold one. The screenplay is above-average as it keeps one glued to the screen, not to mention that you just cannot take your eyes off the screen for two more absolutely genuine reasons: (1) Hrithik's chiseled Greek-god looks hold your gaze; and (2) how do you intend to understand the film without READING the sub-titles of the Spanish dialogues which happen to make at least 40-50% of the whole speaking time of the characters. Even Barbara Mori's English is most of the time illegible. The cinematography is top-notch. Watch the breath-taking landscape in the climax scene where Hrithik stands atop a cliff and cries out in pain. Last but not least, the performances were neat with Hrithik excelling in a difficult role. He is undoubtedly the best actor in Industry today and is milestones ahead of all his contemporaries in business. The guy is amazing. He dances like a dream, makes you smile and laugh in the lighter scenes and is so essentially believable in the emotional scenes that the audiences' heart goes out to him. The scene where he tries to send Barbara off with his friend on the pretext of taking her to a hospital is impeccably unforgettable. The look in his eyes, the pain, and the despair – it speaks volumes about what a great actor he is. Even Barbara is good. She complements Hrithik in every scene she shares space with him. Unfortunately, her speech is not clear, even in English and this girl may not find a place in Bollywood in future. Nevertheless, she is refreshingly in form here. The baddie, Nick Brown as Tony Grover, is as menacing as can be and is a fine performer himself. One thing I did not understand is why Kangana Ranaut did this miniscule role. She hardly had 4 scenes and 2 dialogues and is altogether ignored after her beau elopes with her Mexican bhabhi-to-be. Nobody cares to show what the desperately-in-love girl goes through while her brother is chasing all over to kill her boyfriend and his fiancée.

All in all, an entertaining weekend with the heart-warming Coach Carter and the not-SO-disappointing Kites.

Be the Best Whatever You Are

In my life, I have been trying to make the best of all opportunities I have had so far. I know I may not be comparable to my peers in some way or the other, for I may lack some of the qualities they may have. But then, correspondingly, they may lack some of the qualities I may have too. It's all situational. It's all subjective. Some people call it Karma, some call it destiny. But, whatever name you give it, the point is that we all try to make the best of what we get. I too am trying to make the best of my capabilities. I hope I succeed in whichever endeavor I take up.

Just surfing through the net, I stumbled upon this very nice and meaningful poem. Hope it inspires many more people the way it inspires me.

Be the Best Whatever You Are

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
Be a scrub in the valley--but be
The best little scrub by the side of the rill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.

If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,
And some highway some happier make;
If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass--
But the liveliest bass in the lake!

We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,
There's something for all of us here.
There's big work to do and there's lesser to do,
And the task we must do is the near.

If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,
If you can't be the sun be a star;
It isn't by size that you win or you fail--

Be the best of whatever you are!

- Douglas Malloch

I pray to God...

I pray to God so kind

To lead me away from the blind
If darkness shrouds me today
I trust it will soon go away
For God is my light
For God is my light

I pray to God so humane
Not to keep me away from trials insane
But to give me strength to fight
The battles with all my might
For God is my strength
For God is my strength

I pray to God so generous
To give me knowledge precious
To guide through the high tide

To help towards prosperity stride

For God is my wisdom

For God is my wisdom

I pray to God so benign
To let me win hearts divine
To make me amiable and humble
Affectionate, benevolent, gracious and gentle
For God is my tolerance
For God is my tolerance

Office Politics

Go Green!!

My entry in the 'Go Green Competition': working time about 20 mins.

The Art of being happy!!

We all talk about being happy and remaining happy. We tell others to do so all the time. But then, how does one remain happy? What constitutes happiness? And, what can one do to be and remain happy?


Okay, if you are wondering why I am stating all these questions here today, then the reason is a small get-together I had with my cousins. It was not a festive occasion and we had not planned the get-together. A close relative had expired after a prolonged incapacitation. Of course we were sad but our hearts also went out to him for whom it was a peaceful end to misery. Now, we cousins just sat together discussing a lot of things when one of them mentioned her and her family’s association with the ISKCON Temple. She told us how the teachings of Shri Bhagwat Geeta, being popularized by the people associated with the Temple, have brought changes in their lives. She said that the entire family; she, her husband, her two lovely daughters and an infant son, her sister-in-law; all of them have gained from the teachings and that now they are much more at peace with themselves and feel the happiness within.

That got me thinking how spirituality or religion can make someone happy. She sought and got happiness in the teachings of Geeta and in volunteering to further spread them to other people. But, is it necessary to go to Temples and listen to sermons to ensure happiness within? Another of my relative, my Bhabhi, finds solace and happiness in the teachings of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, ‘The Art of Living’. She too has taken an initiative of spreading the teachings to others through prayer songs. It brings her happiness, joy and revelry.

Then again there is a different set of people I often come across. People who go clubbing, attend parties and enjoy dancing at discotheques are quite in number. Some drink and have fun, with (or at times without) friends. They say they find happiness in that. They don’t find the same feeling by drowning themselves in the God’s spirit. They live for the day and don’t worry about their future. Most of them are doing well in their personal lives, they spend lavishly and tend to forget their career and family related tensions in their loud, grand and feisty idea of having fun. To them this is being happy and blissful.

Yet others find joys of reading, travelling, listening to music and, in short, pursuing their interests and hobbies as means to gain happiness. They take time out for themselves and do what they like. For that moment, they too forget their troubles and drown themselves in their own blissful corner of enchanting thoughts. Does that mean pursuing one’s own interests brings happiness? Or ignoring everything else, including family, friends and work means the person is rather being self-centered?

This makes me think again. And thought I have. It made me conclude that happiness is basically a choice that we make for ourselves. Somewhere deep down we decide for ourselves how we want to be happy. We ourselves, consciously or sub-consciously, choose our source of happiness. Be it the spiritual or the worldly pleasures. The source of people’s happiness is basically a choice they have made for themselves. Now, I would refrain from saying which is a better choice because that again should not be my prerogative. Besides, every individual is entitled to make his/her decisions and choices: to each his own.

I can only say about my choices. I too have chosen to be happy. But, to be happy neither have I chosen to open a virtual spiritual door (not yet at least) nor have I adopted a devil-may-care attitude and resorted to ‘worldly pleasures’. Instead, I have chosen not to delve on the past and rather work on my present and look forward towards my future. I will not think about what my future could have been had my past been different. (Please note I use different and not better). I revel in the company of my most wonderful family and precious friends. I find happiness in simple pleasures like spending time with my daughter and mom; catching up with my sisters, going shopping and to restaurants; chatting with my friends (on phone, messengers, mails and even SNSs); and having work on my hands to accomplish. Once in a while I do enjoy pursuing my interests and likes. But, all in all, I rejoice in what I have accomplished in my life till now; I pride in my personal growth; and I look forwards to challenges lying ahead (even if to test myself and know how well I may be able to handle them). Every day, I celebrate my existence and I love my being. THAT makes ME happy. THAT is what I choose for myself.

May God bless the departed souls!

A few days ago, two major tragedies struck India. Two accidents, gruesome in their nature, took away numerous lives: The Mangalore Plane crash and the Bihar Train derailing. My heart goes out to the departed souls; may they rest in peace. My prayers are with their families; may they find comfort in their hours of grief. Death is inevitable eventually, but the suddenness of parting with near and dear ones, moreover hale and hearty joyously bubbling people, pierces ones heart apart. But such is fate and we cannot fight it out. In God’s will we must abide and in his mercy we must rejoice.

I would like to put down a small prayer for all the departed souls:

When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God a man must place his trust.
There is no power in mortal speech
The anguish of his soul to reach,
No voice, however sweet and low,
Can comfort him or ease the blow.


He cannot from his fellow men
Take strength that will sustain him then.
With all that kindly hands will do,
And all that love may offer, too,
He must believe throughout the test
That God has willed it for the best.

We who would be his friends are dumb;
Words from our lips but feebly come;
We feel, as we extend our hands,
That one Power only understands
And truly knows the reason why
So beautiful a soul must die.


We realize how helpless then
Are all the gifts of mortal men.
No words which we have power to say
Can take the sting of grief away -
That Power which marks the sparrow's fall
Must comfort and sustain us all.

When sorrow comes, as come it must,
In God, a man must place his trust.
With all the wealth which he may own,
He cannot meet the test alone,
And only he may stand serene
Who has a faith on which to lean.

- Edgar A. Guest