GENESIS - PART 4

The Simple Truth

March 29th, 05.00 a.m
He was dressed and reached for the car keys. Sanjay hurried over to the basement and started his car in a jiffy. The uneasiness had not left him. It was still lurking in his stomach, making him more uncomfortable than ever.

“It’s a girl”, Vinay’s voice kept alarming him. “Oh my god”, he thought in an absolute state of fright, “How am I supposed to raise a girl?”

From the back of his head, a voice sprung up, loud enough to distract him from his driving. ‘Never show affection on your girl. Keep yourself detached from them. That is exactly how a girl earns a good name in the society. Raising a girl is not a child’s play. You need finance, security and a lot more responsibility. Women are liabilities to the family they are fostered in. You have to raise her carefully, send her to school, keep a watch over her academic performance, provide her with pocket money, send her to college, keep a watch over the guys she befriends, get her married in a lavish manner. And? She leaves you to take care of another family while you sit on a feeling of contrived satisfaction that her upbringing was perfect. It’s a mirage, you fool. How can you possibly think of raising a girl?

Sanjay was sweating profusely. So that was the truth. He wasn’t ready for a baby girl. The ‘feeling’ elevated to his chest. His lungs felt clogged, making it difficult for him to breathe and his head started spinning.

06.00 a.m
He reached the third floor where he had to encounter his fear. From the extreme end of the corridor, Vinay spotted him and ran towards him.

“Where have you been?” asked Vinay. “I couldn’t explain everything over the phone. The doctors waited for hours but the baby was entangled in the umbilical cord. Finally they had to do a caesarean section at 2 in the morning. I thought it was too complicated….”

Vinay’s voice was faltering. All Sanjay could hear was silence. The ‘feeling’ rose up and clasped his neck. His ears seemed to block themselves against external sound.

Finally, after a disturbed silence, he spoke. “I want to see her” Vinay gave a sigh and gave him a directional nod.

Sanjay entered the ward, his eyes probing for Neha. And there she was, lying on the single bed. A chair stood along the bed. She looked weak but smiled with all her might. Her hands were holding the reason for the big smile. Neha’s smile widened. He moved closer and seated himself on the chair. No sooner than he did that, Neha promptly handed him the baby. He was quite taken aback at the promptness but held it in his arms and lowered his head to look at thereason for his state of fear.

Silence

Sanjay’s eyes opened wide.

Absolute Silence

He was looking at the most beautiful thing in the whole world. It was a baby, so tiny and cuddlesome. He kept staring at it for so long that everything else around him blurred. And then he did something that he hadn’t done in ages. He graciously smiled.

It was then the miracle happened.

The baby opened its eyes for a split second and looked at him. It was as though the baby knew it was in its father’s hands. The baby yawned and closed its eyes again. The ‘feeling’ in his neck spread up and reached his eyes. A second later, it came out and flooded his vision. Sanjay had to wipe his tears with his shoulder. He smiled even more and never realized he could smile to such an extent.

The ‘feeling’ was gone. “To hell with the back voice”, he thought. “You are my baby, my daughter, my asset, my own priceless gem. I am going to make all the fathers in the world jealous of you”

Neha watched the miraculous transition of a man whom everyone had accused of being insensitive. “Perhaps it’s a day of miracles”, she thought and smiled.

As the miracle was still happening, she summoned up the decision to break the silence. ‘Love at first sight?’, she quipped. Sanjay tore away his eyes from the baby and looked at her. He understood the jest and replied, “Love at first sight, it is”

The sunlight glinted at the room through the window. The room gleamed in the natural source of sunlight. This was followed by a whiff of gentle breeze that gushed in and hit his face. Sanjay realized he had never appreciated the beauty of the rising sun and the gentle breezes before. For the first time in his life, Sanjay felt complete.

And thus, a beautiful day had begun.

THE END/THE BEGINNING

"A crack in a building is enough for a plant to grow. Even in the most concrete heart, all love needs is a soft corner"

GENESIS - PART 2 & PART 3

Pain & Gain

March 28th, 09.00 a.m
She squeezed her eyes to reduce the pain. But that was just psychological. Neha had been informed that she was due for the much awaited delivery. She knew it was going to be a rough ride. The thought of the pain frightened her. She reached for Sanjay’s hand and held it tight.

Sanjay knew. He calmly said, “You’ve got the best team of doctors around you. There’s nothing to fear”

“But I get these momentary lapses of fear. It’s killing me”. She was almost in tears but suppressed the grief. She knew Sanjay never liked to see anyone cry.

“Why do you cry? Only people with fear do that”, he said with a firm tone.

“That’s not true. Nobody cries for grief alone”, she retorted. “People cry for various reasons. Haven’t you heard about ‘tears of joy’ at all?”

“Neha. That is a myth. People fake these things. It’s better not to express these emotions, at least not now”

Neha kept mum. She knew when to stop. For the past 2 years, she had never won a single argument with him. Sanjay had unique justifications for every unique belief he had. In spite of all that, Neha was still in love with him. Nobody knew why.

Sanjay gave a blank expression. He was still looking at her. Two minutes later, he stood up and said, “I’ll have to leave now. As soon as my work is done, I’ll be back.” Sanjay picked up his bag and left.

Neha kept staring at the door even after he was gone. She kept thinking about their relationship. According to her brother, they were the most complicated pair anyone could ever come across. Her friends had found him to be an insensitive being. He hardly spoke to anyone and never showed signs of sociability. But Neha had a different perception altogether. She lay on the single bed. It wasn’t exactly comfortable but she closed her eyes deeply and drifted off to sleep.

04.00 p.m

Vinay was keenly listening to his favorite song in his ipod. Given the fact that he was a gizmo freak, he loved using it. Neha was awake now. The nurse had just left saying she was due any moment. This was becoming stale for her. She kept thinking about Sanjay.

“Why so serious?” asked Vinay, interrupting her thoughts. ‘You’ll be ok. I hear the doctors are weird but they are also the best. I know that’s a poor combination but it works. Do you know what’s funny? You go to a doctor because you are sick. He examines and formulates the fact that you are sick. But you already know it and that’s the reason you went to the doctor’s in the first place. Isn’t that funny?’

He laughed at his own joke. Neha was hardly amused. Vinay noticed this and pulled off the embarrassment by pretending to shuffle the songs in his ipod. Clearly, he was trying to bring in a sense of humor and cheer her up. But Neha wasn’t interested in humor. She needed solace and relief.

“So”, began Vinay, “Where’s Mr. Schwarzenegger?”

“He’s has to get some important work done”, she retorted. “And do not call him that”, she added.

“Why not?” ,he questioned with a smile. “I’ve never seen him smile or laugh, not even a possible human expression. And p.s, he ignores me often”

“That is not true. He has never ignored you. It’s just the fact that your so called humor remark has never amused him. As a matter of fact, it hasn’t amused me either”

“Ya right ! Even Charlie Chaplin cannot amuse him. And that’s because he is…” Vinay stopped midway and thought it was better not to say anything more.

“What is it? Finish your judgment” pleaded Neha

“Well, Inhuman was the word I was going to use”, he grappled.

Neha took a deep breath and began. “Just because Sanjay hasn’t shown any expressions or laughed at your jokes, doesn’t mean he is a man without feelings. According to me, he is a man full of love; love that is unexpressed but only understood. I take pride in the fact that I happen to be the only one who has truly understood him. He’s better than men who pretend to know everything about love and never realize the extent of treachery they do to women. He is a lot better than men who fake their love and hide the same fact without any remorse. And he is definitely better than you who keeps giving rueful expressions and pass sarcastic comments to his pregnant sister about her husband”

“You watch a lot of movies”, sighed Vinay. “So where’s Mr. Lovable?”

“He must be in office right now”

Vinay gave an abashed look. “Are you telling me Sanjay has actually gone to get some office work done when his wife is going to have a baby? I’m going to give him a call right now.”
Neha was calm. “Just a few papers to sign. His boss had called him yesterday. His work is indispensable. And it’s no use giving him a call. He’s left his mobile at home. I have no qualms about his tedious work.”

“So he decides to be Sanjay the company secretary when his wife is proudly presenting him as Sanjay the perfect husband!! Remind me, why are you married to him?”

Neha smiled weakly and said “Because we are meant to be. I love him and he loves me. In fact, it was me who urged him to-“.
Neha suddenly stopped speaking and closed her eyes tightly. She grasped the bed in pain.

The next thing she knew was Vinay calling for the nurses hysterically. The nurses arrived in less than two minutes.

06.00 p.m
The doctors were getting the operation theatre ready for the delivery. One of them had the anesthesia ready to be injected. The pain was weakening Neha gradually. But she mustered enough stamina to utter a single word.

“Sanjay”


Part 3

March 28th, 05.00 p.m
The meeting was over. Sanjay had been asked to go through a few more documents before they were ready to be drafted. He was totally immersed in the ocean of work that lied before him that he completely lost track of time.

06.00 p.m
Sanjay looked around. He couldn’t spot anyone in the vicinity. Someone had called out his name. “I’m exhausted”, he thought. He realized it was time to be heading towards home. But he looked at the pile of work that had to be completed.

08.00 p.m
He could have dropped dead any moment but he kept driving his car. It would take Sanjay a few hours to reach home.

10.00 p.m
Sanjay could barely walk. He felt thankful for the invention of the elevator. He opened the door to his apartment and looked droopily at the sofa. “15 minutes of a cat nap is harmless”, he thought. And the next thing he knew was the sound of a thump on the sofa.

To be contd...

GENESIS- PART 1

The Wake up Call

March 29th, 03.45 a.m
He was sound asleep when the phone rang. It took several rings for him to open his eyes. The phone was still ringing. His eyes were wide open and he spoke groggily.

“Hello”

“Sanjay !! I’ve been trying to reach for you for quite some time”, the voice sounded hysterical.

“Sorry, I dozed off. What happened? Is she fine?”

“Neha is fine. And it’s a girl. You are a father”

Silence

“Come over to the hospital now. I’m informing the others. Bye”
Click

Silence

The conversation had just ended. Vinay has given him the most awaited news. Sanjay was still holding the phone in his palm. He stared blankly unto nothing.

“Well”, he thought, “I just got happy news. And is this how I react?”

He felt light, like he had lost weight and was getting ready to float. Two seconds later, Sanjay realized he was in an off-balance state and slumped onto the couch behind him.

Absolute silence.

He kept staring at the wall and he didn’t know why. A strange ‘feeling’ had originated. He certainly wasn’t sad. He had experienced sadness before. Sanjay was sure that this wasn’t happiness either because the ‘feeling’ was making him uncomfortable.

From the corner of his room, the digital clock on the dresser beeped. The display had just turned 4 a.m. He had to leave soon. Vinay had told him to.

“Well, let me get dressed. I am a father now”

The cold shower replaced his sleepy eyes with wide ones but it couldn’t remove the strange ‘feeling’. This was alien. He had never experienced this before. Palpating it from within only intensified it. However, this did not stop him from finishing his morning chores.

He draped himself in a towel and looked at the mirror. It reflected a 6-foot mannequin looking back at him. Sanjay looked at his lack luster eyes and that’s when the truth struck him like a bolt of lightning.

To be contd.......

Mind Your Language

Let’s speak English…. Let’s talk English. I do not know which one of them is correct. I have always respected the languages of the world but none of them has made an impact on me like English did. I just can’t get enough of the language.
The British invasion would have made us slaves but we seem to be getting back at them by adopting their language and giving it the desi flavor!! India, a diversified land, has absorbed English like a sponge in water. The result- English is nobody’s language but everyone knows it. When I say ‘everyone’, I mean ‘everyone’!!
After a broad analysis, I have managed to categorize a few sets of English speaking Indians. This classification is purely based on my experience with ‘English speaking’ people.

The 1st Set – Shakespeare
The very first set comprises of people who are still trying to get a hold on the language. Fortunately, they are the ones who have learnt enough to barely converse and scrape through English examinations. Unfortunately, they are also the ones who would make Shakespeare want to shoot himself in the head if he heard them speak.
One such specimen was heard saying – “Please tell to him that I had said him everything”. Another poor fellow was caught while babbling – “Both the three wented together”!!
Specimens of the first set are phonetically in trouble too. The poor ones keep staring at words like ‘pneumonia’ and ‘mnemonic’, thinking there’s something funny with these words. Truth be told, these words ARE funny.

The 2nd Set- Antidisestablishmentarianism
The second set is slightly better than the first one. The specimens hardly converse because they have gathered enough knowledge to realize one simple truth- They do not possess good skills in communication when it comes to English. The set does not speak unless spoken to. They manage to deliver simple sentences but have trouble in understanding long sentences with profound words. Say something like – “Catastrophic events in the recent past from around the globe have flabbergasted the entire human species as the encompassing of the human mind is encircled to a circumscribed territory”. This will have them squeezing their brains and pondering over the complicated words.


The 3rd Set – No comments
This would be the most boring set; boring because they are the specimens with a fair understanding of the language. This category consists of people who are constantly trying to improve. They capitalize their strengths and have an ethical sense of uplifting the first two sets.

The 4th Set- Yo!!
I have always wondered where these specimens learn English from. They seem to know much more than English. The mandatory vocabulary of the ‘Yo’ category contain the following- ‘Dude’, ‘chill’, ‘babe, ‘burger’, ‘f@#k’, ‘crap’, ‘holy shit’, and a lot more words that a normal thesaurus does not contain.
According a good friend of mine, ‘dude’ is a by-product of the American junk littered in the Indian dustbin. Yes, I wholly agree. When I hear the word ‘babe’, I get a fleeting image of a talking pig!!!
I reckon they should be releasing a special edition thesaurus so as to bridge the communication gap between the normal Homo sapiens and the ‘dudes’!!

The 5th Set - Mrdr of Vwls
Since the advent of sms(short messaging service) and the chat windows, we have started saving a lot of time. But no one told warned us about the ‘End of Vowels’.
“Cme 2 hse 2mrw cs I hv xam 2dy”!!! I cannot help but feel pity for the vowels, for they are the cursed ones. I am beginning to imagine vowels as outlaws who have been banished from the “Kingdom of E-Land”.
I do have an interesting anecdote to share. A friend of mine had the privilege of having an anonymous chat with a female from Australia. The chat had just begun when the Aussie had popped the message- ‘ASL’. Of course, it meant Age, Sex and Location. It was quite unfavorable that my friend wasn’t aware of this particular lingo. Unfortunately, the perverted mind can work notoriously at times. It led him to think it was a bad word with lesser number of vowels (work that out for yourself). Needless to say, a verbal war ensued between the two and the chat window was promptly closed. So much for technology and faster means of communication….

It’s time for the moment of truth. For the first decade and a half of my life, I belonged to the first two categories. I have somehow managed to elevate myself to the third category. I have no intention of belonging to the fourth category and I am getting accustomed to the last one.

Having typed so much, I do not know how to conclude. So, here it is….. Mind your Language!!!

SLUMDOG HERO

After watchin a lot of crappy masala flicks, i've come to a conclusion- 'Anyone can make a masala movie'. Why cant i be 'anyone'? hence, i've decided to make a movie. a pure masala entertainer. a promising edge of the seat movie and 2.5 hrs of insanity !!

lets not waste anytime. the movie will be titled 'Slumdog Hero'

lets start.....

SLUMDOG HERO

the opening scene- a market(a crowded one) with lots of old ragged furniture and painted pots(they have a special purpose). suddenly, we hear an uproar. its the local gundas. Now, these gundas all look lik they have been dipped in a coal mine. all wear gold chains and all of them are so tall that they find it difficult to get oxygen at such an altitude !! For no purpose, they start beating and thrashing up everyone in sight. there's utter chaos in the market. but this is not where the hero is likely to enter. come on, we need a heroic entry ! one of these gundas is about to harass a lady. just before he can lay his hands on her, a brick comes flying(slow motion) and hits him so hard tat he is thrown back for atleast 6 metres !!! Its our hero, Sujay(name slightly changed !) who comes flyin lik the brick did. WHAM, BAM, BIFF, BANG, BOOM... and the next thing u see is the flying gundas in every possible direction. they land on the furniture and pots(special purpose solved !). the people in the market thank him and...... I don kno, lets have a song....

'I AM KING'

I am king, i am king(chorus: u r king, u r king)

my blood and bike are red, those who dey me are dead,

i am an orphan wit a bun, but i am everybody's son,

hey, brother-in-law(translated frm tamil), i am ur friend,

i am king, i am king(chorus: u r king, u r king)

a look at hero's life. Sujay is a slumdog and was brought up by the slum dwellers(and therefore he is obliged to be their guardian in times of distress) he's a mechanic and is always dressed up in cargos and tee shirts(adidas, nike, reebok brands oly!!)

enter the herione- Nisha(name slightly changed!). rich, pampered, spoilt, wears skimpy clothes. has been goin to college ever since she was born cos everyone in college knows her !! she's known as the 'Oomph Queen'. nisha enters college and..... i don kno, lets have a song...

'Oomph Oomph'

I am the oomph queen (chorus: oomph oomph)

i am so marvellous(chorus: oomph oomph)

i wear skimpy clothes(chorus:oomph oomph)

i don need costume designer(chorus: yes yes)

this song will get stuck at the censor board(chorus: absolutely absolutely)

and will create much controversy and hype(chorus: very true very true)

and tats' how i'll become more famous(chorus: oomph oomph)

oomph oomph oomph oomph.....

mind u, this college is a dream destination for vagabonds and lazy people. no classes, no teachers, no syllabus, no exams. students sing, dance, eat, booze, do drugs... in short, they do everythin but study !!

one fine day, nisha's car tyre goes flat. and she's forced to take a bus. guess who else is on the bus?? righto, its our hero(where's his red bike??) their eyes meet and its love at first sight for Sujay(Background Music- slight humming followed by violins and guitars!) Sujay tries to woo nisha but she ignores him. and suddenly, a group of gundas try to harass the heroine(getttin predictable, isn't it??) Enter flyin sujay and wat follows is an action-packed sequence. WHAM BAM BIFF BANG BOOM... flyin gundas in every possible direction. nisha gets impressed and starts reciprocatin his feelings. and...... I don kno.. lets have a song.......!

this song will be the major feature. all foreign locales lik Swiss alps, new zealand, ireland, even antartica !!

'Roses are Red'

roses are red

violets are blue

i'm half colour blind

and so are youuuuuuuuuu.....

after fallin in love with the hero, the heroine has understood the true meaning of indian culture. she starts respecting sarees and churidars all of a sudden. no more skimpy clothes. for the rest of the movie, she's gonna wear oly sarees. and this is where the front-benchers are likely to leave the cinema hall !!

enter the baddie- Mr. Tiegrrr!! the perfect villain. rich, short-tempered, has choppers and bodyguards wit AK-47s. kills his own bodyguards for fun!! Tiegrrr falls in love wit nisha but she is already in love wit Sujay. infuriated, Tiegrrr starts shootin his own bodyguards(man, one set of dumb bodyguards they gotta be!!)

sujay and nisha have plans of elopin soon. (wat bout the heroine's parents? well ,i decided not to have too many characters as it would ruin the pace of the movie!!) but Tiegrrr plays spoilsport; his henchmen kidnap nisha and try to finish off the hero. but our hero is 'the' hero. WHAM BAM BIFF BANG BOOM... flyin hengmen in every possible direction !! Sujay comes to kno tat nisha has been forcefully taken to Paris(Tiegrrr's hideout)

not wastin much time, our hero flies to Paris too(visa? passport?? immigration??? who cares???) Now, our hero is supposed to be a slumdweller, but he seems to the kno the topography of paris and even the language.

Sujay spots Tiegrrr in a discotheque and.... I don kno, lets have a song...

'I will do it'

i will do it, i will do it

on me, bullets don affect,

in fact, they very much deflect (poetic license)

i am ur worst nightmare

lookin at me, ur eyes will sore(tat's for the audience)

(Tiegrrr has spotted Sujay and hsa made a call to all his bodyguards. all of them arrive within no time. but none of them attepmt to harm our hero. why?? cos the song is still on.... !!)

i am a lion waitin to pounce,

i am havin lots of frowns,

someday, i'll have the crowns

i will do it, i will do it

end of song. what follows is a gunfight but of course, bullets lose their sense of direction wen they happen to be at close range wit the hero. and mind you, all the bullets goin towards the hero will be in slow motion !!

the next scene is a car chase. hot pursuit between the hero and the villain. Tiegrrr leads him to his hideout(a warehouse!) and disappears.

Twist

Nisha is tied up to a post wit a time bomb attached to her hip! but tat's not a problem for the hero. he defuses it soon(but oly at the last ten seconds before explosion. its gotta be a nail biting scene, u see!!) as they are about to leave, Tiegrrr stops them wit a gun.

'you cant escape my bullets'

'your bullets are no match for my love for nisha' !!

'you are goin to die anyway'

'you have betrayed our country'

'country? wat did i do?'

'never mind. i am supposed to speak patriotic lines so tat the audience will lik me more'

'wat do u think u are gonna do?'

'speak punch dialogues before punchin u!'

'huh, wat?'

'i am faster than the bullet, sharper than the trigger. a friend's friend and an enemy's nightmare!!!'

and just before Tiegrrr can pull the trigger, Sujay comes flyin and punches him. WHAM BAM BIFF BANG BOOM... Tiegrrr is defeated.

but the trouble is not over yet. the cops are lookin for Sujay. (we'll have another car chase here). sujay drives his car to the airport and breaks into the airplane. he goes into the cockpit and threatens the pilot.

'hands up, pilot. do as i say'

'wat do u want me to do?'

'first, get this plane to india. second, get me a cup of coffee'

'this is air india. we are goin to india anyway. and we don serve coffee in the cockpit'

'darn it !! never mind, just leave. '

and they fly back to india. sujay and nisha live happily ever after !!!

THE END

I am hopin tat this movie will get a few oscars and golden globes !!! the audience is sure to lik this movie. this movie has a strong message for today's youth- 'Anyone can make a movie' !!!!!!!

Varanam Ayiram- Review

A movie i wanted to watch ever since i saw the teaser. And finally i did get a chance to watch it... all alone...

Varanam Ayiram focuses on a father-son relationship, both roles played by the fine actor Surya himself. The first ten minutes of the movie will tel u tat its the story of a man..... well, tat's the confusin part on who's the 'man' here. the narration seems to begin wit a brief introduction of 'Mr. Krishnan'. just when u think its the father's role tat's protagonised here, the focus shifts from the father's role to the son's role.

and now we have the concept crystal.

the father's role is the background and the son's role is the foreground.

the movie explains about the story of one man and how he's influenced by his father at every phase of his life. the transition from a 16-year old boy to a fully grown army man has been beautifully portrayed by Surya.

the first half is cheerful, colourful and 'sugar syrup' romantic. the yesteryear romance of Surya-Simran is a visual treat. Sameera Reddy has been redefined(watch Naksha and u'll kno y i said this!). Surya-Sameera strike a good chemistry. no romantic visuals is complete without a foreign locale( u are watchin a tamil movie!!). enter U.S, which has been beautifully captured. Eye-catching costumes, great songs, awesome choreography and breathtaking cinematography.

and u have just started enjoying the movie.... WHAM !!!

there ends the joy...! twist in the tale and eventually the interval !!

post interval, the movie takes a complete turn. a shady and murky kind of feel is woven into the movie. and tat is where the movie falters...

the protagonist turns into a drug addict and.... and wat? jus another song !

few worth-mentioning scenes in the second half-

1. a rescue mission of a kid. this deserves special mention as its an edge of the seat segment.

2. obviously, 6 pack abs !!

the protagonist turns into an army man. enter the second heroine(Divya Spandana)... apart from smilin and walking, she hasn't done anythin else tat's worth mentioning. and it would be very unfair if i dint mention the moustache on Surya the army man. had it been any shorter, he would have resembled Charlie Chaplin !!!

the movie finally('finally', oh i thought it would never come !!) ends with the son performing the last rites for his father's funeral. the end credits tel u tat u are free to go...!

Surely, a lot of scenes could have been cut short. a very good script and a challenging role highlighted by Surya and blackmarked by a weak screenplay. the movie could have been a lot better.

watch it for Surya and for Surya only...

HMMM...

Well, its been a long time since i wrote. a very very very long time... i dont even remember the last time i wrote something nice. i used to write a lot once and then suddenly.... Poof ! everythin stopped....
after profound analysis, i have scooped out a few notorious reasons-
1.) i had become more pre-occupied wit things tat i don even need and had started becomin busy... doin nothin !
2.) i turned into a potato couch.
3.) i had a lot of jumbled thoughts which wouldnt let me think properly

and ya the concept of writin bored me out. and much to my annoyance, i even lost my vocabulary...
writin in out, typin is in, or should i say 'blogging' ! and suddenly, i think its a good time to let my thoughts be converted into words.
i'll be jottin my thoughts more often. hope people have patience to read them. adios !!!