BD101-Introduction to Bar Dancing

Objective: The year is 2050. There is going to be a nuclear holocaust soon and two representatives of the most necessary professions are going to be sent for five years to stay on board a spacecraft till all the radiation and all that has subsided so that they can come back and bring up a civilization. One member from each team is to represent that profession and prove to the audience why they must be one of the two to be chosen.

Whistle

"Who was that?

I represent the not-so-humble not-so-neighbourhood bar dancers. Let me transport you to a world five years from now. Those who have survived the nuclear holocaust will be at an all time low. They would have lost everything they ever had till then. Everything they ever lived for. Imagine that! We, the bar dancers, have been around for a long time now; from as early as the times of the Mahabharatha. We have survived through all the lows of life possible. Trust me when I say lows. We have been through hardships that you can never imagine. And hence, it is we who can help you through these troubled times.

We give hope to the hopeless and ensure they get what they need to survive through the tough times. We all remember the scene from Munnabhai MBBS where the guy with the cancer dies a happy death, don’t we?

We can understand emotions and connect with all kinds of people. We know pretty well what others need, if you know what I mean. And we give them what they need too.

We teach people to love and live happily. That is exactly what would be lacking five years from now. And that’s exactly why you need us at that time.

Besides, we don’t pose a threat to others. Corruption and other such big words mean nothing to us. Actually, we don’t even know their meaning properly.

Last, but definitely not the least, point is that, you see, two people will be chosen to stay on board the spacecraft and five years is going to be really, really boring. Wouldn’t it be better if we could, well, spice it up?”

PS: This was a part of the workshop organized by Shell to Fuel our Career. And, for the record, I won the most votes in a show of hands. Overwhelming win, it was. I did see some people with both their hands up. :P And a few compliments later that day.

Kerala Culture Centre - 1

Kerala Culture Centre is organizing weekly programmes at Vailopalli Sanskriti Bhavan, Trivandrum. I really don't have anything to do with them but I happened to attend this Saturday's programme. Two plays were put up both of which were simply superb. I have attended plays at Chennai as well but something about these plays simply leaves you asking for more.

The first play was about the life of a butcher and how his life changes drastically after he sees the body of a bleeding child with a slit throat. The lead was played by the famous dramatist, Kannur Vasu. The way he brought out his character was simply stunning. The narration was a bit monotonous and unnecessary in my opinion.

The second play, "Ithu Bhoomiyanu" by KT Lovers (sounds gay, doesn't it?), was about a family ingrained in Muslim superstitions. How they face the real truths of life forms the crux of the play. The message is brought out in a simple, yet effective manner. KT Lovers, by the way, is a group of dramatics enthusiasts who are fans of KT Mohammmad, the famous playwright.

Here's the best part. All the programmes are open for the public. At Trivandrum, good entertainment comes for free. Which other city can boast like that?

PS:
Next Saturday's programme: Prathibha Sangeetha Sangamam courtesy Swaranjali, Trivandrum.

In the Light of Fireflies

In the light of fireflies is a collection of poems written by Sudha Rajkumar. I got hold of a copy of the book and here’s a small review I thought I’d write.

The book, comprising of poems written over five years, gives the reader an insight into the thought process of someone who tries to recover from a shocking misfortune. The author has gracefully brought out the feelings and the emotions that defined her during the course of her life after her husband’s accident. The poems, simple though they may be, invoke questions on the mere existence of man. All through the book, one can see a sincere attempt to find answers to these questions and more. The book is, surprisingly, neither cynically pessimistic nor is it incredibly optimistic. Here is an excerpt, that I couldn’t help relating to, from a poem that I have bookmarked.

Rising to the peaks of happiness,
Flying free in air,
The very next moment falling down
Deep into the ocean of sadness.

Here’s the review in The Hindu and here’s the review at Vatsap?

Black gold

I just had to dedicate a post for this. I had black coffee for the first time today. I have always wanted to try it. For those of you who don’t understand the seriousness of the issue, I am someone who takes coffee just for the smell and invariably always requests it to be made light. Black coffee is like the extreme end, for me, in caffeine intake. I was sure that I wouldn’t drink more than a sip of it. No milk, no sugar; just water and Nescafe. Imagine that!

The water was getting heated. I was told time and again that I wouldn’t like it. Bah! I myself knew I wouldn’t like it. I just wanted to see what the fuss was about. New taste buds need to form, it seems, for one to appreciate the taste and these would form only after drinking a few glasses. After these new taste buds form, one will die for it. Someone who hasn’t tasted a particular thing before wouldn’t know what it should taste like and hence wouldn’t be able to appreciate it. Imagine having to hear all that while that innocent little mug of coffee was carving itself. I must admit I thought I would puke at the first sip.

The coffee was finally ready. The exotic aroma was totally exciting. I really wish I could smell it again. It was a heavenly, irresistible smell. The drink as such was as simple as simple can be. Clear, black and inviting, there it was in front of me in a homely little mug. I ventured to taste it; I didn’t puke. On the contrary, I drank the full mug. I have never drunk a full mug of normal coffee, of anything for that matter. Didn’t I say that I am a unique person? It didn’t feel unpalatably bitter, which is, quite frankly, all that I expected from it. It didn’t feel awkward; neither did it feel special. But, it had a wonderfully unique taste, something that I really can’t explain. It doesn’t taste like normal coffee at all. Milk spoils the real taste of coffee, not to mention dampening its pure aroma. I drank till the last drop; I felt good.

After about ten minutes, the taste started to manifest itself like the hangover of a funny lunch at the mess. It had an eerie lemon-tee without lemon like taste, albeit not in a bad way. It goes without saying that I am wide awake and I feel more energetic. On the whole, it was worth it. As far as my second cup is concerned, I guess only time will tell. I would, however, suggest you get yourself some black coffee sometime, if you haven’t tried it already.

Here's something to read in this context.

@Amrit Bhaiyya: Thanks! :)

Gone with the Wind

Yeah, the movie 'Gone with the Wind' is an American classic and all that but I wanted to see how mean I could be to an 'epic film'. What can I say? I guess I derive satisfaction out of thinking differently. So, here goes.

The movie begins with a couple of supposedly handsome men taking shots at Scarlett O'Hara, the childish lead heroine in the movie. It has been made very mechanical and unbelievable. There is no way a sensible woman would have found it, in the least, flattering. The lady, little girl rather, has been made to witness the Civil War waged by the Yankees, three marriages and infinite amount of flirting during the course of the movie. It seems more like a deliberate attempt at squeezing war, romance and stupidity in one big package.

The girls in the movie have been portrayed as gullible and worth only to be flirted with. The change that comes in her, as shown later in the movie, is even more outrageous. There seems to be no trace of the old Scarlet in her at all, until when Ashley comes back and confuses her. Perhaps it’s his presence that brings out the unrealistic, impulsive part of her.

There is a line in the movie ‘She’s after your beau now’ which clearly removes any doubt about the intention of the ladies in the movie. It is hard to believe that she agrees to dance with Mr. Butler, who she had addressed as a dog in the first part of the movie, for no apparent reason. The impulsiveness of the character, Scarlett, is that of a child while the role she plays in the movie is that of a fine lady.

The men in the movie are not as refined as they are supposed to be with respect to the theme of the movie either. They address Mr. Wilkes as the ‘Captain of the Troop’ and they don’t even rebel against him when he says that there shall be no war. What could get more cowardly than that! The way Mrs. Hamilton says, “Oh dear, oh dear!” and faints is nothing less than melodramatic. It’s hard to miss that Scarlett seems turned on when Melanie cries on her shoulder when the list of those who died in the war comes. The scene gets, quite interestingly, abruptly terminated.

Even in the middle of the civil war, Mr. Butler keeps his cool. When she asks what he was laughing at, he answers back that he was laughing at her. He looks so calm that it seems that might actually have been organizing the entire uproar. After the war is over, she sees the gory remains that the war has left behind. Even at this point of time, all she has to say is, “Dirty Yankees!”

Overall, the movie seems way too far fetched to believe. There are a few characters who are suffocated with too much to deliver in the movie while there are others who have little or no relevance. It is an over-ambitious movie that has managed to convince people that it is good entertainment, of the laugh at the movie genre. As far as the ten Academy Awards that it won are concerned, I’d say, “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.”(Quotes from the movie here)

PS: This post is the first of the three musketeers who felt bad because of Mr. Murphy.

Update: Check this out. Blogging just gets better. :D