a snapshot of ‘shock’

Samosas in Davos?

Visit Indian stall

வேண்டுகோள்

சிறுத்தைன்னு ஒரு படம். அதை தயவு செஞ்சு பாக்காதீங்க. உங்களை கெஞ்சு கேட்டுக்கறேன்!

Obama plays Snake and Ladder

Barack Obama, during his recent visit to India, played the educational (on water and sanitation) snake and ladder game developed by Handesign – a design collective which my wife runs alongside Peeyush and Shasha Handesign focuses on the role of Design in the fields of Conservation, Education & Development.

This game was designed by Handesign for Arghyam foundation.

She is thrilled and so will be Peeyush and Shash, I guess

Predictable Gentlemen and Burqa

They look. Sometimes they talk, else they balk. If I look OK, it suddenly dawns on them that they can regurgitate their thoughts about Indian politics or poverty with me when we happen to sit next to each other on a long rail journey. When I walk on the road, they see – not me, but mine.

(Almost) all men are same. They lech. There is just one driving force behind all of their actions – Sex.

Why should I not feel great about my decision to wear burqa – two sizes too big? This is the most liberating I have felt in ages.

Key Stage References – TdF 2010

STAGE 9: Morzine-Avoriaz > Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (204.5 km)

Prediction: A Schleck, I Basso and A Contador to finish together. C Evans to lose time.

STAGE 14 : Revel  Ax 3 Domaines 184.5 km

Prediction: A Schleck & A Contador to gain time on the rest.

STAGE 16 : Bagnères-de-Luchon > Pau (199.5 km)

STAGE 19 : Bordeaux  > Pauillac 52 km

Prediction: Flat time-trial stage. A Schleck to lost 1 minute to A Contador. But retain the Yellow.

Notes: Look out for Stage 17 as well.

Morzine-Avoriaz Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne

Was that racing? Surely?

sequence of events:
- McLaren 1-2. Hamilton leading Button.
- Hamilton’s race engineer says ‘Save fuel. The other car is doing the same’. This practically means ‘you guys are not racing each other’. Note that, such orders are not allowed according to F1 regulations.
- The above message got picked up by the live telecast (This is done randomly, I believe)
- McLaren realises that they might be penalized.
- Suddenly, Button goes faster, at a point close to .45 sec per lap, than Hamilton. Eventually passes him.
- Duly gives the position back to Hamilton by taking a racing line which not what a world champion would take.
- Hamilton pulls away.
- Race ends.

Is is just me who suspects this whole episode is staged by McLaren? I wish I can analyze telemetry data and conversations over the radio. At least, the stewards should see it and tell millions of fans what went on.

Aayirathil Oruvan

Selvaragavan’s new movie was in the making for more than 2 years. With a good story idea, you’d expect the director spending most of the time discussing and developing the story and the characters. But he has other ideas like:

• How do I make the two women, whom I personally seem to like, do idiotic exposures and speak crass dialogues?
• How do I take western hard rock like picturizations and senselessly apply them to my period movie?
• How can I cast creatures who cannot speak/mouth even modern tamil in a period movie?
• How can I show my own demonic/crass/cheap/perverted desires in the screen with complete disregard to my own screen play?
• How do I go to the interviews/promos once the movie is released and make myself sound like a genius in front of an anchor (who doesn’t know anything anyway)?
• etc.

Having endured the torture for ~3 hours, few suggestions on how to approach this movie:

1. Don’t go to this movie.
2. If you do:
   • Please don’t talk about “a brave/bold attempt”
   • Please don’t brand it “path breaking”
   • Please don’t praise Reema or Andrea or Karthi for “living the characters” in the screen
   • Please pass on this advice to others
   • you get the point…

Dear Aamir,

I do admire your work as an actor in general. I did watch the movie “3 Idiots” and have read Five Point Someone in the past. I am not excited by either of these. If I must pick one over the other, I’ll pick the movie. In fact, none of Chetan’s works have appealed to me thus far. That said, I have few things to say about the current issue.

You seem to classify others’ thoughts as “sincere” or “insincere” (I don’t know how!!). All I can tell you is that I am not being flippant here.

Some background: The notions of originality is well defined for more than 60 years now. If a movie is based on anything that’s published before then the movie’s story is “adapted” and not “original” (for instance, sequels can never have “original” screenplay!). So, In Raju’s way articulating relationship between 3 Idiots and Five Point Someone, even if there is an acknowledged 0.000001% relationship between the two, Chetan has to be given equal credits as any other writer involved in 3 Idiots (Note: Chetan has to be paid too!)

Some reasons for why 3 Idiots team has acted wrongly so far:

1. Based on the above definition, Raju/Vidu Vinod saying “5-10%” is pointless (I can’t believe that you don’t know the definition of “original” in this context given you have been to Oscar-s more than once!!)
2. You speaking about something which you haven’t read is pointless
3. You speaking about Chetan being famous and credit to be given to Abhajit (as if Abhajit is unknown, anyone who cares for movies will know Abhajith is the guy who wrote Lage Raho Munna Bhai!!) is pointless
4. You speaking as if you had recorded the exact conversation you had with Chetan is pointless. Quoting something that happened months back from memory isn’t a winning evidence – when probed it is more likely to be broken in a court of law
5. You presenting “new interesting evidence” in the future isn’t going to make any of the above points invalid.

What do I feel personally? I feel you should just stay away from this. You are an actor and you limit yourself to that. When a jorno asks about this, you could delegate the answering responsibility to the people who are involved (Raju/Vidu Vinod). It makes no sense for you to defend someone blindly just because they happened to provide you job (you should know that you are defending Vidu Vinod and Raju who made a successful movie named Munna Bhai MBBS but failed to mention about the existance of Patch Adams!). The simple reason is, when you get inolved thousands of people get involved – They spend their emotions and time by getting involved,  Thousands of comments/blogs/web pages/print pages get written etc.

If at all you want to get involved in the issue, please limit your involvement to advising Vidu Vinod and Raju that they should just pray Chetan doesn’t sue them for copyright infringement (the current agreement between them can be deemed void in a court of law, arguably). Ask them to thank Chetan if possible. Also, if they want to retain some self dignity, ask them to pay Chetan for using his work in spite of him not asking for it.

Regards, ~A

PS: Please note, being emotional can never be an excuse for not being responsible towards your fans/readers given the stature you carry in the society.

Gift Request

“Perfect Rigor” by Masha Gessen (“an accessible book about an unreachable man” says The NewYork Times).