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The ice-cream stick house

October 8, 2012, 10:40 am
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Hi.
Hi.
...
Are you okay ?
I've been better. What about you ?
Same. Been a little busy. Work and all.
Oh. ok.
So.
So.
I heard your dad's pissed with me.
A bit.
A bit ?
Okay. A lot.
I'm really sorry.
It's okay. 
I didn't mean to...
Never mind. Leave it. So how is work ?
Bad. I really don't know how I'm supposed to carry on some days. 
Oh ?
Everything I do somehow always ends up going wrong and everyone then blames me.
It's okay. We all have bad days. 
Not like mine. I don't know what I did to deserve this curse.  
Come on.
I'm serious. What do I do ? If I try to help someone, his boss curses me. If I help the boss, the servant curses me. If I help two people fall in love, a third person's heart breaks. If I break them up, then they all hate me.
...
I'm sorry. I shouldn't be telling you all this.
No. It's okay. It's not like I'm going anywhere.
... Sorry. 
Hmm ?
About it. I mean, I know I should have done more. But I was distracted by someone else...
Is he okay ?
Who ?
The person who distracted you.
...
God ?
No... he.. they all died. He and his family were killed an hour ago... nameless faces in a war that didn't involve them.  
Does it piss you off ? Them using your name and doing all this ?
Every day... every day.
So why don't you do something about it ?
...
God ?
Have you ever made something ? Out of your hands... with all your effort and dedication and concentration... and love ?
Yes. This one time, me and dad
Dad and I.. not me and dad... it's dad and I..
Okay. Dad and I, we built this amazing house purely out of ice cream sticks. It took us all day... it was summer holidays..
Last year ?
Ya, you remember ?
Uh... yeah. 
Liar ! Anyway, I always remember how much I loved it. We took all day, had sandwiches for lunch and dad even missed his nap just to help me finish it. 
And how did you feel when you had to dismantle it all ?
... It hurt real bad. Mom had some important guests coming over and had to clear the dinner table. She just broke it all down with one swing. I remember crying for an hour.
But you knew it would have to be removed at some time from the table, didn't you ?
Ya, I kept thinking what if we had only used glue while making it ? We could have saved it.
That's the problem. All this that you see... this was my ice cream stick house too. I wanted it to be perfect. But slowly the sticks started to weaken on their own. And I could only watch helplessly.  
So why don't you...
I know. I know. I want to but I can't. You loved your house after just a Sunday. I have loved my stick house since forever. And I was so sure it was perfect when I created it.
...
...
It's okay. Don't cry. Please. Everything will be okay.
I don't know what to do. I don't have the will to break it down but I can't bear watching it like this either. What should I do ?
...
...
Do you know how I stopped crying ?
No. I'm sorry. I was... away. 
Dad went to the store and got me more ice creams.
...
More ice creams. More sticks. And the next Sunday we made a bigger better house. And this time, we learned our lesson and used glue.
...
It's still there at home if you want to see it.
I just did. It's amazing. 
I know, right. 
Wonderful.
Feeling better ? 
Yes. Yes. 
Good. You look really sad when you cry. And old.
I am old.
You look older.
You are a naughty one, aren't you ?
...
Are you ready ?
I don't know. 
It won't hurt. I promise.
I'll miss daddy and mommy.
No. They will miss you. But you will never miss them. I promise you that.
Won't they feel sad ?
Yes... but that is how you will know you were loved. 
God ?
Yes ?
Was I a bad boy ? 
You were the loveliest boy. 
Why did this happen to me ?
I don't know. I wish I could give you the answer but I honestly don't know. Those sticks called fate and free will... every day I regret placing them in my stick-house. They were meant for good but the way they have been so badly misinterpreted... but never mind all that. Don't ever think that it was because you were bad. You were the best child a parent could have. 
Thanks. And God ?
Yes ?
Are there dogs in heaven ? We never had a dog. Mom had allergies.
My child. There is no heaven without dogs. Of that, you can rest assured.
Cocker spaniels ?
I have them.
Golden retrievers ?
By the dozen.
Poodles ?
Sigh...Unfortunately. The missus loves them. 
Pit bulls ?
Now why would you want a pit bull ?
Just to see what a live one looks like.
Well. I know someone down under who has a bunch of them. I could ask him if you wanted...
No, it's ok. I'll select one once I get there.
Excellent choice.
God ?
Yes ?
Thank you. I had a good time. Some really nice memories.
No, thank you, my child. It's kids like you that make me glad I created this house...

_____________________________________________________________

Abigail : When did he die ?
Shilpa : Last night. The leukemia had gotten worse since evening. He was unconscious and on ventilatory support since late night.
Abigail : Poor child. How he suffered these last few months.
Shilpa : I know. But he died so peacefully in the end. We never even knew till this morning.
Abigail : Well. He's with God now.
Shilpa : There was something weird though.
Abigail : Oh ?
Shilpa : His forehead was wet. 
Abigail : Was he feverish ?
Shilpa : No. Not sweat. There were three droplets just resting peacefully on his forehead when we came to check up on him. They were still warm when I wiped them away. If I didn't know any better, I would have said someone had been there in that room, crying over him.

______________________________________________________________  

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The need to feed... blog feed

October 11, 2012, 6:04 am
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When I changed from '.blogspot.com' to '.net' a couple of months ago, one thing which I did not factor in was the problem of feeds / email subscribers. I got a few emails from people who earlier had me in their feed readers / email subscriptions who were not getting new updates. 
I initially tried tinkering around with html codes here and there in the feedburner section to get my old subscribers back. I dropped that plan once I received an ISD call from an agitated Colonel Sum Ting Wong telling me that my html codes were causing their secret nuclear missiles to turn on and off and even play the Oppan Gangnam song while reversing out of the nuclear facility. 
Dear North and South Korea, I am sorry if I caused any added tensions between you guys. I was never any good at computer languages.  


Personally, I am a big fan of feed readers. 
Back in my post graduate days, I would get very few moments in a week to actually come online and sit and read others blogs. At that time, to go hunting for each and everyone's new blogposts , with a slow internet at the end of a long and gruelling 24-36 hour shift -  it was frankly just too much effort. But once I had added the blogs I liked to my news reader ( I personally use Feedreader ), I could always come back even a week later and the application would have collected all the new posts of the week in one handy window and I could just read it all from there. 




Plus, with these feed readers, I could read upto 25 old articles from each blog by default so I'd end up finding many awesome old posts from fellow writers which I would have missed from their original site. 

Coming to the point : I've edited and put up the new codes all over again. 
So for the old subscribers ( all five million of you... fine, it was only thousands ...okay, hundreds... fine, it was just me, my dog Ruby and that geriatric patient who told me her email id and password by mistake !! Happy ?!! Sheesh ! )as well as new visitors who find it a pain constantly typing my blog's url, here are the new links : 
In spite of all I just said, I personally would still prefer going to the site but with so many good blogs around ( I have 56 in my feedreader and subscribe to 18 via email subscriptions ! ), it's just impossible to keep walking around the blogosphere. [ I just realised I have 361 blogs in my Google reader !!! ]

Anyway, unlike in the Indian Parliament, here public opinion does matter. So I've put a poll box below. Click which one of the options you prefer the most ( ideally one, but I've allowed multiple answers as well ). You're also free to add comments at the results page if you want.  Let's see how it tallies up at the end of the week.


My Web Poll



How do you prefer to read the blogs you follow ?



I have them delivered to my email.
I place all of them in a RSS feed reader.
I go directly to the blogs I follow once I see a new update.
My butler reads them to me in a British accent while I sip pina-coladas from a carved coconut.
 Current Results


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Within that inch, we are free...

October 14, 2012, 1:12 pm
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You shot a small girl because she felt she deserved the right to study.
You shot her because you felt that her concept of secularism was a crime.
You strongly believe that what you are doing is going to get you into heaven because it is the will of God. You still bay for her blood as she struggles on ventilatory support in an ICU. 



Rape. Plunder. Pillage. Beheading. 
Everything is justified, after all, once you add the phrase 'It's written in the Holy Book.' That's been the excuse of humanity across all religions long before we learnt to even make those bullets you used. Why should we learn from other's mistakes, right ?


And thus I clothe my naked villainy
With old odd ends, stolen forth of holy writ;
And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.
- William Shakespeare, Richard III

I'm sorry if I'm quoting humans while you quote God. The fact is, I can't play religious antakshari with you. You can instantly quote paragraphs, page numbers and verses ad verbatim. Apparently, the fact that you are an index and glossary combined of a single book makes you more religious and hence more likely to get into heaven. Me. I'm just a normal guy who knows shooting a child is bad, irrespective of religion. 
But, like you, I do believe in some quotes above others. Like the ones below which I would like to share with you.

"Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all we really have. 
It is the very last inch of us, but within that inch, we are free."
"I shall die here. Every inch of me will perish. Every inch but one. 
An inch... It is small, and fragile, and it is the only thing in the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us. 
I hope that, whoever you are, you escape this place. 
I hope that the world turns and things get better. 
But I hope most of all that you understand that even though I will never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you, I love you. 
With all my heart, I love you."


This is not from any religious book handed down from thousands of years ago. 
It is from a slightly more recent book. I want to say a graphic-novel but it wouldn't make sense to you. So let me make it easier for you.
A comic book. It's from a comic book.
And you know what's funny ? I believe, with all my heart, that the simple lesson from this comic book is more likely to get me closer to God than any interpretation of religion you will ever conceive of in your demented minds.
A 14 year old girl stood up to you for three years and did not give up on what she knew was her right - the freedom of education and the freedom to love all mankind. She lived alongside monsters but did not flinch. She and her classmates showed the world what generations of your fanatic kind could not - the value of integrity. 

You shot a small girl for going to school. It made you think you won because you silenced her. That's funny. Because the same comic has another quote that I think you will find suits you more as the days pass by and your own allies turn against you. 
Like you, it involves a person with a gun shooting someone point-blank and yet not being able to kill them.






Creedy :  Die! Die! Why won't you die! Why won't you die?








You shot a small child. You may or may not have killed her. But you will never be able to kill the idea she instilled - of courage,  of justice... of how to defeat you. 
In the days to come, you will find that it is not your misguided religious interpretations but my dusty old comic book which will prevail.
In the days to come, while you are being hunted down one by one, you will find that it isn't God but doubt and fear that will be your only companion.
In the days to come, you will find that by pressing the trigger on one small girl, you revealed to everyone that which you were so desperate to hide and which a small girl knew all along - how irrelevant your ideals truly are. 

And oh yes, in the days to come, you will be forced to face one more bitter truth.
That. Ideas. Are. Bulletproof.


Addendum :
( 10 November 2012 ) : I was proven right. None other than the United Nations has declared November 10 as 'Malala Day' worldwide to honour this girl's courage to stand up for the basic right to education.

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How to save someone who is choking on a foreign body

November 1, 2012, 9:00 am
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A month back, we had discussed about the basic life saving measures when you come across an unresponsive child. Today, we'll deal with something you and I have seen many a time on the big screen in slapstick comedies but is, in fact, no laughing matter.

Choking.

Choking is defined as the inability to breathe due to obstruction of the trachea. It is a medical emergency as the obstruction prevents air from entering the lungs. If this obstruction cannot be relieved, the lack of oxygen will eventually lead to death.
While choking may also occur due to allergic reactions, infections or sleep apneoa, here we're going to be discussing the most common cause which you, as the public, can treat - choking after swallowing an object.
Every year, nearly 1,00,000 people die due to accidental suffocation of food or a foreign body. Unfortunately, choking is more commonly seen in children. The usual suspects which the child maybe playing with and accidentally ingest are :

  1. Peanuts - the most common culprit.
  2. Coins
  3. Bones
  4. Buttons
  5. Pins
  6. Hair clips
  7. Marbles
  8. Seeds or nuts
Signs and Symptoms of a blocked airway :


Choking is usually a sudden event.

  • The child may desperately grab at his throat. 
  • He maybe unable to cough or have a weak cough.
  • He won't be able to speak or cry out.
  • As oxygen-lack sets in, his face will turn blue and he may lose consciousness.






What should you do if you find a person choking on a swallowed object :

A one word answer which I guess most of you will confidently yell is - The Heimlich maneuver (HM, from here on). 
Good. But how do you perform the HM ?
For the sake of clarity, we'll discuss this under five separate categories :
  1. Adults
  2. Children more than 1 year of age.
  3. Infants ( less than 1 year of age. )
  4. Pregnant women / Obese people.
  5. If you start to choke when you are alone.
In all cases, if the person is able to speak or cough forcefully, do not forcefully attempt the HM on the person. But do keep a strict eye on him as unsuccessful attempts could lead to rapid deterioration and require your active assistance.


1. Adults :
This wonderful illustration does all my work for me : giving a visual idea as well as directions.




2. Children greater than 1 year 
The same steps apply as in the case of adults with the single change that you may need to kneel to get your hands at the same level of the child's abdomen.



3. Infants ( less than 1 year )
This is slightly more tricky. It involves a bit of tricky maneuvering of the infant and two separate actions.

a) Back slaps.

Kneel or sit and place the infant in your lap.Look at the picture clearly.


Note how we've turned the infant's face downwards while also giving support to the head. Be careful not to inadvertently apply pressure on the neck while doing this.
Also note how you can support both your hand and the infant with your lap by sitting down.
Give up to 5 back slaps between the infant's shoulder blades with enough force to dislodge the foreign body. 
If it hasn't dislodged, you move to Step B.


  • Turning the child over is gonna be tricky. I still need to focus intently while 'turning' patients over following surgeries on their backs so I can imagine how tense it can be when you're trying to save a choking child. Remember that hand you gave the back slaps with ? Place that hand over the child's back, supporting even the head. The child is now sandwiched between both your hands and with one palm supporting the face and the other supporting the back of the head, turn him over. 


  • Sadly, there isn't time to congratulate yourself for safely turning the infant over. Again, support the child with your arm and thigh and place the head lower than the trunk. Give 5 quick downward thrusts ( 1 per second ) over the lower part of the breastbone. Repeat until the infant spits out the object or becomes unresponsive.



4. Pregnant women /Obese people
Instead of abdominal thrusts as seen in HM, deliver chest thrusts.


5. What if you are alone and accidentally start choking on a chicken bone ?

Remember the steps of the HM ? You may need to perform it on yourself if you are alone. Find a surface you can lean forward on ( eg : a chair ) and after positioning your hands as mentioned earlier, give rhythmic forceful thrusts. 

What happens if your attempts have been unsuccessful and the child becomes unconscious ?
Remember the C-A-B of saving a life. This is one scenario where you have to apply it. Call for help and start compressions. When you open the airway to deliver breaths, check if you can visualise the foreign body. If yes, remove it. Otherwise continue till help arrives or the child regains consciousness.


I'd be more than happy to answer any doubts you have on the topic. Till then, stay safe.



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The Legend of the Malabar Vampire

November 8, 2012, 8:58 pm
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You are probably more familiar with the term 'vampire', the most famous being the legend of Count Dracula of Romania. There are variations of this legend spread all across the globe, ranging from Portugal, Malaysia, Arabia, Russia and even Scotland. But are you aware of the fact that India has had it's own vampire tale since many centuries, long before we had any form of communication with the above mentioned countries ?  In the southern state of Kerala, specifically the Malabar region, lies the origin of the infamous 'lady in white' from our movies, also known as the 'Yakshi'. 

According to folklore, the Yakshi appears as a beautiful woman who seduces lonely travellers at night. Dressed in a white sari with her hair loose and flowing in the wind, she stops them with a simple request for lime for her betel nut. From there, she uses her guile to seduce him with the promise of further pleasures and gets him to follow her to her palace. The fate awaiting the poor traveller is sadly more gruesome. The palace is, in fact, the palm tree where she resides and once there, the yakshi assumes her dreadful form of jet black eyes and elongated bared canines before proceeding to devour the man. The only remains that would be found in the morning are the leftovers at the base of the tree - the victims hair, teeth and nails.
So how were travellers warned to identify a Yakshi ? 


Is this a Yakshi ?


Well, close but no. You see, 
the real Yakshi is a good actress.



Anyway, before it's too late and you find yourself falling for her charms, take a good look at her feet - After all, we all know 'The devil wears Prada'. 
No, I was just kidding. The Yakshis feet apparently do not touch the ground even when they walk, according to legend. Of course, a more unique characteristic is the scent of the woman. Legend has it that the body of the Yakshi has the very distinctive fragrance of a particular flower, Astonia scholaris. The regional name, Yakshippala, is in fact derived from the legend of the Yakshi. Any guesses for what the flowers are called in English ? *drum roll* 

Indian devil-tree flowers ! 




Yes, I can see you're shocke... SALMAN !! C'mon !
There should be a basic reason for removing your shirt !
Even the monkey's keeping his on !!



While the description of the large canines may seem common to all evil spirits, there is another feature of this folklore that remarkably links it closer to the ancient legend of the vampire. Like the first legends of vampires in Romania, the Yakshi too can be warded off by iron. In fact, as per folklore, many scholars would offer the lime stabbed onto the tip of their iron pen called Ezhuthani, which they used for writing on palm leaves in the earlier days. Even today, superstitious travellers of the Malabar region of Kerala still carry a small iron pocket-knife as part of their belief to protect them from Yakshis.


Yakshi statue in Malampuzha Garden.
 (Let's avoid any comments on 
trimmed bushes, shall we ?)


As per the Malabar folklore, women who suffered an unnatural end would stay back on Earth as Yakshis. Exorcisms were aplenty in those days and the evil spirit would be 'nailed to the nux vomica tree' with iron nails. Should the nails be accidentally removed, the yakshi would be freed to feast once more upon poor travellers. There are many individual tales of encounters with yakshis. The most infamous of them all is of Kalliyankattu Neeli in a forest called Kalliyankadu to whose beauty not even the most pious of brahmins were immune. 


A final point to ponder is on how legends scattered across such diverse parts of the globe from centuries ago could have such close similarities with that of a small state of India. 


  •  Like the Yakshis of Kerala, the vampires  Bruxsa ( Portugal ) , the Baobhan Sith ( Scotland ) and Dearg-due ( Ireland ) were also similar in appearance and went after lonely men at night. 
  • Unlike the Yakshis and Pontianak ( Indonesia ), the Baobhan Sith and the Langsuir ( Malaysia ) prefer green attire to white in their folklore.  
  • Eerily, our own Yakshi shares her love for floral fragrance with that of the Pontianak, albeit a different flower ( the plumeria ) . 
  • The Yakshi shares one other significant similarity with the Bruxsa, Boabhan Sith and the original vampire tale – they are all vulnerable to iron.


So that's your 'How to avoid getting seduced and eaten by an Indian Vampire 101' class for the day. Stay safe... and carry an iron pen, men !



         
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Make a chit

November 16, 2012, 10:55 am
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Take a small piece of paper. 


Write down, in no particular order, ten memories of your life that always bring a smile to your face. 
You can write it in any language, use codewords, symbols which only you know or draw smiley faces, if you wish. 
You can write about your first kiss, a moment with your parents, the school picnic you went to with your friends or the moment you woke up after two days of sickness to find your pet dog at your bedside worried about you. It could be a memory of an sms chat with a crush that lasted all night or that party where you had a vodka too many and sang to your hearts content. It can be an exam you topped or a cultural program you participated in. 

Now, take that piece of paper and fold it carefully and keep it safe in your purse/wallet. 
Don't tell me what you wrote. It is yours and yours alone to cherish.
Go back to whatever you were doing. 

You may not always have the best of times. You may not always have your closest friends to talk to while you lie awake at 2 am in the morning. You may feel alone even in a crowd of a hundred peers.  

Don't let your insecurities slowly destroy you. 
You have an inbuilt treasure-trove of happy pills that can get you through your worst insecurities : precious moments and fond memories. 

Memories that remind you of how good things have been in your life. Memories of times you felt everything was right with the world. Moments where you  had the most fun when you least expected it. Moments that you need to remember once more to instill in yourself the belief that in spite of how bad things seem, happiness is right around the corner.

But, as is common with us all, we tend not to think of our best moments during our times of despair. 

Hence, the need for this chit. 
Remember those small white pieces of paper that 'we' may have made to 'jog our memory' through a tough exam ? That's all this is. Only this time the exam is the very realistic game of life and many people tend to give up when they find the questions too tough to handle. Turns out, just like in those earlier days, a chit could prove mighty handy in real life too.

You may not need the chit today. Touchwood, you may never need the chit at all. 
But someday in the future, if you find yourself down and wondering how this isn't the life you dreamt of, it is always helpful to have this chit around. 
When you feel that insecurity or inner suffering creep in, take out your purse/wallet and randomly read any one of the points you have written. 
Remember the reason you wrote it in that list.  
And smile again.


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Year 7 - Be a Rainbow in someone else's cloud

November 23, 2012, 6:11 am
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“I may not have gone where I intended to go, 
but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” 
― Douglas Adams.


Tony Blair. Dubyaman. Mangal Pandey. Salaam Namaste. Batman Begins. Revenge of the Sith.  'Don't cha wish your girlfriend...'. John Cena winning his first WWE World Championship belt.

That's how old this blog is.
Godyears turns 7 years old this month-end. That's a long time by any standards.



7 years. A rainbow cake seemed appropriate.


Statistically speaking :
Year 5 - 2 blogs, 322 posts, 3333 comments, 072702 page views. 
Year 6 - 2 blogs, 361 posts, 3990 comments, 100908 page views and 6 published stories.
Year 7 - 3 blogs, 432 posts, 5936 comments, 143942 page views and 10 published stories.


It has been an eventful year, not just for me but for the blog as well. 
If ever there was a case of the creation carrying the creator through a tumultuous year, this was it. There have been awesome highs and crazy lows too.
Some of Year 7's best moments undoubtedly were :
  • Returning back to the hospital I literally lived in for 3 years, now as a guest as I attended a book conference as a co-author. ( Note to self : Scratch off bucket list )
  • Ridiculous as it sounds, I was chosen as a Premium Blogger of India ( Top 10 ) by Blogadda. I'm still waiting for their call telling me 'Really ! You thought we were serious ?!"
  • More stories got published, both online and in print. That was heartening - I needed to prove to myself that it wasn't a flash in the pan.

Be a rainbow in someone else's cloud
 - Maya Angelou

More importantly, I finally embraced change. 
From the starting posts in 2005 till 2011, there were umpteen warning signs of me being a doormat and letting people walk all over me. I was too busy thinking of everyone else's opinion of me and being a people pleaser. 
That changed over the last year. 
I consciously turned my back on dozens of fair-weather friends who I always knew were using me but just didn't want to disappoint. 

Instead this year, I made a conscious effort to be there for those who I felt needed me genuinely. Many were too low or depressed to seek help and were turning away from their friends. I recognised the symptoms easily : it's what I've done in the past. 

It was important for me to show them that, irrespective of the insults and lies being said about them, there was someone who still remembered they were good at heart and wasn't going to be swayed by the manipulation of wealth and frauds. 

And it has borne fruit - while many of their ships still sail through turbulent waves, they now know to laugh and see the bright side... to see the frustration behind their enemies taunts... to believe in themselves again. They know that if one guy believes in them, there will be others around as well. New blogger buddies, friendships that were lost over years and some which were never really close while we stood beside each other have strengthened over this year and hopefully, these bonds I cherish will last once the waves subside. 


Luckily for me, to balance the serious tones of Godyears 7.0 , there was also The Appletini, which is my holiday retreat from the real world. Filled with trivia on movies, actors, books and music, it's probably the only place where you're gonna have HellBoy, Mohanlal, Phil Collins and Denzel Washington all at the same place. Oh, that reminds me, I also got to meet some Mallu and Bollywood movie stars in real life ( but more on that another day. ) 


Me with Elvis. Yes, the King is alive. He's just in hiding.

Anyway, if the Mayans and aliens don't get us all in the coming month, here's looking forward to a brand new year of fun, laughter, insights and opinions. 
Cheers everyone. Keep blogging. The way things are going, bloggers and tweeters maybe the only sane voices this country has soon.

P.S. Nowadays, it's become popular to put up a teaser for a movie trailer - a trailer for the trailer, basically. If you want a teaser of what's coming up in year 8 of Godyears, well -  here's a hint. 

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Let's talk about (safe) sex, baby !

December 2, 2012, 7:37 pm
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"...we all know how and where babies come from, thanks in no small part to our parents and Cartoon Network : storks deliver them when mommy and daddy love each other. While these storks tend to be really busy in our beloved nation, sometimes we would just prefer that the storks took their own sweet time and circled around the block before they visited us..."

"The reasons stated against using birth control are aplenty and even bizarre at times : I want a boy/ I want a girl / I want a sister for my son/ I want a brother to look after the sister who will look after her younger brother/ No one else in my family uses protection / It's against my religion / How to tell him to use a condom / My mother told me not to use anything..." 

Maithili of Darlings of Venus invited me back for another guest post ( talk about a glutton for punishment ! ) after my first post for pregnant women. This time around, it's something simpler but still considered taboo in our prudish society - the options for contraception for women in India today. For me, I don't see the point in adding religious, social or cultural hues to what is basically a woman's choice, a couple's decision and more importantly, essential knowledge.  

So keeping that in mind, here is the first part of my guest post on the options a couple have for birth control in India..


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After all this time ? Always...

December 5, 2012, 11:49 pm
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Warning : Nerd alert.

Fellow (old time) blogger Nisha had commented on her opinion of Jab Tak Hain Jaan and how it failed to move her. After seeing the movie, I have to say I agree with her. A lot of people online talk of how awesome a love story it is. Try to talk about the most basic flaws ( the very premise for the couple's separation and the 'cure' for the second twist ) and they say - it's Bollywood. This is acceptable.
Only it isn't acceptable. 

I can accept that a man turns into a green raging monster called the Hulk.
I can accept that an ordinary guy finds out he may be the messiah within the Matrix and perform gravity defying acts.
I can accept that a guy is soon going to come from the planet Krypton wearing a blue superhero outfit ( though I am still skeptical after all these years as to why he wears red underwear on top of his blue outfit )

I can accept these simply because there is an explanation for these events within the given storyline of the above movies which claims to be about people with super powers. But in a normal every day world, I don't see how you can ignore such basic flaws of depicting love, especially when 90% of the Bollywood movies deal with love stories.
Which brings me to what I wanted to ask you : 
In your opinion, if you had to choose just one true expression of love ( either from a book or movie ) as an example which touched your heart the most, which would it be ?

For me, it is a very unlikely choice : a gaunt, villainous character whose motives we never trusted. A man who never got to even tell the woman he loved how he felt. A person who for six and a half books, made us and the lead protagonist hate him only to reveal at the end a stunning reversal of character. 
I am, of course, talking about Severus Snape from the Harry Potter movies. 
Having done everything possible to make us hate him ( including killing Harry's best chance of a defense against Voldemort - Professor Dumbledore ), there really was no way we could have seen redemption for him when the final book / movie released. And yet, in his final memories which he 'gave' Harry, we realise how big a sacrifice the character chose. 

Having lost his childhood love Lily to his school nemesis James Potter, he had begged Dumbledore to protect them when he knew Voldemort was after the couple. When that too had failed, Dumbledore had given him the task of surreptitiously looking after Harry and being a villain in his eyes. Dumbledore had clinically set forth a long term plan to defeat Voldemort should he return, knowing fully well that his plan would require the sacrifice of Harry Potter at some stage. 
But Snape did it for the purest reason possible - for the girl he had loved and lost. Even though Harry was a constant reminder of his loss in love, he protected him because of his love for Harry's mother, Lily. 

It is best manifested in the Patronus charms which reflect some strong emotion of the wizard who casts them. Lily's charm was a doe, reflecting her love for James ( whose Patronus was a stag ), Tonk's patronus changed into a wolf ( depicting her love for Lupin, the werewolf ). Harry's own Patronus charm was a stag, depicting his idolisation of his father. 

At moments when Harry was at his weakest, he ( and we as the reader ) would find a Patronus charm of a doe coming to his aid ( when he first faces the Dementors and later to find the sword of Gryffindor ). Like Harry, we too assumed that it was a manifestation of his late mothers Patronus in some form. It was only at the end that we realise that the doe was also Snape's Patronus. 

When Lily died, Snape's Patronus changed into a doe, depicting the strongest emotion of his heart even decades later - his selfless love for Lily. 
  
And that, for me, is the truest form of love that could be depicted. A love that lived on after losing the girl he loved to someone he hated. A love that persisted even after her death. A love he kept hidden even as he willingly allowed himself to play the villain for the public. An oath he took to look after the child of the man he hated... because he was also the son of the woman he loved. 

It is equally impactful, both in movie and text format... I still remember the audience in the theatre watching this sequence with pin-drop silence. In 7 minutes at the end of 8 movies spread across a decade, we find ourselves uncovering the biggest twist of the series - a love story that was hidden in plain sight all along.




“So the boy . . . the boy must die?” asked Snape quite calmly.
“And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. That is essential.”
Another long silence. Then Snape said, “I thought . . . all these years . . . that we were protecting him for her. For Lily.”
“We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength,” said Dumbledore, his eyes still tight shut. 
Snape looked horrified. “You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?”
“Don’t be shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?”
“Lately, only those whom I could not save,” said Snape. He stood up. “You have used me.”
“Meaning?”
“I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter’s son safe. Now you tell me you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter —”
“But this is touching, Severus,” said Dumbledore seriously. “Have you grown to care for the boy, after all?”
“For HIM?” shouted Snape. “Expecto Patronum!" 
From the tip of his wand burst the silver doe: She landed on the office floor, bounded once across the office, and soared out of the window. Dumbledore watched her fly away, and as her silvery glow faded he turned back to Snape, and his eyes were full of tears.
“After all this time?”
“Always,” said Snape.

                                 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.


For that one word at the end, Snape wins my vote for the truest form of love depicted ( both in the book and also as portrayed brilliantly by Alan Rickman in the movies. ) 

When you think of love in books/movies, which is the one character that comes to your mind ?
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An anthology of love stories by Indian authors

December 10, 2012, 9:24 am
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"We've all experienced the first flush of love and remember the lingering fragrance of it. For ages Love has remained one of the most cherished experiences that everyone wishes to live through at least once. " - Love Stories That Touched My Heart


Penguin India had held a contest earlier this year where they asked people to write a heart-warming story of love. It was to be edited by none other than Ravinder Singh, author of one of India's highest selling romance novels ( a.k.a a guy who knows what love is all about ).

Over 2000 authors submitted their visions of love, of which 25 authors were chosen. This anthology of love stories, selected and edited by Ravinder Singh, showcasing all the hues of the strongest emotion we have, releases this week and is available both in stores across India and online as well.
The Facebook page for this book is here.

P.S : Note to self
 I. Bucket-list
  I.3 Author dreams: Get published
    I.3.1 Genres to write and get published in : 
      01. Real Life... Done.
      02. Medical tales... Done.
      03. Humour... Done.
      04. Inspirational... Done.
      05. Horror... Done.
      06. Sci-fi Ninja giraffe erotica... No takers (yet)
      07. Thriller... Coming soon.
      08. Love... Coming soon Done.
   
Oh. Did I not mention it ? My story too is there in this book. And I would love to hear feedback, not just of my story, but also of the book as well. So what are you waiting for ? Click the link below and get your copies everyone.

The Flipkart link to buy it online ( at 25% off ) is here.


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Christmas Contest at Godyears

December 20, 2012, 8:13 am
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Those of you who like free prizes please raise your hand.
Good. Because that's what you stand to get from this site next week as my Christmas / New Year gift to you.



Free. Freee ! FREEEEE !!
Of course, there's a catch ( isn't there always ? ). You see you will be competing against each other in a quiz here at Godyears and there are ONLY THREEEEE of those FREEEEE prizes up for grabs. 

So without further adieu, here are the rules :



  • Who : The contest is open to everyone.
  • When : The contest begins on the 24th of December 2012* (Monday) here at the blog and ends on the 29th of December 2012 at 12pm (Saturday).
  • Category : Your quiz will be based on the insanely tough category - Nuclear Science Norse Mythology  Donkey digestive system Movie Trivia !
  • Element of surprise : The rounds of the contest will only be declared on the day of the contest.
  • Entries :
    • To ensure fairplay and that the next contestant doesn't copy your answers, do not post your entries on the blog itself. 
    • All entries should be sent via email to : pythoroshan(at)gmail.com
    • Confirm that you have sent your entries by a simple statement (mentioning possible bribes) on the contest comments section. I will acknowledge receipt of your entry at the post itself. 
  • Prizes : 
  • I   : e-gift voucher
  • worth Rs 600/- 
    • for any item in Flipkart. 
    II  : 
  • e-gift voucher 
  • worth Rs 400/- 
    • for any item in Flipkart. 
    III : 
  • e-gift voucher 
  • worth Rs 200/- 
    • for any item in Flipkart. 

  • Sponsor : All prizes are sponsored by www.Cuponation.in. CupoNation compiles the best of online discount coupon codes into one convenient and easy-to-use site, offering you access to hundreds of awesome discount coupons for some of India's most popular sites including Expedia, Myntra, HomeShop18, Snapdeal and Flipkart amongst others.

  • Winners : 
    • Winners will be declared on the 31st of December 2012. 
    • In case of a tie, the winners will take part in a fight-to-the-death using wet handkerchiefs and peacock feathers till only one champion is left standing.
    • Winners addendum :Okay. The sponsors have informed me that they have a minor issue with the above point so apparently the winners will be randomly selected by me in a fair manner. ( Note to self : Must see about ways to accept bribes. ) 
  • Judges decision will be final. 
So what are you waiting for ? Throw away your text books and take leave from your jobs - you have to start watching as many movies ( Bollywood & Hollywood ) as you possibly can so that you're well prepared for the quiz !

Be on time... and no chits. ( Use Google instead ! )

    
* - Contest dates may be rescheduled in the event of Mayan apocalypse.


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The Godyears Movie Quiz 2012

December 23, 2012, 6:16 pm
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I hope all of you had a fun weekend.
For those newcomers who want a quick review of what's going on, this is a Movie Trivia based contest running through Christmas week at Godyears.
For more details on the rules and prizes, please refer to the earlier post. 




For others, get your thinking caps on. This is where you finally prove that watching movies when you were supposed to be studying was not a waste of time ! Bluetooth, chits, phone-a-friend, Google, prayers, buying me a yellow Ferrari as a bribe are all allowed too, in case you're wondering.

This quiz consists of 3 rounds of increasing difficulty. 
Fair warning : Read the questions carefully - there maybe a hint/twist hidden in them.
 Shall we begin ?


ROUND ONE : STARTERS 
( 1 point each )



1. Kabir Bedi starred in which James Bond movie ?

2. The critically acclaimed movie, The Shawshank Redemption, is based on the novella of which famous author ?

3. Who was the British Prime Minister in the movie Love Actually ?

4. Rajesh Khanna serenaded Sharmila Tagore with the iconic 'Mere Sapnon Ki Rani' in which Bollywood movie ?

5. Which Academy Award winning actor provided the voice for the genie in the movie Aladdin ?





ROUND TWO : BUFFET TABLE 
( 1 point each )



Ah yes. Starters and soups are fine but this is where the true winners will emerge. Hidden in the table below are a whole bunch of movies - from both Bollywood and Hollywood. I'm not going to burden you with silly details like how many are there... find as many as you can.
I will say this - they are hidden in every conceivable direction : vertical, horizontal, diagonal, right to left, left to right, top to bottom, bottom to top.  


Click the picture to get the full screen version for better viewing.


6. Find the movies hidden in the maze.

In your replies, you don't have to tell me where the movies are... just write down the list of the movies you found.



 ROUND THREE : DESSERTS
( 2 points each )




7. What is the link between the following Salman Khan films : - Maine Pyaar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun!, Hum Saath Saath Hain, No Entry, Biwi No. 1 and Ready.

8. In his first appearance in a Batman movie, the DC Comicbook character Bane played a sidekick to which female villain ?


9. The strong lineup of Jackie Chan, Angelina Jolie, Gary Oldman, Dustin Hoffman and Jean Claude Van Damme have all starred together in which Hollywood movie ?

10. Who has acted in all three hit Bollywood movies : Mr India, Shahenshah and Chaalbaaz ?

11. What is Raveena Tandons' character's real name in the cult classic Andaz Apna Apna ?



12 : Identify the song.


13 : Identify the movie.



14. Identify the movie.


15. Identify the song.




The final desserts will be especially sweet for the three winners, of course. 
As mentioned earlier, the prizes are :
  • I   : e-gift voucher worth Rs 600/- for any item in Flipkart.
  • II  : e-gift voucher worth Rs 400/- for any item in Flipkart.
  • III : e-gift voucher worth Rs 200/- for any item in Flipkart.
However, for the others, you can still avail of the best online discounts available presently at sites including Flipkart, Snapdeal, Expedia, Myntra, Jabong et al, courtesy of sponsors Cuponation. 
They will keep updating new offers from all the major sites on a regular basis so you may want to bookmark them for future deals.

Regarding your submissions, please note :
  • You can only send in one entry so take your time and answer. You've got a whole week. 
  • It is not compulsary that you must answer all questions. If you feel you've done good enough to win, that's fine. No negative marks for wrong answers.
  • As our teachers always used to say, check that you've put the correct answer number.
  • Do not give your answers in the comments section or else someone else may just copy them ad verbatim. Send them directly to me at pythoroshan(at)gmail.com 
  • Instead, use the comments section to inform me that you've sent your reply to my mail... and of course, any possible bribes you may want to offer me ! I will acknowledge receipt of your answers at the comments section.
  • Last date for sending entries is 29th December 2012 (Saturday), before 12pm.
All the best... and a Merry Christmas to one and all !   


AUTHORS NOTE : WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE.


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And the Winners are...

December 29, 2012, 8:03 pm
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Hi there.
How do you feel you've done in the Quiz ? Pretty good ? Confident you've beaten the rest and taken your rightful spot as the winner of the quiz ?
Well, I hope you had fun because it was a whole lot of fun making this quiz and seeing everyone racking their brains with the buffet course. However, when it came to correcting, I have to warn you that I've been quite strict.




THE ANSWERS :
To start of, it's important to reveal the correct answers.



Before we go to the buffet round, I'll finish off the starters and desserts rounds. 
(You can find the questions here.) 

Starters ( 1 point each ) :
1. Octopussy
2. Stephen King
3. Hugh Grant
4. Aradhana
5. Robin Williams

Congrats. Everyone got the Starters right.

Dessert round (2 points each ) :
7. His name is Prem in all the movies.
8. It's Poison Ivy. I'm surprised people came up with Harley Quinn... to the best of my knowledge, Harley ( The Joker's muse/ girlfriend ) has never been represented in the movies till date. I've linked you to a clip from the movie - while watching it, remember that this is the same villain we watched in The Dark Knight Rises this year !
9. Kung Fu Panda 2. 
10. Aftab Shivdasani. Most of you got this right. Good for you ( and your Google skills ?  :D )
11. Karishma ( NOT RAVEENA !) This was a googly quite a few of you fell for. If you remember, Raveena pretends to be millionaire heiress Raveena Bajaj. The reveal leads to one of Bollywood's 'most hilarious laughing sequences' ever.




12. Kyun Chalti Hai Pawan / Na Tum Jaano Na Hum
13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
14. Sleepless in Seattle
15. Pehla Pehla pyar hai


Which brings us to the main Round - the BUFFET.




I have to be frank here on a few points 
  • I originally put in a certain amount of movies in there. By the crazy law of coincidences and serendipity, the remaining alphabets I added also formed a 'few names'. 
  • While I was not originally aware of some of those names and those movies, I have verified each new entry given by you and whichever passed the cut  has been added to the final score.
  • Verification : involved a quadruple check with imdb, rottentomatoes, wikipedia & youtube. I have been really strict in deciding which movies made the final list. Movie titles were rejected for the following reasons - 

  • Level of scrutiny :  The movie 'NO' played in 2 screens in USA in 1998, making it eligible for the list ( a similar scenario with the movie 'Bol' which did run in Indian cinemas as a Hindi film. ). 'Wine' gave me a bit of a headache as there exists no copy today of this silent era movie of 1924... but it did exist and was released in the Hollywood big screen. Adding A.I. while rejecting M.I... well, I've gone with my gut on that one.
So the big question in everyone's mind : How many movies were there ? 15... 20... 25 ?
What if I told you that even after rejecting 47 entries, there were still another 57 official Hollywood and Bollywood movies in that list ?!

That's right. 57 movies. 
I had added 37 in my list and thanks to your great efforts, another 20 were added. 




Now that you have the chit with the list AND I've removed all the other letters 
AND I've underlined the first alphabet of the word,
Can you find all of them ?




Well, that's it for answers. Now the fun part...

THE WINNERS 

One final time, a shout out with lots of gratitude to the sponsors for this contest, Cuponation. 

Notable performers out of the 25+ entries who just missed the cut (and were infact leaders at one or the other stage of the tournament) included : 

Tanushree Pillai (42), Nazneen Ali (43), 
Amit Sharma & Seena Rajesh (44), 
Jameel Sheriff (51), Prithvi Mathew & Meena Bhatnagar (53).



In 3rd place, with a score of 55/80 is Nirali Naik.

In 2nd place, with a score of 61/80 is Christopher D'Souza.



And the winner of the Godyears Movie Quiz 2012, with the 
awesome score of 67 is Shibin Girish. 
Congrats Dude. You have truly earned the Godyears Golden Ticket Laurel !



That's it from my side. All the winners will be receiving their Flipkart vouchers and a personally designed Winners badge via e-mail shortly. 

Thanks everyone for playing and making it a fun contest. I hope you had fun too. 
In many ways, it's been a nerve wracking 2012. Hopefully 2013 will bring a ray of hope and love in all our hearts. 


“It's really a wonder that I haven't dropped all my ideals, 
because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. 
Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything, I still believe 
that people are really good at heart.”  
- Anne Frank


Happy New Year everyone. 
God Bless.



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Break a nose and twist some balls, girls...

January 8, 2013, 8:22 am
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It's going to be a month since the crime. A fortnight since the death. 
Since then, I have learned the following...
  • Women should not wear makeup.
  • They should not be dented, whatever that means. 
  • No discotheques, of course.
  • Chowmein makes boys horny.
  • You should not board buses after night.
  • Girls should wear long overcoats. 
  • No coeducation.
  • Women should understand that marriage is a contract and they are allowed to be in it as long as they 'satisfy' the man. 
  • They should not cross the mythical 'Lakshman Rekha'. 
  • Western culture is to be blamed. 
  • India, not Bharat, is to be blamed. 
  • Biharis are to be blamed. 
  • If you are being assaulted, submit. 
  • Allow yourself to be assaulted so that you can still live, said one female 'scientist'. 
  • A Godman says she's to blame because no crime can take place without both parties being involved. That if she had called him Bhaiyya ( brother ), they would have stopped. 
  • One of his 5 crore posse comes on National TV and says proudly that if she had said Saraswati Mantra and boarded that bus, her inner conscience would have saved her. 
  • Another minister says she got raped because of the astrological stars.
  • Last but not least, even if you have no political influence and have admitted to the worst of crimes against women, there will be enough a$$holes ready to try to defend you by blaming the woman.


    Realize what the words above mean.
    It implies you are not supposed to study beyond a certain standard. It implies you should have no other occupation other than housewife while the man hunts and toils to bring home food for you to cook, caveman style. It implies that by your shameless act of walking out of your house, you are the initiator of your rape. 

    I don't have a miniscule fraction of the following of the big guns behind all those quotes. I don't have their bank balance, their years or their pious nature.
    But I can promise you one thing - if you allow them to continue, they will eventually make sure you are tied to the living room chair and only let out of the house on your wedding day - to be tied to the next living room chair. You tell me the girl was gang raped for two hours and 31 kms on a bus. I say you are wrong. Her character is still being raped today, long after she passed away, thanks to these idiotic people who are allowed near a mike.
    Rape. In India, it happens to small children aged 2 months and it happens to elderly women aged 65 years. The infant is too young to cry out Bhaiiya, which is of course her fault. The old woman is of course dented and not chanting the Saraswati Mantra right.   
    Stop looking at this as only one case. In the days since the Delhi rape case, another 15 females were gang raped across India. Can you remember even one of those instances ? Why not ? Are they not 'India's daughters and bravehearts' ? 

    Please look beyond the crap.
    Rape is never just about sex. It is about domination. It is about asserting one's power. It is about humiliation. The sooner you accept it, the sooner you can deal with it.

    The saddest part of this experience has been the response from the political parties we elected. 
    Neither the ruling party nor the main Opposition has been able to give a single reassuring statement. If one party chose to use tear gas and cannons before crying on national television, the other is forced to remain silent as their sex-starved bosses in shorts start preaching morality and sanskar.

    Which sanskar allows to rape a 2 month old child ? Seriously. Stop giving such idiotic views like 'She's asking to get raped.' If you guys wear tighty-whitey Jockey shorts and sit on the busiest road in Delhi, do you imagine that you will get raped by women ? No ? Why not ? Because she has sanskaar ? You just said that if she's going to work, wearing skirts and wearing makeup, she's lacking in it, remember ?

    Stop blaming women for rape. The problem isn't your penis, it's not even your fantasies... it's the need to act out on those fantasies. And that is the most disturbing aspect for me. 

    The one thing that becomes abundantly clear while glossing over old texts is that contrary to popular belief, women are not treated like Goddesses in our culture -  abduction, rape, molesting, stripping... all this is also a part of our culture. If Ram and Arjun are part of our culture, so are the scheming Kaikeyi and the lustful Dushasana. So stop looking to the past for answers, women. There are none that will comfort you. 

    Look to empower yourselves. 

    First, accept the truth. 

    • It will be ages before you change the neanderthal mindsets of those in power - be it politicians, policemen or religious leaders. Above all else, that empowers those who seek to rape. 
    • Rapists may be of any faith, any religion, any age and more often sadly ( as statistics show ) someone you know.
    • That doesn't change the basic fact. No one has a right to your body without your permission.No dress you wear, no time of day and no state of inebriation changes that rule.


    Second and most important - don't stay docile. 
    • They tell you to become Sita and Draupadi ? By all means, be one. But be a kickass Sita who pokes Ravan in the eyes (all 20 of them, if need be !!) and knees him in his balls. When Kunti says 'Share whatever you got with your brothers, Yudhisthra', be a Draupadi who laughs and says 'Not happening, Mrs K !'
    • Asura Baba told you to chant Saraswati Mantra. Do so if it pleases you... but I humbly request you to learn to 'SING' the Sandra Bullock Mantra as well. It certainly seems more effective and is applicable to all men.



    • Carry pocket knives. Carry pepper sprays. Make pepper sprays, if necessary.
    • Parents/ elders telling you not to go outside anymore ? Remind them of the watchman ( the guardian of the flat ) who raped the tenant in a fully occupied building. Or the woman who was raped inside a train while the other passengers watched. The old lady raped in her house. The burns patient raped in the hospital. If a person wants to rape, he will try, irrespective of the location. 
    In an ideal world, I would have never imagined asking you to trade lip gloss for pepper spray and Victorinox knives. But this is no ideal world. And this is not a country whose leaders know how to look after it's own women. 

    Thirdly, don't ostracize friends who have been manhandled/molested/raped. 
    They are not to blame for the act of rape. Not 50%, not 5%, not 0.1%. They need you more than ever now. They don't need you to take a rifle and climb onto a horse seeking revenge. They need your kind words, your hands clutching theirs and your support to get them through it. 
    Three of the sweetest, gentlest women I've known in my life were all victims of sexual crimes. They still wake up in cold sweats and nightmares, even decades later. Their stories were hushed up by them or their families, the assailants not even charged. They remain victims forever while their assailants are happily married and doting husbands and of course 'respected members of society'.

    I don't want any girl to suffer the nightmares they live with, but sadly, not being raped is turning into a luxury in our country now.

    So if you find yourself in danger, girls... break a nose and twist a ball. 
    And remember your Sandra Bullock Mantras... Solar plexus, Instep, Nose, Groin   


    Authors note : This note has been stuck in my draft box a long time now. It was originally a lot longer and perhaps a lot more vile. Like most of the public, I too wanted to vent out my anger at the system and the comments but then I decided - there's no point talking of what an imbecile Abhijit is or how no doctor who worked in an ICU can be convinced the girl was sent to Singapore for medical reasons. 
    The fact is the system failed. The fact is the future doesn't look bright for women in general - both the ruling and Opposition party have their share of cavemen and even rapists. Waiting for them to make laws isn't going to change anything. It's time to make the change yourselves. Don't let people victimize you. Because given the chance, they will gleefully take it - whether they are 17 year old juveniles in a bus or neighbours left around an innocent 3 month old child. 


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    Movie Review : Zero Dark Thirty

    January 18, 2013, 6:35 pm
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    For those who don't know, Zero Dark Thirty is the tale of how Osama Bin Laden (OBL) was found and killed. If only it were that easy to describe it.

    While dealing with a real-life event of this magnitude, there is so much that can go wrong : you can end up making it look like a documentary / you could make it an action thriller / you can show everything as black-and-white with pious good guys and evil bad guys.


    ZD30, directed by Kathyrn Bigelow, smartly avoids all that and still gives you a wonderfully engaging movie. The film follows the exploits of CIA analyst Maya ( Jessica Chastain ) as she tracks down lead after lead and interrogates suspect after suspect in her singular obsession with killing OBL following the events of 9/11. After a decade of failure at every level, when an old lead resurfaces, she finds she has even more trouble, both from foreign allies as well as her own, to convince them of her reasoning.


    Like certain other movies like Zodiac, Watchmen, V for Vendetta etc, this movie will polarize it's viewers : you either come out loving it or hating it.
    To me, ZD30 is one of the best examples of 'the thrill of the chase' genre of movies. The main headlining event of the movie (  the attack and death of OBL ) lasts about 30 minutes in a 150 minute movie. But long before the DEVGRU special forces' helicopters lift off from their base, I was ready to give my thumbs up review. Even though the major part of the first half is behind claustrophobic office doors or illegal prisons, you do not find yourself bored for even a second.

    Right from the chilling portrayal of the event of 9/11 ( a blank screen with the victims phone recordings overlapping each other till all goes static ) to the amazingly stifling portrayal of Pakistan as we've never seen before on celluloid ( Was it shot in India? I am curious. ), director Kathyrn Bigelow is at her best.
    It helps that she has hand-picked one of Hollywood's best up and coming talents in the wiry Jessica Chastain ( equally impressive earlier in 'The Help', 'Take Shelter' and due next in the Guillermo Del Toro horror thriller 'Mama' ). The character of Maya starts off appalled over the torture/humiliation meted out to the terrorists captured, but quickly learns the tricks of the trade as her obsession takes over.
    You have many other actors ( James Gandolfini, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke ) with significant forms of support and resistance to the chase, but in the end, it is still Maya's doggedness that stands out as watches her friends retire, reassign themselves or get killed over the years.

    You get to see a behind-the-scenes look at newspaper headlines that covered a decade, now told from a more coherent point of view. The camera is surprisingly unsympathetic to the Americans themselves, showcasing some debasing forms of torture ( waterboarding,  stripping the detainee in front of others, locking them inside small boxes ) while also handsomely bribing those who can be of use. Tracking a story from Saudi Arabia to Washington to Kuwait, Afghanistan and finally a nerve-wrecking final hour in Pakistan, credit must go to the writer Mark Boal for keeping the viewer engaged as the cat-and-mouse game progresses and lives are lost with each day the analysts fail to find OBL.
    Even though you know how the raid will end, it is still mesmerising to watch it from a first hand point of view as it occurs. The attention to detail once we enter Abbottabad is simply amazing and based on all available reports of the actual site and event apparently.


    Kathryn Bigelow won her first Oscar (defeating her ex-husband James Cameron's 'Avatar') for The Hurt Locker. Personally, I found this a lot more engaging and thought- provoking than that movie. The controversy of whether the movie glorifies the use of torture is a moot point to me : They are depicting events as they perceive to have occurred. There is nothing to be proud of in the act itself. The means maybe underhanded and illegal but they are deemed necessary to get what they want. There are no heroes in a war like this. To me, that sounds like real-life. Perhaps that is what hurt certain viewers.

    On a final personal note, I found the Oscar nominations this year ridiculous. To even remotely suggest that there were 5 directors who did a better job than Kathryn Bigelow (and Hollywood's chocolate boy, Ben Affleck for Argo, now that I think of it) of portraying such a difficult, controversial script is simply silly. I can honestly say you will not get a more engaging, realistic and thought-provoking look into the events leading up to OBL's death than this movie.

    Going by The Appletini review system, I'm giving this movie 5 out of 5.


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    The side-effect of a perfect surgery

    January 26, 2013, 9:10 am
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    Every surgeon looks to do the perfect surgery. The desired result which he promised the patient or even better, the smile on their face as they leave the hospital and the words of gratitude when they come across the doctor again.
    Sometimes, however, being perfect has it's own drawbacks.

    I came across a funny incident the other day.
    A young girl had come from the Gulf along with her parents to get operated at the hospital. She had a significant strabismus / squint (a condition where the two eyes are not properly aligned). Now, the ophthalmologist did a splendid surgery and I happened to see the girl before she left the hospital and the change in appearance was remarkable. She and her parents were overjoyed with the cosmetic change.

    The patient came back a month later for her follow-up with her surgeon. And yes, her parents had a significant bone to pick with the doctor. Can you guess what it was ?
    The girl had no problems in vision. The squint had been completely corrected and there were no surgery related issues. The problem was that because of the surgery, the family was detained and not allowed to exit the airport !
    The fact is that the surgery had gone so perfectly well that the airport security in the Gulf refused to let her pass, claiming that this was definitely not the same girl in the passport picture ! The family was detained at the airport and only after an hour of cursing the surgeon and finally opening up the cardboard luggage boxes and showing a discharge summary from the hospital were they allowed to leave. The family came back to complain (not necessarily in good humour) that the surgery had gone too well. They claimed that if only the surgeon hadn't done such a good job, they wouldn't have had to go through such an embarrassing situation while returning back!

    Sigh... even perfection has it's side-effects.


       
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    Blueprint for redeeming India

    February 1, 2013, 9:41 am
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    India is going to the dogs. The stray and rabid variety.
    The sooner you accept this, the sooner we can move on with this discussion. There is no point talking about how good we are, compared to certain other neighbours or third world countries. We were supposed to be a nation on the rise. We should have been aiming for the stars, not crawling in the mud as we are presently.

    If you could choose 5 key flaws in the system and try to correct them so that India would move back towards being a 'nation we are proud of', what would you choose ? These are the five arrows in my quiver.



    1. Bring back the role of education.
    Flaw : As a doctor who spent a decade studying, I can honestly say I will never allow my children to join this field. Not that a child of mine would be that stupid, I hope. While I studied through my teens and twenties, balancing distinctions and failures, blood and bones, I come out of the operation theatre after twilight today to read more stories of uneducated '5th standard-pass goons - turned MLAs - turned MPs' cribbing about the hard earned 1000 crores in their account. 

    That's what India is today - a nation where the educated work hard to break though the middle class barrier into the higher class, while those who chose a life of violence after spurning education get chosen for the 'power' they garner via bloodshed and end up as ministers who decide my future. 
    While the young guns pass out of college and jump onto the corporate ladder, you have a bunch of rowdies with criminal sheets longer than their rifles and no educational background all turning into successful entrepreneurs after joining politics. Now tell me, why would my generation want their kids to suffer through geometry and organic chemistry when they can stop studying after learning the basic languages and become crorepatis for free ? 

    Solution : Education is the key. There is no other alternative to moving a country forward. The present bunch of politicians and their posse may have amassed in billions but they have done it at the expense of moving the nation forward. We were considered a very viable sixth superpower as the century began. Today, we are mocked at every level for our scams : from Olympic associations to mobile networks, religious intolerance to safeguarding our own soldiers and people - in every aspect, we are failing. We need to take a step back to move forward. Focus on education at the basic level. Education at a minimal cost till 12th standard for all is not impossible, not for a country which pays an actress Rs 1.4 crores to dance for eight minutes at a state sponsored show. Knowledge should be available and unbiased, focusing on individual aptitude instead of decimal point percentages. 
    Moreover, choose an apt leader based on his qualifications. Debar politicians with scandals and heinous criminal records... these people decide your fate once they sit on the chair. But till that moment when the chair is theirs, they depend on you. Vote for able educated leaders to govern you, not puppets and monsters.


    2. Res ipsa loquitor 
    Flaw : They say you shouldn't hold a trial by media. Of course it's right but sometimes you have to stop questioning just for the sake of questioning. If the ball has sailed into the top tier of the stand, the umpire doesn't need to call up the third umpire to ask if it was a four or a six. It's obvious to everyone who has seen it. 
    That, in a nutshell, is 'Res ipsa Loquitor - The thing speaks for itself'.
    These last few years, so many incidents - from the gross overcharging of items at the taxpayers expense during the Commonwealth Games to the obvious inciting of communal hatred by certain youth political leaders and obvious accumulation of wealth disproportionate to income ( where do I even begin ?! Son-in-laws, Party presidents... ) - have been obvious cases of crimes and illegal activities. Yet, the biggest leaders of the country stood behind the corrupt even in the presence of evidence. It didn't matter that they were guilty, it was just imperative to subvert justice and free them for the party's sake. IPS officers and news channels which tried to unravel the webs of deceit were coolly coerced, bribed or humiliated while we as a nation stood silently and watched.


    Solution : Make people accountable for their crimes. Fast track cases of relevance and ensure justice befitting the crime. Postponing cases, tampering with evidence or trying to subvert justice should be dealt with severely. The law and it's suave younger brother, the CBI, cannot belong to a political party in power. They are for the nation. The present generation knows they can't turn to the law for justice because money and power talk more clearly than silly facts. That is the point where the iron must strike the anvil. Restore faith in the system. Show that you are not afraid to prosecute the influential. Let the people of India know that in this country, given the choice between two young girls asking a simple question on Facebook and ministers inciting riots, it REALLY IS the latter who will be behind bars and not the former.    



    3. Grow up.
    Flaw : Vishwaroopam. Salman Rushdie. M F Hussain. Mangalore. Guwahati. New Delhi. Kolkata. 
    I'm tired of every unsolicited goon jumping up to defend my culture and freedom by attacking fellow Indians. Intolerance is on the rise. The victim and simultaneous antagonist is apparently our culture. There are groups which name themselves after a few religious titles and therefore become authentic judges of evil. They protect us Indians every day... from couples kissing, from paintings and books we will never see or read in real life. They descend upon us in hordes - our saviours - and beat, molest and humiliate young impressionable minds for being in love or having a thought different from theirs. They are offended when Hrithik kissed Ash in a movie, when a movie title had the word 'Barber' in it and when King Akbar was wrongly represented because Akbar was our chaddi-dost, I guess. 

    Solution : Do you really see a young couple kissing or giving Valentine's Day cards as a crime similar to 40 people molesting a girl ? Can anyone tell me (without the aid of Google ) the colour palette of the nude Goddess paintings that so offended your religion, the verses so vile that fatwas sprouted faster than chickpeas ? 

    Stop living in the past and grow up. The world is changing. Moral culture wasn't supposed to be a bad word. Definitely we have a fair bit to learn from our past, but we were never perfect. I would much rather live in a world where there was a crime of too much love and affection than one where hatred, intolerence and violence predominated. 
    For that the next generation has to stand up for their rights. You can't get cowed down because a set of 20 fanatics scream 'shame'. Fight for your rights. If the police side with them, go higher up. Force the issue. Because the law is on your side. A bunch of illiterates win because they aim to humiliate you. Once before, they got their just returns when a budding fanatic was sent thousands of pink chaddis ( including one specially sent from yours truly. ) That single act shut down his power struggle and rendered him inconsequential. 
    Don't take your freedom lightly. Yesterday, it was somebody else on the streets. Tomorrow, it maybe you in your living room.


    4. 'Health is wealth', not 'health requires wealth'.
    Flaw : While I am actively against the demonisation of Indian doctors, I have always said that many do suffer a bad name for the sins of the few. I cannot pretend that patients don't get turned away from hospitals for want of cash. I cannot pretend that female foeticide does not occur. Medical malpractise. Others horrible sins. But at what level can change begin ?

    Solution : We need a system of healthcare for all in India, akin to Obamacare. I know there are many flaws to it, but as a layperson you do not see what I and my colleagues see every day - poor, malnourished mothers with no food for themselves, begging us to somehow do something and procure the medicines for their children. It's not fair to us as Indians to have to watch fellow Indians die because they couldn't get saline (purified salt and water). The balance between hospitals needing to make a profit to survive and patients who lose the love of their lives because of a few fifty rupees ... it is one every hospital faces. 
    Yet, never do I see any political party focus on healthcare for the nation. Everyone is too busy playing mosque-temple-mosque while people are dying. Demand that your local MLAs take a stern message to his higher-ups asking for 'standard yet economical' health care for you. As we saw in the tragic Delhi rape case, only when you stand up for your basic rights will the system bother to change. Your health is not just about eating apples and oranges... it is also about surviving accidents and unforeseen illness. With a feasible healthcare plan, patients don't have to be taxed by the exorbitant doc fees they fear and doctors don't have to worry about whether a patient will get the basic medication that can save them.


    5. Learn to respect women.
    Flaw :  One thing that the recent infamous Delhi case did was it brought out the aging weevils in the woodwork. From 'painted and dented' to 'call me Bhaiyya, I won't rape you', all manner of creatures found their way to the front of a microphone. The sad part ? It revealed the mindset not just of the individual, but of a large section of India. Everyone, in the end, wanted the caged woman, locked in their house away from others gazes while making rotis and fanning the husbands as they watched cricket matches. People used terms like 'Lakshman Rekha' to blame the girl. Inner conscience. Wear burqas. 

    Solution : It isn't fair that we should ask women to defend themselves. This is a free democracy. When people say famous Indian women, it shouldn't be about Indira Gandhi and Rani of Jhansi anymore. It definitely shouldn't be about Sita and Draupadi. Move on. We had astronauts, CEOs, world champions in various athletic events, internationally acclaimed directors, authors and artistes. They brought respect to us. Being a woman in India isn't about being equated with Durga or Kali. 
    Just because it means they can't be there to mollycoddle you or tell you constantly how awesome you are (the way your mommy used to) doesn't make them 'impure' or 'dented' as some idiots say. If anything, it makes them more awesome, because they are now handling more on their platter than the generation before them. It is frankly unbelievable and appalling that in 2013, we are still debating on issues like how women wearing jeans or chatting on mobile phones makes them less pure than a generation before them - you think illicit relationships, runaway brides and illegitimate children never used to occur before we were born ? Seriously ? Change your mindset. If the evil is in our mind, asking the girl to cover herself up in meters of saris or burqa isn't the solution. Changing our mentality of what the modern woman is and can be - that's where we win the battle.


    I believe these 5 points ( Education. Justice. Sensibility. Health. Equality ) are key for India to move forward again from the purgatory we are in presently. Hopefully, someday I will get to see that India as well.

    This post is a part of Weekend contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Chanakya's New Manifesto
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    Love is...

    February 10, 2013, 11:18 am
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    One of the earliest comics that I remember seeing in the newspapers alongside Garfield, Peanuts, Hagar the Horrible and Phantom was an innocuous single panel strip called 'Love is'. It always started the same way : The words 'Love is' would be written on the top corner followed by a drawing of a sweet childish couple in the centre and the end of the phrase at the bottom. I'm sure many of you have seen it too.

    Seems like a one-trick pony, doesn't it ? I mean, how long could you possibly keep 'filling' the phrase 'Love is', right ?
    Well, a lot more than you can imagine. You see, the 'Love is' strip has in fact been running in print since January 1970. 

    But do you know the love story behind these cartoon strips is just as inspiring as it's sweet words ?



    As a teenager, New Zealand born Kim Grove used to draw these cartoon figures based on love letters she had written... to a husband she had not even met ! When she did meet the love of her life in '67, Italian Robert Casali, he proved to be the perfect inspiration, encouraging her to consider a wider audience for the cute cartoons she drew at the end of their love letters. The comic strip was well received right from the start and achieved almost instant international success, thanks in no small measure to the release of the 1970 iconic movie, Love Story, at roughly the same time. Though there was no relation between the comic and the movie, the theme of love and it's many hues was felt across hearts in love, worldwide. 


    Now, here's where fate played it's hand, seeking it's own cruel inspiration from the above mentioned movie. When the artist Kim did marry Robert in 1971, he asked her what she wanted. With the memory of her late father in her mind, she told him 'Whatever you do, don't die on me.' 


    Four years later, Robert was diagnosed with late stage testicular cancer. Less than a year later, at the age of 31 years old, he passed away.


    But even death is not the end of this love story.

    In December 1975, four months before his death, Robert Casali would ask her what she wanted for Christmas. Kim told him that she didn't want diamonds, she just wanted a baby ( they had two children already). In July 1977, sixteen months after he passed away, the 'miracle' child, Milo Roberto was born to her. 
    Knowing that they had very little time left, the couple had stored his sperm in a sperm bank before he died. With the aid of artificial insemination, Robert Casali had become a father more than a year after his death. 

    Kim's actions were met with anger by those in power, with even the Vatican condemning her act of having the man's child after he was dead. Lawyers and  barristers screamed foul, claiming that her child had no right to her husband's inheritance and actually demanded that Parliament decide the future of her baby. 

    With both religion and the law cursing her, this single mother of three would find courage not just from within, but from a source she perhaps didn't count on - the thousands of letters of support from people she had never met but who had been inspired to love via her comic. Eventually, the church and the lawyers had no other option than to leave her alone as they, the final authorities in all matters, simply couldn't compete with the power of love, both within her and the public.  

    Kim never married again, devoting her life to looking after her family till she passed away in 1997. Her comic, 'Love is...' continues to this day in more than two dozen languages across thousands of newspapers, spreading a message of love  that originated from a young girl's love letters in 1967.

     "Milo is here because of the love of his mother and father. 
    If that is judged wrong, the world has lost its sense of proportion. "
    - Kim Casali


    Today, artificial insemination is considered routine. But back in her day, Kim had to go against the government and religious heads for what she did. She stood her ground against tremendous odds and fought for the one thing she believed in - her love for her husband and their dream of having another child. There is an obvious lesson in there for us too.

    You and I, we live in a world that has seen nearly 38 summers since Kim asked her husband for another child. We live in a country that wants to be a super power and knows to fly rockets into space but doesn't know how to respect people in love. 
    We find endless reasons to prevent that emotion from developing - caste, creed, bank balance, western influence, too young, too old, eating habits, height, weight, astrology. 

    None of this will matter unless there is love and respect in the relationship... it's not a western thought... it's just logic. 

    Love. 
    In that one word, even without me having to say anything more, you have already revisited memories of your life. They maybe sweet or bitter, bring a smile to your face or place a weight on your heart, depending on the final outcome. But as I always believe, it isn't the destination that matters but the journey... not whether there was a happily ever after, but whether your heart has lived and experienced the magic of love.

    Celebrate your love this year rather than sitting in fear of what the world or fanatics think. If your past experiences have been bitter, take it as a lesson learned and open your heart once more. Someone, somewhere is waiting to fall in love with you. 
    Couples in love, take the time out to think of how you'll surprise your loved one and make him/her feel special... at least for the 24 hours of Valentines, if not the whole year !  

    Because when the journey is over, you will find that the moments you were happiest were when you were truly in love.  Be remembered for the love you inspire, both in your own heart and in those who care for you.

     





    Happy Valentines Week, everyone.












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    Comedy Sitcoms to rival FRIENDS

    February 25, 2013, 2:41 am
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    A couple of days ago, I was discussing tv sitcoms with a friend and she said something which I totally disagreed with.
    "No matter what you say Roshan, the fact is that there hasn't been a comedy sitcom half as good as FRIENDS in the last decade."

    Apparently, it was a popular opinion online as well. But I'm not quite as convinced as you all. 

    You realise that it is nearly 19 years since Ross, Rachel and  company first appeared on television ? Granted it was an iconic show and had tremendous ratings, but have there really been no other comedy shows that you felt deserved as much applause ( if not more ) as FRIENDS ?

    For the consideration of all those who feel that FRIENDS is the beginning and end of all Tv sitcoms in the last two decades, I would like to suggest a few ( in no particular order ) that bring a smile to my face even today when I come across them.  




    01. 30 Rock
    • After a first season that played midway between comedy and depicting the hardships of being a woman in a man's world of producing TV shows, luckily 30 Rock embraced it's silliness outright and went on to be comedic gold. 
    • Tina Fey as the dorky Liz Lemon, Alec Baldwin as her mentor and die-hard Republican Jack Donaghy, Tracy Morgan and Jane Krakowski as the most overbearing celebrity TV actors you will ever find.
    • Rapid-fire wit with a no holds barred attitude. 




    2. Will and Grace 
    • Gay lawyer. Jewish woman. Rich drunk socialite. Gay dancer/actor. Every possible stereotype you could think of was there and the humour bordered from plain funny to downright naughty.
    • A show where the funniest stars were ironically the friends of the two title characters.
    • Was one of the biggest victims of the FRIENDS juggernaut. Deserved better.

     3. Arrested Development
    • The smartest and most underrated comedy of the last decade.
    • Depicts the life of the most dysfunctional family you will ever meet. 
    • After the head of the family is arrested, the prodigal son is forced to take over. The biggest problem for his family's success sadly... is his family !
    • Drawback : I get why people who see one or two episodes would not get much of the humour. The fact is, you need to watch it the way I eventually did : the entire three seasons together. That's when you grasp the brilliance of the script-writers who make even seemingly small events from the first few episodes have a massive significance as the show goes on. 
    • Not laugh-out-loud funny. More of the "Heh. That was cool" variety.

    4. Modern Family
    • One of the better comedies of the last few years, giving a mock-documentary style peek into the lives of three inter-linked families.
    • Again, not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny.
    • High feel-good factor. Also tries ( and often succeeds ) in sneaking in a few life-lessons.
    • To get an idea of their sense of humour, check out this hilarious skit they put up for the Emmy awards 'depicting' the most evil star of the show. Hilarious. 

     5. Two and a Half Men
    • Salman Khan is to Bollywood what Charlie Sheen is to Hollywood. He just has to be there, playing himself. 
    • When you come down to it, the show is basically about a rich boozing womanizer and his brother and nephew who stay with him. But you still watch it for Charlie Sheen. 
    • His 'death' on the show pretty much killed the show as well. Sorry Ashton Kutcher.

     6. Two Broke Girls
    • The storyline revolves around two girls trying to make a success out of their dream of a cupcake franchise.
    • It works because of Kat Dennings devil-may-care attitude ( which will make the puritans blush ) and Beth Behrs as a heiress now forced to work with her as a waitress after going broke.
    • Definitely 'laugh out loud' funny. 
    • I have a major crush on Kat Dennings. 'nuf said.



    7. Happy Endings

    • A more quirky, adult version of FRIENDS perhaps. 
    • Give this show a chance. Like most critics, you will be pleasantly surprised at how funny it is after awhile.
    • After Lily and Marshall ( How I Met Your Mother ), has one of the most hilarious husband-wife duos in the form of Brad and Jane.
    • High feel-good factor. Like 30 Rock, not afraid to embrace it's silliness head on.


      8. Rules of Engagement
      • Highly underrated, in my opinion. Again, give it a chance.
      • While being funny and very likable, it also depicts relationships at different levels with each of it's couples ( the long term marriage, the newly engaged and ...well, the womanizer with a PA who detests him ! )


      9. Big Bang Theory
      • I did not give it a chance in hell when I heard the concept - 4 nerdy scientist geeks and a girl.
      • But it's actually not just done well, but really blossomed well over the years, adding new characters and even landing some major guest appearances for it's fans.
      • While it is not a necessity, knowing your comic books and sci-fi shows is an added bonus to enjoying some of the jokes.




      Consolation prizes :

      a) Scrubs : One of my personal favourites, I did not add it in the above list simply because I don't really see it as a comedy. The storylines about this medical show were often brilliant depicting two-three different events and linking them together at the end of the episode. And while the humour was absolutely brilliant, there were too many life-lessons ( I've spoke about this earlier here ) for it to be labeled as just a comedy. Also the ending of the show... one of the most heart warming endings ever. 



      b) New Girl : Single girl living with three male roommates with very 'very' different characteristics. Zooey Deschenal is the USP as the most naturally awkward girl you can find on TV. Again, it was a toss-up between this and Two Broke Girls... I personally prefer the latter.



      c) Cougar Town : The only one on this list starring a 'FRIENDS' alumni, this show by the creative team behind 'Scrubs' offers a pretty laidback look on life for a recently divorced wine-chugging mom and her pals, including her ex-husband, her neighbours and her teenage son. Courtney Cox ups the 'Monica Chandler' characteristics a notch ( bossy, domineering yet insecure ). The USP of the show is the feel good factor and the chemistry between the gang. 



      d) How I Met Your Mother : Like Scrubs, this is another favourite yet it doesn't make the cut. Why ? Because when you think of it, the USP of this show isn't really the comedy, is it ? It's the brilliance of the script writers. No, not in delaying the reveal of who the mother is ( which is frankly getting a tad annoying after 8 seasons ), but because of the unique methods of story-telling and twists they bring within many individual episodes. Moments from earlier in the episode are revealed to have a different interpretation by the end. Oh yes, and Neil Patrick Harris as Barney Stinson. Annnd the Lily-and-Marshall marriage that most of us wish we could emulate.



      e) Community : Filled with pop-culture references and unique methods of story-telling ( including an episode where, believe-it-or-not, the main characters were basically arcade game pixels versions of themselves ), this show which follows a bunch of people trying to pass out of community college is following the road of Arrested Development where it is too smart for it's own good. Pays some wonderful homages to past movies and TV shows. Deserves a better fan base.


      What's your take on the list ? Any you would like to add or delete ? 
      Or am I totally off-base and none really do come close to FRIENDS ?


      Authors note : You, the readers, have added the following sitcoms to the above list.

      • That 70s Show
      • Dharma and Greg
      • Malcolm in the Middle
      • Everybody Loves Raymond
      • Frasier
      • Seinfeld
      • Sex and the City
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      Shopping online with CouponDunia

      February 28, 2013, 11:05 pm
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      The recent Godyears quiz opened my eyes to the power of online coupon codes : something I used to see a lot on sites like ebay and flipkart but never really used. While at first I was intrigued ( how on Earth can they afford to give 25 - 50% off when the offer isn't there even in stores ?), later on the inner Scrooge in me took over. We have a saying in Malayalam that loosely translates to "Just enjoy the appam ( food ) you are given, don't ask the recipe and mechanisms behind its creation."

      Having gotten a chance to review the site Coupondunia, that's exactly the thought that crossed my mind.



      For those who are as clueless as I was, pretty much every major online seller in India offers discounts and coupon codes which entitle you to additional benefits and freebies above what is usually advertised in the site. Where Coupondunia really blew me away ( compared to another site I was using a month ago ) was when I came across their store page. 

      I ended up doing a rough mathematical calculation ( rows into columns ) of the number of stores they are tracking and offering coupons. The answer ? Nearly 770 !! 770 website discounts.

      These include basically all the major categories including flight and railway tickets, flowers and cakes, jewellery, bookstores, perfumes, laptops... seriously. You think of a category and check it out. You will find some site specific to it in there.
      Examples :
      1. Travel : Makemytrip Coupons
      2. Website building : Big Rock Coupons
      3. Food outlets : Dominos Coupons  and  McDonalds Coupons

      Presently, Coupondunia is the country's largest coupon and discount deal store and I guess I can see why. For me, the main plus points in this site are :
      • Ease of use : bestsellers are showcased in the front page. If instead, you want to browse alphabetically through the stores, that option too is available.
      • Updated daily.
      • Option of subscribing to specific stores which catch your eye, rather than 'the whole bunch'.
      • You don't have to pay anything to the site ! ( Seriously, why have I never used these sites before this ? )
      • The whole bunch !!! We are talking of 700 plus sites with discounts available at this moment. How many were you aware of ?

      I can't possibly choose categories to suit everyone's taste so I'll just highlight the discount codes I'm presently following.

      I was surprised to see the variety ranging from individual airlines to lingerie stores (!) and even matrimonial sites offering discount coupons.
      At any rate, I like having this option of having further discounts from the comfort of your house for most of India's major outlets. There really is no minus point to this deal, in my opinion.

      For those who don't like the email subscription option, you can join their Facebook page ( with 1.5 lakh subscribers presently ). 
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