Ramblings and Wanderings

Devdas Trilogy

2009-02-21T02:10:00.000-08:00

Paro Next

Village belle with fire
Radiant like a sunflower
She touches herself and feels no guilt
Dumping centuries of self flagellation
Chats on the web and shoots herself in the buff
Pleasuring the loverboy in London
Cycles to fecund mustard fields
Mattress in tow for a tryst with her man
Gives him head with aplomb
That comes when you ride your sexuality
The aggressor, the giver, the defiant
A mind that makes the body swell
And pride that’s sincere and audacious
When he spurns her, she moves on
With a quiet dignity and dances at her marriage
While he plunges into a spiral of psychedelia
She is today’s woman
Real and fleshy, diva and dragon, flower and fire-eater
Balancer of many things, accomplisher of more
And proud to be so

Got a problem with her?
Fuck you.

15 February 2009

Chandramukhi 2.0

Peony-mouthed face lights up
When the Sun dances on her body
Did you see the twinkle in her eyes?
Short skirt, floppy socks, and an MMS later
She fades into the blazing sepia of scandal
While voyeurs feed on her innocence
A childhood condemned, a girl interrupted
She resurrects in a seedy Xanadu bar
A nirvana for the drug-addled
A kitschy Soho pretender
Where neon and moon mix a heady cocktail
And women peddle their wares
An ass, a tit, or leather, if you like
A warehouse of phantoms
A Phoenix, a dominatrix, a pleaser on phone
A master of languages, s’il vous plai^t
Collegian by day and whore by night
A girl unsullied in her hunger for love
An anchor to an addict, a lover to a loser
And when love nibbles its way into her fragile heart
She surrenders to its whimsical tyranny
And becomes one with it
A woman who crossed the Rubicon
Only to return

Chanda
You whore in a made-up world
You slayer of men's demons

You eternal virgin.

18 February 2009
Title thought by Saumya Verma.

Devdas 2009 A.D.

A wiry village lad goes to London
And gets an education
Rings up childhood sweetheart
Getting off in cold suburbia
In town, all he wants is to grab her
Butt, boobs and the rest
Love?
When she gets married
He sinks in booze and broads
Wastrel of a man
Lusting for love, running from life
A creature of the dark
An epic tragic hero?
Call him Dev D or Joe
He needs a woman
A mother, a lover
To rescue him from phantasma
A loser in the city of women
Sounds familiar?
Get a new fix, man
Your body stinks
And your soul is drowned
In a bowl of tear-stained heaven
Paro is gone, so may Chanda
If your breath smells
She may dump you
Before your next Vodka

Dev D, cool dude
Smell the coffee.

19 February 2009

Trilogy inspired by Dev D.

A tale of two films

2007-09-02T10:38:00.000-07:00

This weekend I checked out two films of differing styles and character. In a way, it was a journey from the sublime to the ridiculous.

Chak De India
Even if I discount the immediate post-viewing mass hysteria, Chak De is not just a film. It’s a revolution of sorts, hitting at the centuries of obscurantism in traditional Indian society that viewed women, for obvious pecuniary and sexual reasons, as second class beings, existing only to satisfy the whims of the superior and powerful patriarchal class. So, when SRK, subdued, unshaven, sober and refreshingly restrained, gets down to create a world cup winning women’s hockey team, he puts a minor but significant foot in the door for women to assert themselves as individuals. Though it begins as a private battle to redeem himself and regain his lost pride, it ends up breaking a mould, and what a rotten mould it was!

In this lies the true triumph of the film, besides the obvious winners in terms of a taut script, invigorating cast of actors and a never before seen SRK minus his customary stutter, cultivated drawl and over-the-hill flamboyance. The film tugs at your heart and makes you want to do something for this much maligned, much abused country, desperately short of heroes and good tidings. In a subliminal way, Chak De is very much the story of the underdog that too deserves her moment in the Sun.

RGV Ki Aag
On the other hand, RGV Ki Aag is a self indulgent fantasy unfolding without any logic. Looks like the film was made when RGV was in a prolonged state of daze and most definitely had ear plugs on. For the soundtrack is so loud and pompous, it is designed to wake up even the dead. RGV has managed to accomplish an almost impossible feat of making AB and AD look trite and wastrels as actors, not a minor achievement by any score. Urmila’s pelvic-in-your-face movements notwithstanding, the film does everything in its power to make your spirits droop to a new low. You begin to get angry at the sheer stupidity of it all.

Was this Sholay revisited? Bull! Even if you don’t compare it to the original classic, it’s a waste of a film. Things happen because a crazy self-obsessed director willed them to be, with absolute disregard to the intelligence of his audience. The script is almost non-existent, and whatever little is, is banal, pedestrian and overly pretentious in trying to evoke gutter-like and guttural quality from its lead protagonists.

The film is shot with dark overtones and darker undertones, in the belief that it’s the new mantra of gangsta flicks, and each character is like a caricature of his or her self, bereft of dignity and conviction, choking on his or her brooding intensity that seems so whacked out and unreal. If it was meant to be a spoof, it falls flat on its glitzy egg-splashed face.

What the hell was RGC thinking? That he would crap a truckload of stars and the audience will lap it up? Loud, pretentious, contrived, it’s shit served on a silver platter with a generous dash of stale perfume which simply doesn’t work. The audience has moved on; RGV needs to move to a rehab.

Check out Chak de India. It will restore your faith in good cinema, and hopefully, in India.
And check out RGV Ki Aag only if you lack self esteem and want to feel sorry for yourself.

Am Back

2007-05-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

My last entry was on Valentine’s Day, and so very aptly, in a recent comment on my blog, a friend exhorted me to “wake up, rise and shine, pal.” May be I am suffering from a writer’s block, but I was not much of a writer, to begin with. Even the well of poetry seems to have dried up. I guess a lot has happened in the last 3 months. I moved on from Indiatimes (at a time when I had begun to feel settled) and joined NDTV on March 12 to head NDTV Convergence, their dotcom and mobile venture. Our house got completed and we moved into our home on April 1, dot on the target date set a year back. Since then, between managing a new job and a new house, perhaps I am more than consumed. Is that an excuse not to pen down a few lines? Am not too sure. I do miss the stirrings of poetry and now that a semblance of order has been restored on the home front, plan to catch up with some reading and writing.

As a student of new media, I am quite fascinated by the changes we are witnessing in India’s media landscape. My take is that Convergence is more than a buzzword and is going to happen, take it or leave it. I remember attending a workshop by Al Ries some time back in which he sort of mocked at Device based Convergence. Sounded logical. A Radio-Tv combo has not really worked, has it? However, the Convergence of Content is already happening and is bound to gain currency as the consumer is moving on and demanding content based on the ‘appropriateness’ of moment. The challenge for content creators /publishers will be to address the concerns of this consumer on the move and realign/ repurpose their content portfolio and make it available on multiple platforms in an optimised and cost-effective manner.

Not in a mood to pontificate, so shall take your leave...:) Take care…

Happy Valentine's

2007-02-14T06:20:00.000-08:00

My daughter wished me Happy Valentine's in her typical "gothic" Photoshop style. Here it is...
Have a great day!

Happy Birthday, Soven

2007-02-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

Today, Soven turns 14. I am very proud of the way she is shaping up into an intelligent, sensitive and creative person. Here’s wishing her lotsa love, joy and enrichment.
Do take a look at her another Photoshop creation. Her (nascent) work is slowly assuming clarity.
Wrote ever a virgin. What do you think of it?

Daughter Rap

2007-01-29T05:44:00.000-08:00

Do take a look at Soven's webpage. Looks like she is truly a Web 2.0 product. Also posting her recent photoshop creation. Here she is experimenting with merging 2 pictures. Cool, eh!
So, Shilpa has won Big Brother, and I am happy for her, and India. Isn't it strange that though it's only a game show win, it's assumed such a huge proportion (in Indian media) in a hero-starved country? We need to keep our perspective right. Take care all of you.

Web vs. TV: No contest

2007-01-28T06:21:00.000-08:00

For some time now, I have believed that the Web will be bigger than the idiot box in the coming years. Bigger because it will be more pervasive, is more democratic and equalising, is more interactive, has better depth and content (and real-time context), is truly multimedia enabled, can harness communities better and is far more cost-effective. Today, when I read this report about Bill Gates comment on the same subject at Davos, I do feel sort of vindicated. I am increasingly becoming a sucker for Web 2.0.
On another subject, it’s springtime, metaphorically speaking, in India, and we are gonna rock.
Check out how the prelude to Appassionata is faring at Caferati. Take care…

Why Guru Rocks

2007-01-14T10:39:00.000-08:00

The film could have been a classic had it not degenerated into a hagiography in the latter part. Yet one tends to empathise with the law breaker corporate czar protagonist because the law is an ass and is always an impediment to business than a facilitator.

Here are ten, short and quick, reasons why I think Guru rocks:

Abhishek: It’s a tour de force film for the Junior B. He comes of age and delivers an outstanding performance, one that made his father spout his father’s lines: “When a father loses to his son, that’s his greatest triumph.” See the film for Abhishek’s stylishly languorous and cavalier, oily, confident portrayal of a polyester man with a big vision out to make it at any cost. His drooping shoulders and pot belly are not the only things that are impressive.
Ash: There is a dignified chutzpah about her. And the way she comes into her own near the end pulsates with an inner confidence that springs from being one with the character. A very different performance, raw and vintage at the same time.
Mithun: He is the surprise package in the film. Never thought he was capable of the kind of gravitas he imparted to his character, though his campaign seemed terribly one-sided. That’s a weakness of the script.
Rajiv Menon: The film is beautifully shot and has a wonderful period feel to it. Some frames are frozen in time. Don’t know but for some unknown reason it reminded me of the cinematic tapestry of Gangs of New York.
Mallika: That one riveting bootylicious dance number in Istanbul is the reason enough to see the film. The lady has oomph and, take it or leave it, is out and out a professional.
Story: The script is taut and goes well with the ‘Can Do’ ethos of India Poised.
Direction: Except one (superfluous) song, I thought the direction had the stamp of dexterity that one associates with a Mani Ratnam film.
Music: It’s Rahman all the way: lilting, earthy and unexpected.
Vidya Balan: Though one wonders what she was doing in the film, she brought the necessary aplomb to her character. Can’t help feeling that the lass is a ticking time bomb and is going to explode on the Bollywood firmament.
Abhishek: Needs to be mentioned again. I almost began to doubt the invincibility of his Dad after this performance. Maybe, just maybe, the Big B is fallible and the son is set to grab the mantle. See the film, I reiterate, for Abhishek’s coup and you will know what I mean.

Do check out my poem on Jellyfish. I wrote this for a four year old son of a Caferati member. Also posting Soven’s another creation on Photoshop. (Went to NP and got her a book on how to master Photoshop 7.) The quote, btw, is her own. Take care all of you out there…

Placeblogger, ahoy!

2007-01-05T04:02:00.000-08:00

Do take a look at Placeblogger.com, truly a Web 2.0 product. "Placeblogs are sometimes called "hyperlocal sites" because some of them focus on news events and items that cover a particular neighborhood in great detail -- and in particular, places that might be too physically small or sparsely populated to attract much traditional media coverage. Because of this, many people have associated them with the term "citizen journalism," or journalism done by non-journalists.

Placeblogs, however, are about something broader than news alone. They're about the lived experience of a place. That experience may be news, or it may simply be about that part of our lives that isn't news but creates the texture of our daily lives: our commute, where we eat, conversations with our neighbors, the irritations and delights of living in a particular place among particular people. However, when news happens in a community, placeblogs often cover those events in unique and nontraditional ways, and provide a community watercooler to discuss those events.”

India Poised

2007-01-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

"There are two Indias in this country.
One India is straining at the leash, eager to spring forth and live up to all the adjectives that the world has been showering recently upon us. The other India is the leash.
One India says give me a chance and I'll prove myself. The other India says prove yourself first and maybe then you'll have a chance.
One India lives in the optimism of our hearts. The other India lurks in the skepticism of our minds.
One India wants. The other India hopes. One India leads. The other India follows.
But conversions are on the rise. With each passing day more and more people from the other India have been coming over to this side. And quietly, while the world is not looking, a pulsating, dynamic new India is emerging.

An India whose faith in success is far greater than its fear of failure. An India that no longer boycotts foreign-made goods but buys out the companies that make them instead.
History, they say, is a bad motorist. It rarely ever signals its intentions when it's taking a turn.
This is that rarely-ever moment. History is turning a page.
For over half a century, our nation has sprung, stumbled, run, fallen, rolled over, got up and dusted herself and cantered, sometimes lurched on. But today, as we begin our 60th year as a free nation, the ride has brought us to the edge of time's great precipice.
And one India - a tiny little voice at the back of the head - is looking down at the bottom of the ravine and hesitating.

The other India is looking up at the sky and saying it's time to fly.

INDIA POISED
Our time is now"

Happy New Year

2006-12-31T04:49:00.000-08:00

It’s been about two and a half months that I have not updated my blog. Call it blogger’s block, as one anonymous comment put it, or sheer laziness, but I do find myself remarkably inarticulate.
There’s so much happening, however, in my life regarding the house and work fronts, and yet I don’t have a story to tell. The other day I called up my pal, Kavita, and she said: “Mister, it seems Diwali is not over for you.” Even poetry is not flowing outta me these days. I guess it happens.
Well, I was in Shanghai and Bangkok from 30 Oct till Nov 3. S came along and it was fun. I was invited by Intel Asia-Pac to be a member of their Communications Board of Advisers (CBoA) and it was truly an enriching experience. I wrote about my Shanghai visit in this poem.
In Bangkok, we met Techa, my warm and generous Thai friend, and he made our two day stay memorable.
Well, the house is shaping up and is also acquiring a soul. It’s a labour of love. Meanwhile, Soven did well in her school entrance exam and got admitted to DPS nearby our home and will attend a new school from April 2007. The girl’s got an attitude and I like that. I am posting her first Photoshop creation. Her new passion is Jim Morrison and she is currently reading Morrison’s biography, No one here gets out alive. (Incidentally, I bought the book in London in 1990.)
I am currently in the middle of The Inheritance of Loss and was enjoying the book for its simplicity and lucidity. Then suddenly lost interest. Need to finish it soon. I think I am mentally preoccupied. All you guys take care and have a Super Duper 2007. I am gonna try and write regularly. Cheers.

Diwali Bash

2006-10-15T06:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great Diwali Bash on Friday the 13th at Tivoli Gardens and it was gratifying to experience the home-grown talent of the company. Everything was immaculately organised and the spirit was of bonhomie and cheer. It felt nice to be a part of a fun-loving progressive team. The Broadband guys and gals were active participants and sang songs, played guitar and did a skit. Cool.
I also penned down this poem on the 13th. Rather simple, but wanted to capture the exchange in free verse.
Early this morning S left for Russia. Am sure she’s gonna have a good time. I plan to keep busy at work, spend time with Soven, write poetry, manage construction, and read Pamuk’s My Name is Red at night.
Do check out these two sites: Juga.com is Cyber Yugoslavia, and Place2stay.net can get you a free accommodation when you are globetrotting on a shoe-string budget. Discovered these sites, thanks to brilliant pieces by Charles Assisi in today’s Sunday Times.
Champions Trophy has begun and it looks like India is going to win easily against England in the opening match.
Take care…

Poetry and Corporate

2006-10-08T06:13:00.000-07:00

Do take a look at two more poems:
Keep trying, Sister
I stare at a blank word document
Some of my poems may sound intensely person, but I believe that poetry, howsoever introspective, has grains of universal truth, as human experiences and emotions are the same and touch similar chords in people. Simplistic put, but poets just happen to capture the quintessence of human drama with a bit of lyricism and imagery…:)
Saw Corporate at home yesterday and liked the pace and intensity of the film. However, I feel that increasingly good corporates are doing the right and ethical thing, as in the enlightened consumer interest lies their true bottomline. If the customers are happy, the bottomline is going to look good. As S said, Corporate had a better feel than Bhandarkar’s Page 3, as the latter was a tad amateurish in its treatment. Here’s a good review.
It’s good to see Internet back with a bang in India. Once the critical mass is achieved, MSM is gonna have a tough time beating this interactive, equalising and empowering medium. Do check out this interesting social networking site originating out of India: Go, Yaar! And take good care of yourself.

Happy Dussehra

2006-10-02T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today is Gandhi Jayanti and Dussehra. I haven’t seen Munnabhai 2 yet, but I believe 'Gandhigiri' has stirred a debate on Gandhi’s relevance in contemporary India. Well, Gandhi’s relevance is about our belief in goodness of things and faith in people.
Sorry to blog after a long time but I have been kind of occupied. Poems, however, continue to pour outta me. Do check out these two:
In Sin City on the night of a Coup
Fizz
The first one is based on my Thailand visit (over 80 of us went to Pattaya and Bangkok on a company conference), and the second is about Fizz, a woman protagonist in The Alchemy of Desire. I found the book and her character amazing. Initially thought I would write a review, but out came a poem. Compared to the depth of the book, it sounds like a “silly ditty”, as one critical Caferati member pointed out.
Today, the good shall once again burn the evil, and we shall find momentary relief from the absurdity of it all. Take care, and Happy Dussehra.

More Poetry

2006-09-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

Poetry is flowing outta me these days. Do check out:
What the blacksmith told wasn’t really a lie
Paris ain’t a dumb blonde
Pluto reborn (Concluding poem of The Pluto Trilogy)
Also, lotsa reading and lotsa surfing. And very little time to post this blog…:)
Do take care…

If muse were my lover

2006-09-10T06:13:00.000-07:00

Two more poems, I guess. Do take a look at: Missing you at Caferati, and If muse were my lover. I am increasingly identifying with the creative community at Caferati, and it’s a nice feeling to be touched by the words/thoughts of a fellow being. Isn’t it strange that while poetry is not being published by the mainstream Indian publishers (on account of it being un-remunerative), it’s thriving on the Internet? Thank God for the Big I, and poetry lovers.
Saw two films on the idiot box: The Clearing, and The Manchurian Candidate. The Clearing was a delight and I enjoyed its philosophical dialogues, languid pace, unconventional atmospherics and power play. Somehow the end seemed abrupt and lacked conviction. The Manchurian Candidate has two great performances. That of D. Washington and Meryl Streep, but the plot is a bit convoluted.
On the personal front, Plumbing work has started at the house, and Plastering is on. Things seem to be gathering pace. (Ty,G)
Do check out this amazing site for women bloggers. More power to women. Without them it would have been a dull and boring world...:) Take care…

Lotsa Poetry

2006-09-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

These days my creative juices are flowing. Poetry is a great stress-buster. Wrote 2 more poems over the weekend. Do take a look at Slices of Moscow, and Saving Pluto. I am also slowly doing away with the usage of all lower cases, and using Caps and punctuation, where necessary. Signs of being less diffident perhaps?
Here is a paragraph from Slices of Moscow:
And Zhenya that fifty-three year old bundle
Of energy and knowledge in raptures
Over Botticelli’s powerful The Annunciation
or Renoir’s lyrical Nude or Degas’ riveting
Blue Dancers at the Pushkin Museum
Teacher of English at the University
Lover of Darjeeling green-leaf tea
And that perennial taxi driver
a Raj Kapoor fan Main Awara Hoon
Posting pictures of two masterpieces of art I saw at the Pushkin Museum. (Both are mentioned in the poem...:)) And before I go, The Alchemy of Desire is turning out to be a fascinating read. A compelling treatise on desire. More on it later. Take care.

Two Developments

2006-08-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Two developments today, one major, another minor: a) Started Chowkhat fixing at our house. Considered to be an important milestone in house building. Thank you, God, for your blessings.
b) Wrote Bitter Apple.
Take care all of you.

KANK

2006-08-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Haven’t written my blog entry for some time, but I have been writing poetry.
Do take a look at: last night I was reading Bukowski. And today I am mighty pleased with meself. Finally penned down my take on KANK. Here is the opening paragraph in free verse…
A Big Fat Indian Wedding
In the Big Apple
Boy meets Girl
They sit on a bench
In a Garden
She doesn’t want
To get married
It’s only her
Childhood Friend
What a shame!
A little banter later
He convinces her
They part
Hoping to meet again
*Full poem here.
The film has generated a lot of debate on Caferati, and I needed to have my say. Call it the compulsions of being a poet-pretender…:) You may also like to check out Raja Sen’s brilliant review.
Last week, Dr. Kusum Ansal invited me to a poetry reading session at Geoffrey’s, and it was great fun. It was a pleasure listening to K.L.Nandan and Raj Narain Bisaria, great Hindi poets. I read Farewell Lunch and Three Domesticated Pigs.
Currently reading Tarun Tejpal’s The Alchemy of Desire, and I am finding it a fascinating read. I have always admired Tarun for his guts, and his debut novel sounds promising, in more ways than one. It looks like a neat medley of love and desire, lust and loneliness, and an inner longing that refuses to be quelled. Will post my views after I have savoured the book.
Talked with my English pal, Cindy, after a long time, and I must say it was an absolutely unadulterated pleasure.
And as a parting shot, if you are a Britney Spears fan, do see this video at YouTube. (It’s making waves in cyberspace.) She looks spaced out. Take good care of yourself.

Happy Independence Day

2006-08-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

It’s been holidays since the 12th. Kind of mixed bag for me. Saw Fanaa and Being Cyrus at home. Found both average flicks that didn’t rise above their mediocrity. While Fanaa was predictable, cliché-ridden and melodramatic, I thought Being Cyrus was an opportunity lost. It began well and showed promise, but degenerated into a pretentious theatrical act, embellished by amateurish direction.
Wrote a poem today: hey who’s that gal?
Trust you’ve had a cool Independence Day!

Third Roof

2006-08-10T05:33:00.000-07:00

Today, the third roof of our house has been laid. Thank you, God, for your kindness.

Happy Rakhi, Sis

2006-08-09T06:33:00.000-07:00

Today is Rakhi. My sis came and we had a good, long chat. I am glad she is trying to overcome!

slow down my boy

2006-08-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

take in the shine take in the grime
watch the flowers bloom butterflies flirt
and if you don’t get such scenic views
in ugly metros watch the everyday people
go about their daily grind
with a half smile on their lips
and a child cradled on their hips
slow down my boy slow down my boy

* Wrote this poem today. Full version here.

Of Brazil and Tibet

2006-08-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

Received this mailer from our Brazilian partner. Never mind the lady in the picture, just read the text. Poetic, isn’t it? I learnt a new word: miscegenation…:)

Also check out TibetOnline.tv, the official Web TV station of the Central Tibetan Administration.
Btw, my post on Omkara at Caferati is getting some good response. Take care…

Omkara, again

2006-08-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

Raja Sen (one of my favourites) has written this mind-blowing review of Omkara. It encapsulates what I wanted to say in my piece. Do take a look. Thank you, Raja.

Omkara, the new chic

2006-08-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

Soven, S and I went to see Omkara at Chanakya today. And what a treat it turned out to be. I haven’t read Othello, so I don’t know (do I care?) how much of it is inspired by the Shakespearean play, but the film is set in the rural hinterland or call it 'badlands' of Uttar Pradesh. And my God, it rocks! I know I am prone to bouts of delirium especially when it comes to good films, music and food, so lemme try and enumerate (how very prosaic!) what I like about the film:

1. Othello or no Othello, the film has a life, a rhythm and a story of its own. There is a seething intensity to its narrative, and despite the pulsating item numbers by the sultry rural vixen Billo Chaman Bahar, there is an almost minimalist look to the film, in terms of plot sizing, dialogues and characterisation. Each character is firmly etched.
2. Ajay Devgan, my favourite Bollywood act, is truly a class apart. The film once again proves why. There is a mix of tenderness and brutality that he embodies in his character and plays it to perfection. You love him even when you want to hate him! He is consumed by the green monster, and ultimately succumbs to its shenanigans, evoking empathy despite the sheer heartlessness of his act. He is part schizophrenic, part frail, part monster. Difficult role executed well.
3. Saif is the surprise package in the film. I think this is his best performance so far. Langda Tyagi is scheming, loutish, brutish and vulgar, and Saif, the erstwhile sweet and chocolaty Saif of Salaam Namaste, plays it with aplomb and gets into the skin of the character, warts and all. Is he a fox, a tiger, a snake or a rabbit, you gotta see the film to decide. (And not only when he pummels his wife in bed!) Yet you may remain flummoxed.
4. Bipasha imparts a great pizzazz and dignity to her character, Billo. A village item girl, she is in control, and man, a la Shakira ‘her hips don’t lie’. Powerful role-play of a village belle trying to survive in a male dominated world where ganglords rule, and guns and booze are a part of the staple diet.
5. Music, rustic, earthy music, is the highlight of the film as it gives it a certain feel, a context, and the pace. And, of course, it pulsates with raw energy. Check out Beedi. Gulzar’s lyrics have a resonance about them.
6. Vishal Bhardwaj’s direction is superb. It takes a brilliant mind to adapt a Shakespearean tragedy to rural India and make it work. Like mad. I haven’t seen Maqbool, but I guess the guy is the new cool, the ubercool Director, as far as I am concerned.
7. The dialect is the way it should be, never mind the expletives. That’s the way it is in the badlands, and that’s the way it needs to be portrayed. Its robustness gives it a cutting-edge, urban sensitivities be damned.
Omkara is a story of love gone wrong, and intense love goes intensely wrong. It’s about the demon of envy in our hearts and our lack of ability to siphon the truth from the chaff of deceit. It’s also about how women are dehumanised by the same men who can also kill for their love or possession.
If you haven’t seen it, visit a theatre nearby. ASAP. And if you don’t take my word, check out this review…:)

Love in the time of menopause

2006-07-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

Saw an engaging film yesterday on the idiot box: Birth. Starring Nicole Kidman who was simply brilliant in her remarkably restrained performance and her cropped hair. Do read what Ebert says about this movie. The music is truly haunting.
Just finished writing love in the time of menopause. Am somehow gung-ho about this poem. Have posted it at Caferati and would appreciate a feedback. Please tell me I am not getting rusty…:)
And now you can “Revverize your videos. Share them with the world. Make money.” Just check out this interesting Web 2.0 site: Revver.com.
S and I have more or less decided on the stones we are going to use in our home. It’s exciting.
Take care…

Happy Anniversary, S

2006-07-27T06:08:00.000-07:00

Today is our 18th “Official” (Well, that’s another story for another day…:-)) Marriage Anniversary. Interesting day. S left early in the morning for a day trip to Dehradun for some urgent office work. The driver decided to take a leave, so it was kinda nice driving all the way to Gurgaon. Now I am planning to spend the evening with Soven and we shall have some fun at home. Seriously, I am lucky to be blessed with a life partner in S and won’t trade it for anything. My sister called to wish us and am relieved to hear that she sounded good. Pray that she gets over her prolonged bad patch. Take care all ye people out there.

The 1% rule

2006-07-23T06:27:00.000-07:00

Wrote a poem, the knot, and posted the first draft at Caferati. Poetry is the balm I use to soothe my raw nerves.
Do check out this piece on The Guardian regarding the 1% rule of the Internet. Writes Charles Arthur: “It's an emerging rule of thumb that suggests that if you get a group of 100 people online then one will create content, 10 will "interact" with it (commenting or offering improvements) and the other 89 will just view it. It's a meme that emerges strongly in statistics from YouTube, which in just 18 months has gone from zero to 60% of all online video viewing. The numbers are revealing: each day there are 100 million downloads and 65,000 uploads - which as Antony Mayfield (at http://open.typepad.com/open) points out, is 1,538 downloads per upload - and 20m unique users per month. That puts the "creator to consumer" ratio at just 0.5%, but it's early days yet; not everyone has discovered YouTube…”
Continuing the mobile revolution in India, now you can pay via SMS. Here is PayMate.
And pray, what is Visual Radio and is India ready for it? Get the dope here.
Gotta go for a walk now. Take care…

Aapki Sonia

2006-07-21T01:02:00.000-07:00

The other day, S and I went to the IBM Forum at the Taj Palace, not to attend the deliberations on IT, Outsourcing et al, but to see a play. Aapki Sonia, performed by Sonali Bendre (her debut in theatre) and Farooque Sheikh. Farooque gave a virtuoso performance while Sonali was good in parts, especially towards the end. Though the play was essentially a dialogue through letters between the two protagonists, and had minimal sets and sound, it was beautifully executed and kept us engaged. A sequel to Tumhari Amrita, it explored the facets of hate, the other side of love. Do see it if you can. The play is written by Javed Siddiqui (who also wrote Tumhari Amrita) and its script has a poetic feel to it.
Incidentally, also enjoyed IBM-Daksh’s COO Pavan Vaish’s take on BTO (Business Transformation Outsourcing) which we managed to catch just in the nick of time. Chill…:)

Gangsta Rap

2006-07-16T07:01:00.000-07:00

Last night I had an irrational argument with Soven on an absolutely trivial issue and breathed down her neck irresponsibly. It made her cry and I felt very bad. Today I wrote this poem for her: last night he made his daughter cry. Please forgive me, my child.
In the afternoon, we saw Gangster at home. Though the film is yet another gangsta tale, I quite enjoyed the performance of Shiny Ahuja. The guy is intense, in the mould of Randeep Hooda, and if he chooses his roles well, will go a long way in the tinsel town. Debutant Kangna Ranaut as a gangsta moll was a trifle melodramatic in parts. Here’s the Wiki entry for Gangster. The film is shot in Seoul and the city looks cool. Also check out what the Korean portal Ohmynews has to say about the movie.
Have you been to Snap? Here’s a search engine with a difference. Take care…

15 July 2006: Have been at home for the last 2 days as I had caught a bad chill. Chill in this weather, you may be wondering? Well, AC draught at home and in office can be quite chilling when it wants to be…. Rested, took the ubiquitous Crocin, hot water bottle and the great Tiger balm massage by Soven and am feeling better now.
Managed to read Tim Harford’s The Undercover Economist and enjoyed some chapters. The ones on how Supermarkets fleece us and how China grew rich are fascinating. Simply told and highly effective. The book also makes an incidental point about how India’s illiberal and autarkic policies from 1960s till 1980s led to three decades of missed opportunities and we are far behind China now. Infrastructure remains our bane.
Do check out two of my recent poems: woman of caferati, and boohoo cries the rapist in the hall. Would be interested to know what you think of them. Boohoo…is sort of experimental.
S is travelling again. Left yesterday for Hyderabad and will return on Monday evening from Bangalore. I believe there’s a surprise (good surprise) in store for Soven when she returns.

Second Roof: Thanksgiving

2006-07-09T07:56:00.000-07:00

Today while it drizzled, and that too in bits and pieces, in Delhi and parts of Haryana, the second roof of the house in SC-I was laid. (Soven and S also went with me to the site.) Thank you, God, for your kindness. I also can’t help but marvel at the professionalism of the ordinary construction worker. They carry on with their work, day after relentless day, unperturbed and with a quiet dignity, hoping for no accolades or reward, just earning their daily bread and building our houses with their sweat. Thank you, mates.
So, who’s it gonna be tonight? France or Italy? Can’t wait to see the final. Take care…

Banaras

2006-07-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

Saw Banaras at home today and I must say I was mesmerised by the film. A ‘mystic love story’, it takes a lot of poetic liberty in its beliefs and their cinematic rendition and looks a bit improbable in pieces, but its searing intensity works just fine for me. The film is about fighting demons, both external and internal, and ultimately to make peace with the eternal river of life. I saw Ashmit Patel for the first time and the guy looks good. Intense and sure of himself as an actor. Urmila M was at her best, and while some may question her overarching transformation, I thought she carried her role with panache and certitude, befitting a deft performer. The film is beautifully shot and avoids the noise and filth of Banaras and highlights its magical, mystical soul, and the music is powerful. The script is taut, yet full of philosophical assertions. Enough food for thought, and an afternoon well spent…:)
As Subhash K. Jha says: “It doesn't really matter whether "Banaras" clicks at the box-office. For its tenacity of purpose and sensitivity of vision and for its genuineness of expression, you have to grant the film the space to have its say. This film deserves our respect.”
Some interesting facts about the holy city here.

PHAT Chicks

2006-07-02T10:45:00.000-07:00

My post about the hunt for PHAT Chicks at Caferati has created quite a furore. I wonder if the post was really that offensive or may be, just may be, some women don’t even have a modicum of the proverbial sense of humour.
Anyway, this weekend has been relaxing at home. Brazil’s defeat against France has been a bit of a dampener. Saw another moronic movie at home: 36 China Town. Improbable, loud and full of inanities.
Am not in a mood for a long post, so take care all of you.

The Da Vinci Code

2006-06-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

S is away to Hyderabad and Bangalore and will be back tomorrow evening.
Yesterday, Soven and I went to a nice outing at Gurgaon’s Metropolitan Mall. We saw The Da Vinci Code in the afternoon at PVR’s Europa Lounge, which I thought is really plush and comfortable. (The kind of place I would love to go to see films). Our lunch was nachos and salsa, coke, corn and veg burger. I found the film pretty engaging, though the plot appears a little contrived and the novel is more complex. Perhaps it was a difficult work to film. However, the cinematography is excellent, and Audrey Tautou as Sophie Nevue is really good. This is what Ebert says about the film: “The movie works; it's involving, intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations. After it's over and we're back on the street, we wonder why this crucial secret needed to be protected by the equivalent of a brain-twister puzzle crossed with a scavenger hunt. The trail that Robert and Sophie follow is so difficult and convoluted that it seems impossible that anyone, including them, could ever follow it. The secret needs to be protected up to a point; beyond that it is absolutely lost, and the whole point of protecting it is beside the point. Here's another question: Considering where the trail begins, isn't it sort of curious where it leads? Still, as T.S. Eliot wrote, "In my beginning is my end." Maybe he was on to something.”
After the film, we spent some time at the Om bookshop on the ground floor and bought some books including The Undercover Economist. Then it was a Triple Sundae, and we were home, much in time to do some mandatory :) surfing and watch the WC on the idiot box. Germany was unstoppable against Sweden, and I am so relieved Argentina managed to beat Mexico. It was a tough match. WC fever is catching up and it’s good fun to watch some top-notch football.
Today we saw Taxi No. 9211 (vcd at home) which I thought had a harebrained plot and was a sheer waste of time. Can’t wait to see England vs. Ecuador in the next 20 minutes.
Take care…

Post Moscow Musings

2006-06-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

Today is S’s birthday and it’s a nice feeling that I have somebody like her to share my life with. Thank you, God.
I was in Moscow from 3-9 June and it was really an enriching experience. I spoke confidently (there’s still a small town boy in me!) in my presentation on BB and was touched by the praise I received afterwards. It was one of those gratifying moments. I found Moscow one of the most underrated cities but you gotta be there to see how advanced the infrastructure is. One can see more than the trappings of an erstwhile superpower and I can now understand how Russia is turning the corner. The kind of natural wealth that it has, it is only a matter of time that it will emerge as a superpower again. It needs to have a stable and forward looking political leadership and it will be back. With more than the proverbial bang!

The house at SC-I is progressing well and we are looking forward to it. Soven left for an iDiscovery camp at Tirthan in Himachal and am happy that she is enjoying herself. She will be back on the 20th. She is shaping into a lovely young lady. Work at office is fine. I can now ‘refocus’ on the emerging BB space.
Ghana played like a dream in their WC match against Czechs (2-0) last evening and it looks like it could be one of my favourite teams, besides, of course, the perennial favourites, Brazil and Argentina.
There is so much to write, so much to share, but since this is an open forum, there are some things that I must keep to myself. One has to come to terms with life. It has sadness; it also has resilience and beauty and we must develop the ability to see beauty in everything. And keep faith.
Our friend, Zhenya, who teaches English at the University in Moscow, was a great help and spend time showing me Moscow and its amazing museums and Metro. I am touched by the spirit of people everywhere. Deep down everybody is the same. People want to reach out, be touched. Human kinship is all encompassing.
Stock market is in a tailspin but I continue to bet on the India story. I pray we mustn’t screw up this time.
I know I am rambling and that’s why need to stop here.
Take care and God bless you!

Hurried note

2006-05-28T11:11:00.000-07:00

Saw Zozo on Zee Studio. It does come up with offbeat films. It is a story of a young Lebanese boy, Zozo, moving from the civil war torn Beirut to Sweden. The film was selected to represent Sweden at the 78th Annual Academy Awards (2006) in the Foreign Language Film category. I found it poignant and moving. Great acting by the young talent, Imad Creidi.
e4m had this story on my imminent Moscow visit. Needless to say, I am looking forward to it. India’s performance at the Indies has been disappointing. Hope we salvage some pride by winning the last ODI. On which subject, I need to go and watch India’s batting. We have already lost Robin Uthappa for a duck. India is 23-1 with Dhoni batting at 13 in 15 balls.
Take care…

Snap it!

2006-05-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Don’t know what to say today but I feel the need to write. Have had two lazy days at home. Reading newspapers, watching cricket, surfing, reading poetry @ Caferati, staring at the idiot box, but somehow feeling a vacuity. Went to the VA flat bed launch party on Friday and it was nice to meet up with Sunshine Neha again. My friend, Deepa, who has recently shifted to Mumbai, is here and I am hoping to catch up with her at lunch tomorrow. Work is fine, but deep down that gratifying feeling is missing. There’s so much to be done. I want to fly but need to keep my feet on the ground. Need to also smoothen out some rough edges. Also need to pick up a book soon. Or muse?
Meanwhile, the Net remains a consuming mistress. Do check out Snap. Looks like a cool alternative to mainstream search engines. Here’s why. Take good care of yourself.

Lower Ground Floor

2006-05-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Ma, Happy Mother's Day.
Yesterday the floor of the Lower Ground at our home was laid. S and I went in the evening and stayed at the site till about 10 pm. It was interesting to see tempo drivers and construction supervisors carrying mobile phones. It has certainly made their jobs easy.
Haven’t written a poem for some time. Keen that muse should strike again. Looking forward to the WI series. And yes, before I go, do check this out: “The BBC has staked a claim to a virtual tropical island where it can stage online music festivals and throw exclusive celebrity parties.” Second Life, anyone? Take care…

Iqbal

2006-05-07T06:25:00.000-07:00

Saw Iqbal at home today. Though the film is slow paced, I really liked it for its story of an underdog aspiring to dream big and its overall earnestness. All the actors were good in their roles, but Shweta Prasad as Iqbal’s sister was simply brilliant. In some places, she even outsmarted the veteran thespian, Naseeruddin Shah. The young lady is sure to go places in Bollywood.
Changing tracks, do check out this Red Herring story on the Indian mobile gaming scenario. Cheers…

Escher and Opal

2006-05-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

Dunno why we have a May Day holiday today but gave me some time to surf. Discovered the website of one of my favourite painters, M. C. Escher. Truly remarkable man, a genius. Some people call his work Op Art, but methinks it is certainly more than that. Do take a look at Three Worlds, a 1955 lithograph. And now I gotta go and get ready to meet my school friend, NAP (Nuclear and Astrophysicist), who is based in the US and is visiting his folks in Delhi. We are having dinner at our childhood friend, Ritu’s place. Looking forward to a good conversation and some great Single Malt. Cheers...:)
30 April 2006: Saw Zinda yesterday at home. The film is dark and pretentious and didn’t appeal to me. I thought the plot was rather contrived. Rediff reviewer Sukanya says: “…you have to be angry, demented, numb, a Sanjay Dutt fan or a movie reviewer to be able to enjoy Zinda.” I say: ditto.
Started When Opal Mehta…Quite enjoying its easy flowing narrative. Read this piece by Nina Martyris (she writes like a dream!) in SToI who has brilliantly put things in perspective regarding the whole controversy. Says Nina: “The most disappointing aspect to this whole dismal affair is that the quality of inspiration is so strained. Not one of those lines from McCafferty's books which have got her into so much trouble are beautiful enough or powerful enough to flash upon the inner eye in vacant and in pensive mood.”

Pamela Googled

2006-04-26T04:40:00.000-07:00

A colleague sent this picture. May not be true but ingenious definitely. Whaddya say?

Two Movies

2006-04-23T06:11:00.000-07:00

Saw Apharan yesterday at home. The film paints a rather bleak picture of (The Republic of) Bihar, a law unto itself. If it was not tragic or grim, it would be almost comical to see the absence of any law and order, a state of affairs where the police, politicians and ministers connive with each other to maraud the wretched citizen, where criminals park themselves in plush cells in jails and control mafia from inside and walk out at will, where police protects the criminals and prosecutes the innocent, where kidnapping is a well-organised business and the human being is an expendable commodity, where there is almost no hope….Is this for real? I hope not but I suspect it may be. A very bleak and powerful film by the master craftsman, Prakash Jha. It’s not perfect, however. Read this review by Raja Sen at Rediff. It sums up much that I want to say about Apharan: “A flawed good film!”
Saw Antarmahal at home this afternoon. What can one say about Rituparno Ghosh!He is truly one of the most gifted directors in India. This period piece, set in late 19th c Bengal, is to be seen to be believed. Tells a tragic tale of female exploitation, marital rape, priestly debauchery and an unbridled lust for power in an overarching feudal background. Do read this brilliant review by Subhash K. Jha at nowrunning.com.
And now from the entrails of feudal India to the gutters of street harassment in NYC. This is how the women in NYC fight back. Something like this may work in India too, whaddya say? Holla back, my friends, and take care…

Hyperlink Movie

2006-04-22T06:43:00.000-07:00

Saw Syriana the other day. Liked the brooding intensity of George Clooney (he deservedly won an Oscar for this) but somehow the film failed to deliver on its promise. Interesting plot based on global oil politics but “lost it” in too much intellectualising. Ebert however differs. This is what he says: "Syriana" is an endlessly fascinating movie about oil and money, America and China, traders and spies, the Gulf States and Texas, reform and revenge, bribery and betrayal. Its interlocking stories come down to one thing: There is less oil than the world requires, and that will make some people rich and others dead. The movie seems to take sides, but take a step back and look again. It finds all of the players in the oil game corrupt and compromised…” Ebert also talks about this being a Hyperlink Movie: “A recent blog item coined a term like "hyperlink movie" to describe plots like this. (I would quote the exact term, but irony of ironies, I've lost the link.) The term describes movies in which the characters inhabit separate stories, but we gradually discover how those in one story are connected to those in another.” Lemme have your views on Syriana if you have seen the film.
Check out this. A strange but fascinating case of a guy leveraging the Internet to manage a “menage a trios.” Would you wish him luck and help him win his bet? :)
Soven has learned to do HTML and has done her first page on her own. It even has a video. I am a proud dad, considering I have no clue how to do even the basic stuff. Take care…

Two Poems

2006-04-16T07:12:00.000-07:00

Do take a look at 2 of my recent experimental poems (Ms. Dalal from Ahmedabad, and Rita from Goa). I have mixed the tenses by design, to show a continuum. Does it work? Feedback appreciated.
And, hey, what happens when Mallika rubs the lamp? Do tell me. Cheers…

Devgan in Cyberspace

2006-04-15T05:50:00.000-07:00

Google Calendar looks like a new useful tool, though I am not too sure how much I would use it.
My favourite Bollywood hero, Ajay Devgan, has launched his official website recently. It’s kinda basic (in terms of content and interactivity) for the time being but am sure will evolve over time. The site is powered by MovieTalkies.com. Am glad Bollywood is discovering new media. This relationship is fraught with potential. Cheers.

Bettie Page Revisited

2006-04-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

{Portrait of Bettie Page 1993, Cibachrome Print of Digital Artwork}

The Notorious Bettie Page opens today in Manhattan. The film is about the life of the glam pin-up girl of the 1950s in America. I read this interesting film review at NYT.com. Do take a look at the official film website. It’s pretty hip and has a selection of erotic e-cards. Also read this engaging piece on the NYT site on the Fibonacci poems, essentially six-line poems based on the famous Fibonacci sequence. Says the site: “The Fibonacci progression is a mathematical formula that starts with 0 and 1 and then continues to add numbers that are equal to the sum of the previous two numbers. Thus, the first seven numbers in the sequence are: 0-1-1-2-3-5-8. To write a Fib, a more complicated version of the classic, highly constrained haiku, the poet composes a six-line poem that has the correct number of syllables in each line corresponding to each digit in the sequence. (The real first line of each Fib is silence.)”

Currently reading Bill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything, truly a fascinating journey to the origin of universe and other things. The style of writing is not didactic and academic, and makes for an easy reading. Makes science fun and not so demanding. Take care…

NYT Redesign

2006-04-09T05:37:00.000-07:00

My favourite NYT.com has had a makeover and what a radical one it is. Do take a look. It further strengthens my belief that multimedia is the way to go. Audio-video, pictorial, graphics and narrowband content must be seamlessly integrated and the consumer needs to be presented with an enriching experience.
USA Today is also in the throes of a redesign. Read here for a dope on the changes it has done to its story pages.
Must check out CollegeLive (a CNET production) and YourHub.com (from Denver Newspaper Agency)—great examples of niche-based social networking. Somebody needs to do a CollegeLive for India. There’s a business model sitting right out there.
Saw The Forgotten on the idiot box yesterday. Julianne Moore was good but the movie was kinda built on implausible grounds. This is what my movie guru Ebert has to say:
“I will content myself with the very final scenes. You know, the ones in the playground. How are they possible? What repairs were necessary to the fabric of the physical world and remembered events? Who keeps track of this stuff? How come such stupid experiments are carried out by beings so superbly intelligent as to be able to conduct them? The movie begins with a premise: A mother remembers her lost son, and everyone she trusts tells her she only imagines she had a son. That's a great story idea. But it's all downhill from there. "The Forgotten" is best left.”
And, oh, by the way, S has recovered from a severe bout of Influenza which had her down for about a fortnight. Am so relieved. Thank you, God!
Do take good care of yourselves…:)

Home Sweet Home

2006-04-01T03:32:00.000-08:00

Today we started the construction of our home at SC-I and handed over the premises to the contractor. The next one year would be pretty exciting. Wrote a poem, on the brink, for my sister. Pray that she will find strength to bounce back. May God bless her!
Oh, before I go, do take a look at Seekport. Quite a cool language search engine. And effective. It seems this is the season for the launch of myriad search engines. Take care…

Cool Bukowski

2006-03-27T02:08:00.000-08:00

Currently reading my favourite Bukowski’s The Last Night of the Earth Poems, perhaps the final book of poetry he would publish in his lifetime. There’s a story like feel to his poetry and am enjoying reading this book published in 1992. Here’s an excerpt from Two Toughs:
anyhow, Jed never made it
to Notre Dame
and I never made it
anywhere
either--
. . .
damn, there was no way
it seemed
we could ever
lose
but we did.

Bollywood rocks Melbourne

2006-03-26T06:32:00.000-08:00

Saw Ray last night on HBO. Method acting by Jamie Fox is sheer brilliance but I feel the film loses out on being an epic because it does not use the traditional narrative structure. Jumping between the present and the past detracts from the pathos which generally elevates the film and the “classic” appeal, and tends to give away the story. Must get some Ray Charles music now. That reminds me that I also need to buy The Impressionist.
Saw the closing ceremony of Melbourne 2006 on the idiot box and I must say Bollywood did us proud again. After the clinical but dour performance by Aussie singers came the Bollywood show and it filled the magnificent MCG with a riot of colours and vocal and visual vibrancy. India rocked, and Aishwarya looked spellbinding when she was lifted by the dancers in a Namaste repose.

This is what Toby Forage, Fox Sports editor, writes: “But it wasn't so much the memory of the Games just past that had everyone excited, but the promise of some serious fun to be had in Delhi, which will host the 2010 Games. Bhangra and Bollywood were on show at the MCG in a traditional preview for the next host of the Games, and it was presented in magnificent style. If the idea of a 19th Commonwealth Games leaves you cold, you might want to consider giving them another tilt in India. Tonight's preview suggested colour and spectacle await in fours years' time. Add sport to the mix and it’s a heady cocktail nobody should pass up. But Melbourne's efforts were not forgotten amidst the vivid brilliance of India's finest performers, including former Miss World and now movie star Aishwarya Rai, fellow silver screen studs Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee, and cricket great Sunhil Gavaskar.”
A comprehensive report including pictures on Bollywood’s taste of Delhi 2010 is here on the official Melbourne 2006 site. DD Sports was pathetic as usual in its mushy and unnecessary voiceovers and criminal ad interruptions. Typical of the babu-run channel!
Poetry lovers may check out a compendium of American Poems here. I need to read more of Cummings.
Also, do take a look at Sacred Cow Dung, a blog on “Mythocracy in Venture Capital, Technology, Healthcare, Media, Internet, et al (Chief Dung Analyst: Christian Mayaud)”.
Cool stuff. Cheers…

Computer frailties

2006-03-25T06:30:00.000-08:00

Finished Transmission. Captivating book. The latter half is truly gripping. I enjoyed it because of its very contemporary plot juxtaposing human dreams with the reality of capricious computers and their frailties. Do take a look at what Walter Kirn writes in NYT:
“The fact that all contemporary fiction is now, by definition, historical fiction is hard to deny, but it's much, much harder to face, of course -- particularly for talented young novelists, like Britain's Hari Kunzru, who don't want to cede the present entirely to cable news personalities and Internet posters. Kunzru -- who turned down a prize for his first novel because he felt the London newspaper that sponsored it, The Mail on Sunday, had ''pursued an editorial policy of vilifying and demonizing refugees and asylum-seekers,'' and who went on to win a spot on Granta magazine's prestigious list of the best young British novelists -- is as up-to-date as writers come, with interests in technology, pop culture and the economics of globalization. If anyone deserves a shot at breaching the literary space-time continuum and doing what logic says can't be done, it's Kunzru.
''Transmission'' is his brave attempt. Making this exercise in timeliness even tougher than it has to be, the novel revolves around computers, which become obsolete even faster than morning papers. Even when they're hooked up to the Web and continually fed with software updates, computers now go to seed within a year, but put them into the pages of a novel, away from their modems, and the things are stillborn. A plot formed around their latest capabilities and influenced by their current limitations is irrelevant by the time the pages are spell-checked. It's science fiction in reverse.”

Transmission

2006-03-19T06:15:00.000-08:00

Have started Hari Kunzru’s Transmission and am reading it voraciously. Interestingly told contemporary novel about an Indian software engineer trying to make it big in the US. Kunzru’s prose is bereft of a self-indulgent grandness and has an easy-going feel to it.
Do take a look at the super-cool new search engine Accoona that uses AI to super-target your search. Says the website: The name Accoona is derived from the Swahili phrase, Hakuna Matata, which means “don’t worry be happy.” Do check out its news and business advance search.
Talking of search, here’s another one: Vast. A search engine that specialises in free classifieds listings. Vast is the brainchild of Indian StartupBoy Naval Ravikant. If he can organise the classifieds jungle with a semblance of order, he may be sitting on a jackpot.
Nestle is doing an ultra-cool online viral campaign to launch its Butterfinger chocolate. Do check out FollowtheFinger.com for a commercial set in a Bangalore call centre. Desi is clearly cool in America.
On which point, lemme introduce Badmash.tv. Desi videos on a roll! Sanjay Shah, way to go, mate. Take care…

Happy Holi

2006-03-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

I am not really a Holi person now but I remember how we used to have fun in childhood. Over years, it has become extremely boisterous and vulgar and that’s the reason (perhaps!) why I don’t enjoy it anymore. Anyway, here’s wishing you a riot of colours for today and for years to come.
Finally finished River of Gods. The book is pretty grand in terms of its scale, but somehow I found it taxing and not easy flowing. Too much mumbo-jumbo about a futuristic plot set in India 2047. Wrote a poem (she is so beautiful) today and posted it on the Caferati forum. Check it out.
Also, do take a look at MyToday, a new Web 2.0 offering by Rajesh Jain. Methinks it’s truly phenomenal in its offering and could emerge as a one-stop shop for all my news and blogs related needs. In its scope and canvas, I find it richer than Rajesh’s earlier India World offering which made him a killing.
Another great new launch is the venerable Guardian’s blog, Commentisfree. When it’s from The Guardian stable, it’s gotta be good. It’s my absolute favourite newspaper in the world while NYT.com is my number 1 newspaper website.
On the personal front, Soven is in Class VIII now (she did well in Class VII) and the demolition work regarding our new home has begun. We hope to start building soon. Shall keep you posted. Do take good care of yourselves.

Idea of India

2006-03-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

Nothing much to write about the past week. Lotsa work, very little play. Except yesterday when we went to my friend Simran’s annual garden party at her regal Aurangzeb Road home. It’s the most beautiful garden, really, and it was nice to catch up with friends from the media. Simran was complaining that the next house is of LNM and that his caretaker plays loud music. Well, that’s some problem to have on hand. Bush was here and I enjoyed his inspiring speech from the Old Fort. He made a good job of selling India to Indians. We have a long way to go but I think the scent of India as a place is changing. I can see hope floating in the air and it seems India is an idea whose time has finally come. We really need to consolidate our gains from here. Infrastructure is a huge issue and that needs to be addressed on a war footing. Sadly, unlike China, the urgency is missing, and our bureaucrats and politicians are adept at playing games. Maybe soon we shall marginalise them and get on with life. Take care…

Shampoo Poetry

2006-02-26T05:06:00.000-08:00

There are two things that are consuming me these days: work and poetry.
The compelling need to make a difference and to reignite the spirits at work is keeping me busy, and thanks to the wonderful community at Caferati, my love for poetry is back, and that too with a bang. Not that it went anywhere in the first place, but I am reading lotsa poetry online and learning and absorbing and methinks T would have loved it. (T, hope you are having fun at Trinity).
Does the poetry need to have metre and rhyme? Since I write in free verse, here’s an argument for it. Do check out Shampoo, an online poetry magazine. It’s got some real cool original work.

Soul food at Caferati

2006-02-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

Since I last wrote, a lot has happened:
Attended 2 interesting events: Google’s Delhi launch bash at Climax, and BBC unveiling the findings of its Global Indian Survey at the Taj.
Given additional responsibility at work. Now, I shall also be looking after our suite of content products.
Participated at the AIB Regional Media Leaders Forum at IHC and talked about markets of one and other dry things like the regulatory framework. (Thank you, Rakhee of APTN).
Highlight: Meeting my favourite, Dr. Madanmohan Rao, the original web evangelist.
Have now become a regular contributor at Caferati’s network at Ryze. Discovering some great new talent, an animated community of poets and writers, learning a lot, and am glad to know that poetry is alive and kicking. Do check it out here.
Rest, as they say, is fine. Do take care…

Teenage rites

2006-02-06T08:59:00.000-08:00

On 4th Feb, Soven turned 13 and we had a party at the "happening" bar, Buzz, to celebrate her becoming a teenager. Call it the rites of initiation bash, the party rocked. My friends drank like hell, and the DJ played some real cool music. Prim and propah that she is, Soven was aghast with some open smooching and fondling going on at the bar, but such is the way of the modern Indian youth, and who are we to judge! (Btw, I pretty much enjoyed it.) Posting some pictures of the party here.

On Friday the 3rd, took my friends, Bipasha and Varun, who are now based in Singapore, to Ego Thai, and had a good conversation along with delectable Thai cuisine.
Currently reading an interesting book, River of Gods, by Ian McDonald. The book is set in India of 2047 and is pretty absorbing. Shall keep you briefed.
Today’s ODI at Peshawar saw Sachin cross 14,000 runs and score his 39th one day ton, but sadly he was wrongly given lbw, and that turned the tide in Pak’s favour. But what a match!
If you like the written word, do check out Caferati. I discovered this animated literary community recently, and methinks it’s cool. And Google, watch out. Deep search engine, Kosmix is here.
Take care…

Bravo, Rang De Basanti!

2006-01-29T06:35:00.000-08:00

Yesterday had been an eventful day: had a good meeting with the architect on the site, helped my driver shop for a mobile and get a Trump connection, had Chinese flavoured corn and McDonald’s Chicken burger and fries for lunch, and got to see Rang De Basanti in the evening at PVR Plaza at the invitation of a Dutch bank. And it’s to RDB that I return.
What a film! It’s got an attitude, moves like an animated lizard and rocks like hell. The film celebrates the youth of modern India, call it Gen Y and Gen Next, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that they care beyond their cultivated nonchalance, their carefree bohemia, their silly college pranks, their “chill, man” attitude. They care and they feel passionately. And in that I see hope for this much abused country. The film has a message but it doesn’t harangue: the exploitation of the Raj is replaced by an even more pernicious one by the corrupt and amoral troika of politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen in post-colonial India. We need to take stock, shed apathy and participate in governance and make the system work for the people, and not against them. The two parallel stories work in tandem and often fuse, so compelling is the presentation and the appeal.
Of late, it looks as if Bollywood is in a frenzy to reinvent itself. And it does you proud. What a beautifully shot film, the use of duotones (Sepia to depict the past), soft, aesthetic cinematography that makes a virtue out of loud and garish Delhi, the pulsating music that holds no apology for its "with it" tonality, and the works. With this, Bollywood has definitely arrived and one marvels at its energy and freshness. The film works at all levels. It entertains, amuses, provokes and makes you think. And our grand hope is that maybe, just maybe, it will also go a long way, in a tiny but significant way, in making us act.
All actors were good in their roles. Amir as a fun-loving, bike-mad Punjabi-munda, DJ, gets the rustic accent and manner right and the cake. Alice Patten as Sue works at her role and comes across as sincere and accomplished. And endearing, of course. Our umbilical chord with the British for historic reasons is now working in our favour.
Only two things, however, that I would have liked to see a little different in the film: a less melodramatic end and more ruthless editing. On second thoughts, even that doesn’t matter. Perhaps the end reflects our collective angst, a desperate full-measure to change things for the better.
I don’t know why but I like the film reviews at Rediff. Check this one out of RDB. It’s superbly written.
And if you haven’t seen the film, don’t miss it. Despite all our gory politicians and parasitical system, it will make you feel proud of India and give you hope. And hope is what life is all about, isn’t it? Take care…

Shalimar the clown

2006-01-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

Who lit that fire? Who burned that orchard? Who shot those brothers who laughed their whole lives long? Who killed the sarpanch? Who broke his hands? Who broke his arms? Who broke his ancient neck? Who shackled those men? Who made those men disappear? Who shot those boys? Who shot those girls? Who smashed that house? Who smashed that house? Who smashed that house? Who killed that youth? Who clubbed that grandmother? Who knifed that aunt? Who broke that old man's nose? Who broke that young girl's heart? Who killed that lover? Who shot his fiancée? Who burned the costumes? Who broke the swords? Who burned the library? Who burned the saffron field? Who slaughtered the animals? Who burned the beehives? Who poisoned the paddies? Who killed the children? Who whipped the parents? Who raped that lazy-eyed woman? Who raped that gray-haired lazy-eyed woman as she screamed about snake vengeance? Who raped that woman again? Who raped that woman again? (An excerpt from Shalimar…)
Is it a coincidence that I finally finished Shalimar the clown on India’s republic day? Critics may say whatever, but it’s a powerful tale told with passion, empathy and with a certain brutality, for truth needs to be shorn of padding, of the paradise lost. There are two parallel stories here: the loss of Kashmir as God’s own land and the story of unrequited love, lust, loss and revenge.
NYT critic Laura Miller says: “It must be said that despite the author's efforts to foreshadow it, Shalimar's transformation doesn't make much sense. As a rule, Rushdie's characters lack a plausible inner life; instead they have bizarre quirks, unusual looks or magical powers, like the figures in a fable. He seems psychologically astute only in the sketching of minor characters, for example an Indian Army colonel, an unrequited lover of Kashmir, who fantasizes about being nicknamed "Hammer" ("Hammer by name, hammer by nature," he imagines saying) but instead has to settle for "Tortoise" ("Tortoise by name, damned hard-shelled by nature").”
The lady is not necessarily right. It is precisely because he imbues his characters with a certain magical quality, unpredictability and human frailties that make them for what they eventually become: a part of our heightened conscience. Rushdie is not just a writer; he sometimes becomes our conscience-keeper. The problem with Western critics is that so much of the quintessential Rushdie is rooted in the local idiom that they may find it difficult to grasp the compete repertoire of Rushdie’s almost magical prose. That is why there is perhaps the tendency to reduce him to one caricature or the other. He is arguably the most powerful writer in English of our times. And what a beautiful but demanding book Shalimar turns out to be. The bhands of Pachigam and their evocative dance-dramas will reverberate in my mind’s eye for a long time. Read the book. It ain’t easy but it’s worth the effort.
Amitava Kumar on Rushdie in Tehelka
Moorishgirl Laila Lalami's brilliant review

Nice Nikita

2006-01-25T03:31:00.000-08:00

Posting yet another picture of my warm and beautiful friend, Nikita.
Do check out this piece on the resurgence of online advertising in India. Am glad our perseverance in this space is paying off.
And yes, I am about to finish Shalimar the clown. Shall post my short review soon. It’s a sad, beautiful, poignant, powerful, and masterly book written with consummate ease by a master craftsman of real-dreams. It has taken a lot out of me. Take care…

Oh, women!

2006-01-22T05:50:00.000-08:00

K responded to my missive regarding the Natan ad. Perfect fodder for my blog. Here it is unedited:
“1. I’m 35, it’s 3 and 5 and not 3 or 5!!!
2. That mail got to you by mistake. You weren’t supposed to be on the bcc list.
3. It takes you a week to reply?
4. I lied on point 2!!
:)”
Saw Dead Man Walking again yesterday on the idiot box. Poignant, powerful, almost perfect. Here are excerpts from the Ebert review:
“After seeing "Dead Man Walking," I paused outside the screening to jot a final line on my notes: "This film ennobles filmmaking." That is exactly what it does. It demonstrates how a movie can confront a grave and controversial issue in our society and see it fairly, from all sides, not take any shortcuts, and move the audience to a great emotional experience without unfair manipulation…..in any conventional story, we would expect developments along familiar lines. Take your choice: (1) The prisoner is really innocent, and Sister Helen leads his 11th-hour defense as justice is done; (2) They fall in love with one another, she helps him escape, and they go on a doomed flight from the law; or, less likely, (3) She converts him to her religion, and he goes to his death praising Jesus. None of these things happen. Instead, Sister Helen experiences all of the complexities, contradictions and hard truths of the situation, and we share them.”
And, oh, I have begun work on Ms. Liz and her darling Submissives, a bold poem on women and their alternative relationships that had been brewing in my mind for some time.

First Remote

2006-01-21T05:03:00.000-08:00

K (she can be naughty sometimes) sent me this interesting ad of Natan jewellery. It works, whaddya say?

The Economist in its latest edition has a cover story on the mainstream media’s struggle with the digital world. Do read the piece here. The story concludes as follows: “Any media business has two products to sell: its content (to readers and viewers); and its audience (to advertisers). The task for old media is first to protect its advertising revenues by amassing audiences online and, second, to offset their viewers' intolerance of mass-advertising by making them pay more for content—which they are increasingly willing to do. It will not be easy, but then saving the heroine never was.”
Btw, S is in Bangalore on work, and Indo-Pak cricket ain’t working, thanks to flat pitches. Life goes on...

Digital Summit 2006

2006-01-20T01:59:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to post a quick note to say that my short speech as a part of a long panel on the emerging Broadband scenario in India at Digital Summit 2006 at Mumbai on the 17th went off well. A Google search shows that it received a decent coverage. Do take a look at:
Exchange4media
Indiantelevision.com
Zdnetindia.com
ContentSutra
Mumbai Mirror
Dina Mehta’s blog
AlooTechie
Impact
Sadly, the summit focussed on Web 1.0 and did not include anything about Web 2.0. Concepts like social networking, bookmarking, user generated content, new web ecosystem, collaboration tools were not even mentioned. The quality of speakers was also rather mediocre. However, besides the usual networking, the highlight for me was meeting lovely Nikita of TV Today. Nikita in London
I met her for the first time at Ad Asia 2003 at Jaipur and bumped into her again at the Summit. There are some people with whom you connect for no apparent reason, and wonderfully warm Nikita is one of them.
Next day, I attended the Al and Laura Ries seminar on Branding and it was refreshing to hear the father-daughter duo. They talked about brand line extensions and the mushy middle (how they don't work!), the law of divergence, the law of the opposites, positioning etc, in a lucid and demystified manner. Do check out Laura’s blog here. Cool stuff.

Busybee @ Work

2006-01-15T05:10:00.000-08:00

Last week had been pretty eventful at the work front. I was asked to deliver the welcome address at the BPO Conclave 2006 and also made a presentation on Webisodes and Animation content: Is the Indian market ready? at Nasscom’s Animation India 2006 at Hyderabad. I am not from the animation industry and was a trifle nervous. However, my presentation was well received and it was truly a humbling experience when tens of business guys flocked me after the presentation. I was told by Nasscom that I spoke with passion, my session received a good feedback and that I will be invited next year too. Keeping my fingers crossed…:)
During the week, I also had two interesting visitors, Ari from Oberon Media Singapore and Sarah from BBC and it was fun meeting with them. Ari, an Israeli, is a seasoned gaming industry professional. His role model is his beautiful wife who has a double degree in law and he has promised to bring her to India next time. Sarah, who I had met earlier too, came with her online editor for South Asia, Bernard, and we truly had an enriching conversation about how India is changing and would call the shots in the emerging new world order. I believe that a sincere conversation, without the hard sell of business talk, also turns out to be the best way to do business.
Do take a look at my poetry blog at Sulekha. Sulekha has a great community and it’s nice to get comments on poetry. My friends, Sanaya and Vishi, relocated from Cochin to Agra in June 2005, and I got to know that when we received their new year’s card. Vishi is now the GM of The Oberoi Amarvilas that is located 600 meters from the Taj Mahal. It’s a super cool hotel and it must be fun to run it.
Take care all ye folks…

Coldest Day

2006-01-08T05:32:00.000-08:00

Well, today is the coldest day in Delhi in over 70 years. Imagine the temperature plummeting to 0.2 degree Celsius! (Hey, can somebody please tell me how to put the degree symbol!) Today also happens to be my Birthday. As far as my birthday is concerned, I have always had an ambivalent attitude towards it. Don’t see the need to make a fuss, kinda sounds self-indulgent. Anyway, I had a quiet day: Saw the concluding part of The Mayor of Casterbridge (Henchard, what a forlorn and tragic man!), read parts of Shalimar (still at it…), went for a walk, etc. My friends sent lotsa warm messages. K even googled for a funny message but finally settled for a warm note. Thank you, folks.
MICHAEL HENCHARD’S WILL
That Elizabeth-Jane Farfrae be not told of my death, or made to grieve on account of me.
& that I be not bury’d in consecrated ground.
& that no sexton be asked to toll the bell.
& that nobody is wished to see my dead body.
& that no murners walk behind me at my funeral.
& that no flours be planted on my grave.
& that no man remember me.
To this I put my name.
Michael Henchard
I have started a blog titled Life in Cyberia at Indiatimes. Though I don’t get much time to update it, I shall try my best to keep posting interesting stuff. Do lemme know what you think of it. Also discovered that I have a poetry blog at Sulekha that I had started sometime back. Enough rambling. Now, I shall key in some thoughts for Life in Cyberia. Take care…

Retrievr and Fido

2006-01-02T04:39:00.000-08:00

Discovered a truly interactive search engine, Retrievr. It searches Flickr on the basis of the sketch we make. It’s still in the experimental stage and great fun. I played with it for almost 15 minutes. The results may not be 100% accurate, but I am no Picasso either.
On the fun beat, do check out this uber cool rich media ad by 7 Up. Fido’s Mind Space is a chic hangout developed by Studio Smile. Besides TV ads, do internalise Fido's mantras. Lotsa gyan you can use. Cheers…

Happy 2006

2006-01-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

Had a quiet new year eve at home with Shelle's parents and their generous-to-a-fault friend, the famous Dr. Varadarajan, who brought in a bottle of Chivas.
Saw two wonderful films. Continuing my admiration of RPG’s work, Raincoat, and The Mayor of Casterbridge. Though Raincoat has a slow pace, I loved its languid quality, searing inner intensity and the use of different colour frames to depict the present and the past. However, somehow one feels that the story should have had a more long drawn-out closure. It’s beautiful in its poignancy, and Ash floating between the bubbly and the comely, the passionate and the indifferent, is stunning. Sukanya Verma’s review at Rediff is pretty apt. Way to go, RPG. Gotta see more of you for sure.
Today, we saw the first half of The Mayor of Casterbridge. Hardy has been my favourite author, and Michael Henchard epitomises a tragic-hero. You love him, you hate him. I am reminded of my school days when I religiously devoured all Hardy books. Do take a look at this plot summary of The Mayor…at B& N’s remarkable SparkNotes. Can’t wait to catch the concluding part next Sunday on Zee Studio.
Have a super-duper 2006, and lotsa sunshine in the years to come. Take care…

Top Masala

2005-12-28T06:13:00.000-08:00

Discovered an interesting fun and jokes site called Top Masala. Do check out Google Logo Maker and Google Easter Egg. Cool stuff. This is how Santre looks as a Google-like logo. Cheers.

Digital Universe is coming

2005-12-27T05:02:00.000-08:00

Have you checked out Yahoo! Answers? It’s an interesting proposition. You can ask a question on any topic under the Sun and hopefully get answers from real people. Yet another step towards user generated content but it can attract a lot of fluff and that’s a big downside. Talking of user generated content, do take a look at Digital Universe. The site, slated to be launched in January 2006, seeks to be a place where a “growing global alliance of researchers, scholars and experts are beginning to collaborate on content and use new rich-media tools to convey knowledge in innovative and visually astounding ways.” It is designed to do away with the apparent weaknesses of Wiki, and I think the idea of showcasing subject based portals is a good one. Take care…

Wink @ Web 2.0

2005-12-26T02:08:00.000-08:00

Discovered an interesting graphic about Web 2.0. Whaddya think?

Do take a look at Wink, a new search engine that lets you search across the Tagosphere. Here’s an excerpt from About Wink: “Wink is a search engine that lets you find the results that people think are most popular. We believe we can provide an alternate search engine that determines relevance by what people indicate are the best links. We crawl del.icio.us, Digg, Furl, Slashdot and Yahoo MyWeb, index the results, and figure out which pages are most relevant through our TagRank (tm) algorithms. It's still early and we're just getting going…”

Of Phantom and Sati

2005-12-25T06:21:00.000-08:00

It’s X’mas today, so here’s wishing all you folks a Merry X’mas and lotsa joy and sunshine in the coming year.
The malls of Gurgaon are pretty swank. The other day, after a drink at TGIF at the Metropolitan Mall, S and I picked up some dried-fruits confectionary and, to my delight, a trilogy on Alexander by Italian historian and archaeologist Valerio Massimo Manfredi, and A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar. I loved the film and plan to read the book after I am through with Shalimar. (Yes, I have still not finished it. Reading Rushdie is an education in itself, and as I had said earlier, it takes a lot out of you. Great fun, nevertheless).
Yesterday, on the X’mas eve, we decided to see The Phantom of the Opera on the Zee Studio channel. This January, on a snowy Manhattan evening, I was lucky to see the show at the Majestic Theatre on the 44th street (the Broadway has a beautiful feel about it; for theatre lovers, it’s a neon-lit fantasia) and what a delight it turned out to be.
ALW’s music has this strange quality of getting into your bones and you can experience its effect on you. The signature tune of the Phantom is truly one of the most intense that I have heard. The film does justice to the musical and is very well made. Gerard Butler as Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine are super.
I am fascinated by the catacombs underneath the Paris Opera House. Years back I had read Frederick Forsyth’s The Phantom of Manhattan. The novel brings the legend of the mysterious Phantom back to life, but more importantly, has a great description of the building of the Paris Opera House. The Internet tells me that it survives in much the same form. “It occupies a three-acre site and some idea of the labyrinthine nature of the building can be appreciated if one considers that the auditorium accounts for less than one fifth of the total space. There are over seventeen storeys, seven of which are below the stage level; the stables for the opera horses still exist. There is a monument to La Carlotta. More important, there really is a lake underneath the building; it is an integral part of the design, and the water level acts as a ballast, raised or lowered, depending on the weight of the stage, seven storeys above it.” Can you imagine that!
After lunch today, we decided to check out RPG’s Raincoat, but lo and behold, the VCD turned out to be (thanks to the shop at Khan Market) that of Aparna Sen’s 1989 flick, Sati. So, Sati we saw. Besides Shabana’s performance, it didn’t work for me. The pace is dreary and while it is brutal in its depiction of the early 19th century rural Bengal and the prevalence of the dreaded Sati pratha, I didn’t find the story compelling enough. Looked like the typical neo-realistic art cinema stuff of the 80s. Take care…

Delhi Mixer

2005-12-22T04:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I attended Rafat’s ContentNext Delhi Mixer at IIC Annexe where I met some interesting and knowledgeable new economy professionals and also had the ‘dubious’ distinction of introducing Rafat to the audience. After his talk, we had a lively discussion on the state of the new media in India and where it is heading, followed by snacks and booze. I enjoyed meeting Viren Popli of Star TV and Surya Mantha of Sify. Great guys. (Read Rafat's story about the Mixer here and see photos here).

Noticed that MSN India has launched Desktop TV. Though it’s early days for dayparting, it does make an exciting beginning and has the potential to introduce a new paradigm in online ad sales. Talking of advertising, do check out OpenAd.net, a treasure trove of global ad ideas, a sort of ad ideas exchange where creators and buyer can come together.
Also, do take a look at the new search engine, Gravee. It says that it would share up to 70% of ad revenue with content owners. Cool stuff. And I kinda like the name.

Digital content is the WTG

2005-12-20T04:52:00.000-08:00

I think we are getting there when it comes to our house design. So, S and I are pretty expectant these days.
At office, I had organised a talk on Web 2.0 by Rafat Ali, a digital content expert from LA. Rafat talked about the AOL-Google deal, Google-Yahoo-Microsoft (GYM) nexus, Web 2.0 bubble, Mergers and Acquisitions in online and mobile media, Broadband efforts of big media players, Atomization of media and the rise of consumer-generated content, Interest of big media companies in India, etc. I am a firm believer in the knowledge economy and the influence it’s gonna wield on our lives. Do check out PaidContent.org for all the dope on digital economy, and why Rafat will end up as a very rich man when he gets acquired. Cool.

My Mirror

2005-12-19T04:57:00.000-08:00

Flashback to 19 December 1980. A bespectacled sprightly young boy with curly black hair borrows a moped from his childhood friend and rides with him, from Kankhal to Roorkee, traversing a distance of 30 kms, to meet a girl he had been corresponding with for the last two months. He reaches her residence at the Roorkee University campus and discovers that she is still at school and decides to wait for her in her sprawling garden. After an hour or so, he sees her coming through her back garden. There is a spring in her steps and an air of expectancy about her. And what a sight she makes. Tall, elfin, long blonde hair and warm brown eyes: a perfect child-woman. Was it love at first sight? (That’s a long story, folks.) Today, I celebrate twenty five years of friendship with Shelle, my firefly, my companion in good times and in bad times, my mirror and my wife. Thank you, S.

Meanwhile, CNN-IBN has had a soft launch, but more than what’s on the idiot box, I am impressed with their website. It has a slew of interactive features and lotsa video content. Check it out.

Urge

2005-12-15T04:46:00.000-08:00

Microsoft has tied up with MTV to produce Urge. It’s coming soon, and it should be fun for digital music lovers. I think the logo is cool. Cheers…

Go Fish

2005-12-14T04:22:00.000-08:00

Today I completed 6 months in my new job, and thought that I should mark the milestone. The going has been good so far. I am a firm believer in the concept of EQ at work and this place is pretty cool on that front. The knack of being on the ball, to nurture the spirit of adventure with an almost missionary zeal, to consistently seek to redefine the rules of the game, the ability to take risks, the belief in the empowering and equalising nature of new media, a freewheeling culture that puts an onus on individual responsibility, and fosters initiative and enterprise—these are some of the things that define my new workplace.
India beat SL in the Delhi test, and guess what, I have been asked to start a blog on Life in Cyberia. (Sorry, no connect between the two). Hopefully, it should go live soon. Shall keep you posted.
Before I sign off for the day, would you like to go fish? Check this out if music moves you. Cheers.

Carefree Soul

2005-12-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my late dad’s birthday. He was born in 1934. While he was on my mind, I couldn’t put down my feelings in words. When I reached home from work, Soven said that she had written a poem for him. This is what she wrote:
I think of you as a carefree soul
Cheerily striding towards the gateway of heaven
I remember the way you used to call my name
Anxiously waiting for me to reply, for me to give a sign
You weren’t weak, you didn’t cling
All you asked for was for us to be there
If we could hold your hand through the dark times,
if we could reassure you gently
I feel pained you never got the love you deserved
Still in the end you left us with a smile on your face
That smile, it had hidden emotions – fear anger frustration
and Peace
You would finally be loved, you could finally be held
And now I think of you as a carefree soul
I utter my heartfelt prayer
Please forgive us
All I can say is that she got it right. Soven is a sensitive child and I am blessed to be her pop.

Discovered File Magazine, a collection of unexpected photography on the web. Do check out Holga and Lomo Fall in Love featuring the toy camera work of Elena Kulikova, a 20 year old model and photographer based in San Francisco and Amsterdam. She is an amazingly talented lass. I was mesmerised by her still life work. Cheers.

Chokher Bali and other things

2005-12-11T08:10:00.000-08:00

Last two days have been eventful: Sachin got his 35th ton, India bundled out for 290 came back to drag SL back to 198-6 at the end of the second day of the Delhi test; Spain beat a lacklustre India, 2-1, in Champions Trophy (when will our hockey mandarins learn!), but India in a surprisingly spirited display (though typically shoddy in parts: wasted 5 penalty corners in the first half) came back from 0-2 to beat arch-rivals Pakistan, 3-2; Miss India couldn’t make it to the last 6 at Sanya, and oil fires raged like an inferno near London et al. And life goes on.
Saw Manish Jha’s Matrubhoomi last evening at home. Thought it was a dark and poignant account of the other India, which, sadly, is very real. Just 2 points: Tulip Joshi looked too made up, or shall I say, glamorous, with her permed and shampooed hair for a ravished village belle, and the end was a bit melodramatic and abrupt.
Spent a lot of time reading my absolute favourite, NYT. NYT on the Web is a sheer delight, and thanks to the internet, I can savour it in bits and pieces quite regularly. Amy Waldman, an intrepid NYT reporter, wrote 4 exhaustive pieces on India building its superhighways in a series titled “India Accelerating”. Not only were the articles comprehensive and well-researched (she spent about a month travelling the length of the pompously called Golden Quadrilateral, from Delhi > Kolkata > Chennai > Mumbai > Delhi), they were accompanied by a truly outstanding audio-visual show. I also enjoyed another audio slide show on an art historian based in Princeton, NJ, redoing her home, “converting her Cape Cod into a Renaissance villa.” Great examples of multimedia at work. Way to go, NYT.
The highlight of the weekend for me, however, was the masterly direction by Rituparno Ghosh in Chokher Bali. We saw the Hindi version of the film this evening (at home, of course) and what a cinematic delight it turned out to be. I found it cerebral, composed, bold, refreshing and a classic reminiscent of the great art of visual storytelling, only this time it depicted a social condition prevalent in the early 1900s Bengal and a free-spirited widow’s attempt to break free from the mindless shackles imposed by the society. In her celebration of her sexuality and in her refusal to self-deny, I saw in Binodini’s character shades of Meryl Streep, though in a different context, in The French Lieutenant’s Woman. Aishwarya has been beautifully harnessed as an actor, and Tagore’s story is compelling in its depth and social commentary. What a treat. I have decided to see more of Rituparno’s films. Great stuff. And there’s something to be said for the Bengali intellect. Do check out this scholarly review by Mohua Mitra at Rediff. The film merits a second viewing for sure.

Shelle’s home

2005-12-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

Shelle came back this morning after her 11 day Egyptian sojourn and the home is complete now. Last evening, Soven and I went to Pragya’s (she was my colleague in HT) wedding reception at the Taj Ambassador. A bright girl (she was a Chevening scholar), she will now be relocating to Washington DC, as hubby Bernard, an Aussie, is based there. She was very warm and I wish the newly married couple years of joy and sunshine. Meanwhile, Shalimar the Clown, always a slow read, is becoming interesting by the page. Take care…

The Man in Seat Sixty-One

2005-12-02T04:38:00.000-08:00

Finished the last poem in the series I am planning to call Pining for S Quartet.
Do take a look at she’s coming home. Do you think it’s too simple? I shared it with Tia and this is what she wrote: “The words are very simple…as is the description…but one can feel the passion and the excitement of the writer which hasn't been expressed in words. It's just something to be felt which is what makes it so beautiful.” Any way, here is an excerpt…
isn’t it amazing you meet a child-woman
25 years ago and see her blossom into a diva
you witness various stages of her metamorphosis
you begin to share bond co-exist merge fuse
then one day you realise you have become one
not the stifling oneness but one that liberates
from the limitations of the self that extends
the inner circle’s outer boundaries
into the azure that sets you free

Last evening, we had the Broadband team party at my team member Vikram’s place and had great fun. I have a young and bright team and that gives me a lot of hope.
Firefox 1.5 is cool. Download it, folks.
And before I go, here’s true labour of love on the net. Check out seat61.com. This is the travel site of Mark Smith, a British Rail railwayman who always manages to get Seat 61 in Eurostar 1st class, “starting point for overland journeys from London to Tunisia, Morocco, Turkey, Syria, Russia, Ukraine, and even Japan via Vladivostok...” The site is very well received in the British media and is very useful. I stumbled upon it when I was researching for rail travel from Alexandria to Cairo. Says Mark: “Seat61.com is a personal website, run as a hobby. It's not a business, and I'm not an agency, just an individual with some knowledge which others might find useful...I get a small amount of commission if you click through and buy a guidebook from Amazon, or a railpass from Rail Choice or Rail Europe and one or two other affiliate schemes - this covers the web-hosting fees and if I'm lucky, buys me a beer or two...” Swell guy!

T’s in love

2005-12-01T04:35:00.000-08:00

T’s in love at Trinity. In her typical intense style, she wrote (and meant it): “We're either going to be each others’ strength or we might just destroy each other. Either way he is an extension of my soul.” Ah, the impetuosity of youth and its belief in the grand design of things. Anyway, love is something to celebrate, ergo, am sharing it with all you folks out there.

The other day, Soven and I were taking a walk in the park, and I said casually that I maybe getting old. Soven responded to it in all earnestness: “Papa, don’t say that. You are not getting old because you continue to dream. And dreams are such a good thing. They keep you young. It’s important that not all our dreams come true, then you have something to aspire for.” No wonder, Shelle calls her our Little Mama. She outdid herself today when she told me that Mozilla has released the new version of Firefox. I didn’t know that. Here’s the link to the story about Firefox 1.5 she sent. Check it out. I can’t wait to download it. It comes with a spate of new features like “automated update, faster browser navigation with improvements to back and forward button performance, drag and drop reordering for browser tabs, and improvements to popup blocking.” It’s a wonderful feeling when you learn from your child. Soven, babes, I am proud of you. Take care…

Living a somnolent haze

2005-11-30T01:15:00.000-08:00

Yesterday came another poem in the Pining for S series :): living a somnolent haze. Posting an excerpt:
when you are not around
life becomes a faded facsimile
of a black and white
picture frayed at the edges
a lazy repose of still-lives
of poignant pauses
of yawning interludes
on the fringe
look at these cameos
from daily life
traffic becomes blur
people become shapes
television loses its sting

Discovered a real cool site, Zinio. It digitizes magazines in their traditional form and its UI is cool. Check out the latest issue of Business Week, for instance. Cheers…

i Shalimar the clown

2005-11-29T04:18:00.000-08:00

Wrote a poem yesterday: i Shalimar the clown, a curious mix of
Rushdiesque imagery and my pining for Shelle. Here’s an excerpt:
Shalimar the irascible clown
not really a contradiction
but dialectics at work trapezes
through thin air and walks in between trees
for a midnight dalliance with his ladylove
like earth she opens her body
lets him enter and envelopes him
you are my Bhoomi the terrestrial
dancing a merry salsa with the ethereal
the tango queen the Gemini twin

Found an interesting new search engine, CloserLook, developed by Chennai-born Sumithra Jagannath. CloserLook searches the invisible web, also called deep web, and aggregates info from databases hidden in the deep recesses of the web. Take a look at it.
And if your passion is advertising (it used to be mine before I discovered the Internet), here’s a cool site, Adverblog. Check it out for the latest dope on the mad ad world.

Shalimar the Clown

2005-11-26T22:56:00.000-08:00

Picked up Shalimar the Clown post lunch yesterday once again and this time I am determined to finish it. I am a great fan of Rushdie as he is a master wordsmith and a super storyteller. I love the fact that he is reinventing himself and is in sync with the times. There’s a certain edginess in his writings now, and that’s what makes him so special. However, reading Rushdie takes so much out of us. He is a demanding writer and never an easy read. Finished over 50 pages of Shalimar yesterday, but I must say I am finding it a bit dense as there is a lot of intermixing of political commentary with philosophical outpourings, and the story runs in the background, like a river not in a hurry to go anywhere. It’s a challenging book, and I think I am going to enjoy it. Shall keep you posted about how I feel as I traverse through its pages.

Meanwhile, posting a small map of Egpyt to give you an idea of Shelle’s Egyptian sojourn. This is the route she is taking: Cairo > Aswan > Abu Simbel (near the border of Sudan)> Edfu (65 miles north of Aswan) > Luxor > Alexandria > Cairo, with a Nile cruise thrown in between.
Abu Simbel

Take care, my friends.

Tin Fish

2005-11-26T05:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Shelle called from the train to Aswan and it triggered a flow of emotions. Out came a poem (after a long time), she called from the train to Aswan, and in a way, it’s not only about how much I miss her but also about our relationship, and my umbilical chord attachment with my better half. I know some of you would read it and may find it soppy, a bit maudlin perhaps, but what the heck, do lemme have your comments please.
An excerpt:
i think of her in Aswan
that ancient frontier town in South Egypt
aesthetically set on the Nile where dainty sailboats
etch the sky with their heady masts
twenty five years of our relationship
and it’s with her i share my inner callings

Finished reading Tin Fish. I picked up the book initially because it’s written by a classmate of mine in St. Stephen’s (Class of 1984), Sudeep Chakravarti. We used to call him “Chakki”, and he was a quiet and intense person, though sometimes reclusive, at college. Without much preamble, I must say I loved the book and its easy flowing style. It’s a coming of age book and takes us on a journey through our wonder years. The story may be set in Mayo College, but it’s a tale of most of the young boys staying in residential schools. Though I have not had a stint at a boarding school (stayed in residence, though, at St. Stephen’s), I could identify with the book. It’s a breeze of a book. Chakki, can’t wait to ask you to set your second book in the Stephania of 1981-84. I think you have found your calling, mate, and am glad you have shifted to sylvan Goa which is conducive to creative pursuits.
Also browsed through House Design, an interesting book that captures some of the most contemporary house designs in the world. Published in 2004, most of the designs are avant-garde and have sci-fi looks. Cool stuff from Daab, a German publication house.
Do check out the site of Good Night, And Good Luck, a Warner Bros. flick that I shall not miss.
If you enjoy Jazz, you are in for a treat. Take care…

Shelle goes to Egypt

2005-11-23T04:15:00.000-08:00

This morning, Shelle left for Cairo on Gulf Air. I spoke to her when she was at Abu Dhabi IA. She sounded happy and am glad she is going to enjoy herself. She had been fascinated by the Egyptian civilization and now she is going to holiday there for the next 10 days.
Meanwhile, I am gonna have fun with Soven, doing everyday things, sharing time on the idiot box and the regular stuff. She is great to be with. Before I sign off, do check out the LA cultural rag, Defamer, good example of blog as news. Published by Gawker Media. Watch out for the Gawker explosion. Take care all ye folks…

Neha’s fantastic private jet ride

2005-11-21T03:31:00.000-08:00

Last week, petite Neha flew with Richard Branson from Delhi to Mumbai in his private jet. She was thrilled (understandably!) and sent her friends some exclusive pictures. Am sharing four of them with you. Way to go, Neha!

Judy’s Book

2005-11-18T05:25:00.000-08:00

So, we finally went to the Branson party and it was nice meeting Neha, my friend at VAA and our host, who looked lovely in the interesting footgear she was sporting.
Branson came in wearing a black kurta and went about shaking hands with almost all of his employees. He lays a premium on employee satisfaction, above all (and that includes the customer!), and isn’t it true that only happy employees make happy customers? Sound policy methinks. We generally chilled out…sipping white wine and savouring retro music.
This week has been great at office, what with a series of meetings with overseas visitors. The internet space in India is heating up and we are in for some exciting times. I am committed to deliver an outstanding BB portal early next year and it should be fun.
Do check out Judy’s Book. It’s a real cool site which recently received $8 million VC funding, and hopefully, shall make its mark in the interactive local listings space. I just love the out-of-the-box brand names in the new media industry. Another good one is Pajamas Media, a new portal designed to bring the best of blogosphere. Cool.

The Shakira Dialectic

2005-11-17T05:35:00.000-08:00

Do check out this article in NYT on the sheer dialectics of being Shakira. She comes across as a true power woman, sensual and sharp, and aware of the overwhelming effect she has on people. I was intrigued by the title of the piece, and after going through it, agree that it fits the lady like a second skin. She is a perfect example of dialectics at work. Take this: "My hips tell me where and when I should move," she says in this brilliant piece. "And my hips don't lie - my hips tell me the truth." A cool juxtaposition of physical with the metaphysical. Maybe I should get Oral Fixation, Vol. 2.
Have you checked out Google Base? If you have, do share your thoughts. Looks like it may play an important role in bringing order to the undifferentiated landscape of search.
What else? Yesterday got the first designs for our house from the architect. Need a few iterations, I guess. Busy at work. Lotsa work but am having fun and at peace now. Have been invited to a party by VAA at Djinns tonight to mingle with Richard Branson. Am not too sure if we will go, but if we do, shall surely let you in on all the gossip.
Cheers…

Salaam Namaste

2005-11-13T04:58:00.000-08:00

Saw Salaam Namaste at home. Quite a frothy film that raises a few pertinent questions about human relationships and commitment but degenerates into an awkward comedy towards the end. The first half was pretty enjoyable. Got a good dekho of one of the world’s most liveable cities, Melbourne, and am happy Sophie and family are settled there.
Read an interesting piece in NYT about Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new musical, The Woman in White. Do check it out if you are a Webber fan like me.
And if you want your blog to be tracked and listed in the Indian blogosphere, do visit Blogstreet. Take care…

Lost and Found

2005-11-12T04:20:00.000-08:00

Sri Lanka lost the series 6-1 and am glad India finally found a good (possibly great) team for the future. Credit must be given to the no-nonsense coach, Greg Chappell, who is totally in-charge and is doing very well by reinventing the team, sans stars but with some solid youngsters keen to give their best. My favourite: Dhoni with his flamboyant style, daring, cool attitude and rock-star looks.

Talking of Lost, hope you guys are checking out the multiple Emmy award winning series, Lost, on Star Movies. Don’t miss the lovely Evangeline Lilly as Kate in a recklessly charming role amplified by her irresistibly playful looks and natural talent. I believe she is earning quite a reputation as one of the most promising young actresses in Hollywood. Cheers…

Soven@Bebo

2005-11-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

I have just discovered that my 12 and a half year old daughter, Soven, is a part of this real cool social networking site called Bebo. It is the next generation hangout where members can stay in touch with their school and college friends, connect with an extended circle, share photos, discover new interests and just play buddy-buddy. I loved the online music video on the member pages. I am so glad that Soven is a 'digital native' and is exploring the myriad charms of internet. This is a cool generation: the kids are smart and have a great attitude. I have bookmarked my daughter’s Bebo page and I do hope to connect with her as a part of her social network. Way to go, Soven.

Anita in e4m

2005-11-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

Today the media, ad and marketing industry newshound, exchange4media, announced Anita’s appointment in Genpact. Here’s the story. Cheers!

It’s Genpact

2005-11-07T05:32:00.000-08:00

Folks, you will be happy to know that my better half, Anita, has joined Genpact today as VP, Corporate Communications. Genpact, earlier called GECIS, is India’s largest BPO company and recently rated by Business Today as the third best company to work for in India. The first, of course, is Infosys. Am happy for Anita. She cleared a series of tough interviews and is an ideal fit for this job, considering her Andersen experience and her polished personality. So, this is the big news of the day.
Went to Dimple’s house on Sunday for her luncheon Birthday party. Pity India lost the 5th ODI, despite a century by Gambhir. There has been a scandal at office, but am not keen to dig the dirt here. Glad Natwar is ejected out of the Cabinet. In the murky world of politics, you can’t take anything at its face value.

Discovered a simple but beautifully made internet film about the state of new media in 2014. Robin Sloan, formerly of the Poynter Institute, is a cool guy. Do take a look at the film here. Lemme know what do you think. As far as I am concerned, EPIC is the way to go in the future. Everything will converge and the consumer will call the shots:
"The ‘Evolving Personalized Information Construct’ is the system by which our sprawling, chaotic mediascape is filtered, ordered and delivered. Everyone contributes now – from blog entries, to phone-cam images, to video reports, to full investigations. Many people get paid too – a tiny cut of Googlezon’s immense advertising revenue, proportional to the popularity of their contributions. EPIC produces a custom contents package for each user, using his choices, his consumption habits, his interests, his demographics, his social network – to shape the product."

Do take care all of you…

Cambridge, Ruchi, Dhoni...

2005-10-31T04:40:00.000-08:00

T sent some digital pictures of Cambridge taken in her characteristic style. The camera angles are pretty unusual and make a statement. Am posting 3 of them:

Today is my sister’s 40th Birthday. Happy Birthday, Ruchi. May God bless you! Hope you soon make peace with your inner self.
And, ah, in the Jaipur ODI, Dhoni played a swashbuckling knock and scored a match winning unbeaten 183 in 145 balls with 15 fours and 10 power sixes. What a knock, and what a way to herald Diwali! Team India is certainly getting its act together. Way to go.

India goes on...

2005-10-30T07:10:00.000-08:00

My friend, Shradha, who is settled in US and is a part of our Yahoo! egroup of the Class of 1981, was disturbed about “these tragic blasts in some busy markets in Delhi.” She said in her post to the group: “It is like one step forward and two back in bringing peace in the region. I hope wisdom prevails!”

This is what I wrote back regarding Delhi 29/10:
Thank you, Shradha, for your concern. It's sad that innocent people are being killed. It serves no purpose. While our politicians make merry and bureaucrats party in their safari suits, ordinary people who have harmed nobody get blown into pieces. It is so very sad.
I am hurt. I am angry. I am numb. Life goes on. We carry on with fortitude and a smile on our lips. We were getting ready to attend a party when we heard the news last evening. For a moment, I thought not to go. Maybe it was not safe. Maybe it would be a callous thing to do. Then we decided to go. 32 kms from our home, to Gurgaon. The roads were full of cars. Ordinary people were going about their business. The daily rigour of life. FM radios took the role of a counsellor and were broadcasting messages of hope. Ordinary people were coming forward to help ordinary people. Patriotic songs were being played on the radio. Not loud, not kitschy. The subliminal message: Life must go on. We must not be cowed down. We have to hold our head high, get our smile back, and live with stoicism.
For centuries, India has been ravished, but it has survived. Resilience is a part of our DNA. It has built our character. We shall go on. The journey of life is a reward in itself!

What do you think? Take care...

Return of the Prodigal

2005-10-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Lotsa work at office and lotsa excitement. Things are falling into place regarding the BB initiative. I am excited about the possibilities and glad that the Internet happened to me. It’s an amazing place to be in.

Do check out the Internet Archive, a digital library of sorts. It can only happen on the web. Knowledge sharing is knowledge enhanced!
Oh, please do join me in celebrating the return of Sachin at the Nagpur ODI. To me, he is more than a master blaster. He epitomises the hero-starved nation’s hopes in his lithe frame, and that’s a huge burden to carry. May God bless him!

A house for Mr. Trehan

2005-10-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Today, we initiated the process of building a house for ourselves in SC-I. Had the first meeting with the architect and briefed him about our requirements. S and I are pretty excited about the whole thing. We plan to build a functional and aesthetically pleasing home. (In my mind, there is no contradiction between function and beauty). Shall keep you posted about the progress.
Today, Ma also came to stay for a little while and it’s nice to have her with us.

Honcho Rap

2005-10-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Received a mail the other day from my pretty and vivacious friend, Neha, of VAA. She has been featured as a honcho in e4m’s weekend mailer and was thrilled to bits.
When asked “what are the three things that you love about life?”, she said: “Hope, struggle, conquest. Life is about that and there is beauty in all three.” I thought that was cool. I would be meeting her on Atul’s Birthday Bash on the 29th. She is doing the music that day.
Vivacious Neha

Do check out flock. Could it be the future of blogging?
Do also take a look at my wife’s Waka on KC and 25 years of our friendship. It seems she has found her calling in Waka poetry.
Take care all you lovely people out there…