Invictus and Shame

"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul" - Invictus, by W.E.Henley (1875)


There are sports movies and then there are sports movies. There was 'Remember the Titans' and now there is 'Invictus'.

Today this space is dedicated to Invictus. The experience of this movie has been the most subduing in recent times. The manner in which the story of how a nation united over rugby and the role Mandela and Pienaar played  in bringing that about is truly awe-inspiring. The coming out from the darkness of conflict from the verge of civil war, to a nation united despite of severe prejudices is what a good inspirational story is all about. The sequence when the South African rugby team, the 'Springboks', actually won the world cup moved me to tears, not a torrent but yes there was moisture.

It was more so because it reminded me of the emotions I felt when the Indian Cricket  team had won the T20 WC in 2007. The raw emotions that had spilled out then made me identify what the South Africans felt. Now, that was about the movie, and I raise a toast to Clint Eastwood who never ceases to amaze me with the quality of cinema he creates...a true legend. That is the very reason why caps go around in Hollywood circles with "Think like Clint!" imprinted on them. :)

In the perspective, I felt personal shame after reading the morning paper today. In the editorial there was a piece with the pictures of two young men, one American and the other Indian, with the caption "identify the victim!" My choice gravitated to the Indian boy. However, I felt a tingle of shame when upon reading the piece I discovered that it was the Indian boy who had abetted the suicide of the other kid. :( It makes me wonder that when we are the perpetrators of wrong-doings abroad why doesn't the media report that?

Well, today's post is heavy and I shall let it remain at that...mirth is missing today!

Cheers    

The Lost Food

Oh the craving...craving for bloody meat and any other edible material which has oil and salt and flavor in it..am willing to pay the doctor a million dollars to certify me fit to eat human food...coz more than the jaundice am sick of starvation and fluids!!

Sigh..just had to get that out of the system...

Watched Star Trek today...a complete star trek movie for the first time in my living history! Its not that I didn't like Star Trek..the thing is that until today I never got the story.. :)

Well, the older Star Treks left me utterly confused and in the age of Avatar 3D and 2012 they seemed a bit neanderthal to me...so thank you Hollywood for making this nic eli'l prequel to the whole series..now at least I know the characters and their backgrounds..and can now proudly claim to be knowledgeable of most classic space movies...so in the same breath thank you George Lucas for Star Wars: Episode 1.

Thats a lot of rambling about something most people don't give a shit about...so i better stop now!

Finished reading the latest by Dan Brown - 'the lost symbol' yesterday..and frankly it doesn't have the magic of Da Vinci code or Angels & Demons..a decent read at best but mostly preachy and repetitive...

I do not understand Mr. Brown's obsession with lunatic villains who have to be giants or have to possess super strength or have to be somehow super wierd! He does it in three of his books..so it seems he has something against Robert Langdon..i think he has a fetish for Professors being beaten up by insane bullies..poor Tom Hanks...he will have to endure it for another movie!!

Well that's it now...enough for the day..see u later!!

Cheers

Rajini Factoid: There is no such thing as evolution, it's just a list of creatures that Rajinikanth allowed to live.   

Losers, Pakistan and "Two States"

I say, what's with the movies nowadays...why the hell did Kate Hudson lose against the practitioners of black magic in "The Skeleton Key"...and why did Clive Owen and Julia Roberts get duped in "Duplicity"...

Has the concept of the protagonists winning gone from the movies...the dude in the "Into the wild" dies..etc etc..I mean when a guy's sick he needs positive stuff..not watch the heroes lose..don't these guys know anything??

My brother just asked me to watch the South Africa v. Pakistan game..the reason being that Younis Khan is back!! I didn't even notice that he was gone..such is the state of the game in Pak..this is so unlike the years when  I knew even a debutant in Pak cricket..these people have done the sport a great dishonor!

Speaking of Pak cricket, Sania Mirza aka Sania Malik was in town with Shoaib Malik...the bugger offended me so much I can't tell you! He said that he felt like home in Ranchi!! IS RANCHI AS BAD AS PAKISTAN??

If the politicians don't pull up their socks and do something about it then they never will!!

To sign off, am currently multitasking as a Hindi teacher..yes ME!! A madrasi friend of mine who's a living example of the "Two States" is getting married to another friend of mine..this one a gujju!!  :-D

So to bridge the language barrier the poor girl has to learn hindi..and so am coaching her..freakin funny! I don't even remember the last time I typed this much hindi!!

By the way, why isn't the gujju learning Tamil?? Why does only the poor girl have to learn Hindi?? Think about it... (i can feel the gujju friend growling at me)!!

Cheers


Rajnikant doesn't wear a watch, HE decides what time it is..

Rise of the sick!

A month..thats what has passed by since I have been bed-ridden..well not literally!! After the situation required that I be airlifted out of Delhi to Ranchi for treatment (ya, it happens in the reverse at times) I have been hospitalized twice..in between the two occasions I got so over-smart with my lifestyle that it necessitated the 2nd occasion..and now I am down with Pitth-Dosh and consuming two cups of jungli amla ras daily!! So, this is all I had to go through before a suggestion ( thank u '1/cot V') made me realise that there are better ways to kill time than watching TV and sleeping (and no, FB is not about killing time)...so here I am..unleashing myself on the blogging world...so Barney..move over!!

Now, that was a rash statement knowing my history of one post blogs whose access codes are long forgotten..but never hurts to try.. :)

Having said all that, the jungli amla really is wild..its given me new zest and battles viral hepatitis (sounds more glamorous than jaundice)....like a warrior philosopher...ok, maybe thats going a bit too far but hell it sure works...

I tell you, its time to go back to the vedas and the upanishads...something really is hidden in there..i sure wish there were English translations available..the mysteries of the ancients would be brought to light....ok, i better stop about it now!

Anyways, ayurveda and a lot of free time have given to the Rise of the Sick (in true star wars tradition)...


Watch this space for more..


Cheers


Rajini fact of the day: Rajinikanth did in fact, build Rome in a day...