Mistress of spices

I have been a great fan of Chitra Divakaruni’s writing. So I had great expectations on this book as well. And with great sorrow, I have to report that I actually have nothing to write about it. The book did not make me feel anything at all, nothing worth writing anyway. Oh well, may be next one would be better!
I know it’s a completely useless post, but what the hell! It’s my blog

It’s great to have mom back home..the joy of having masala dosas on sunday mornings, along with masala conversations!

Finally!

Ah- the bliss of a jobless day!

So, I have made the handover sheet, organized my personal files, deleted most of my unwanted mails and communicated the happy news to everyone.

Now all that remains is to go..am waiting for that moment eagerly!

 

It’s hard work trying to keep up with life…

Bas yun hi

I have never been very good at dealing with changes. I think last one week has been God’s way of teaching me how to deal with them. I can’t understand why people keep saying it’s good for you!

A friend of mine has written her first book. I felt really happy to see that, and a little jealous. She is doing what she loves; reading, writing and working with books. And here I am- selling consumer durables, and not doing such a great job at it either. Wonder why I am still doing it.

 

Going going..gone

How fast does weekend go? I got up, checked some mail- made some calls- and it’s already past lunch time- with no idea where our cook is. Will need to cook some thing fast, noodles may be!
On the plus side, got a google+ invite. Will check it out later..

The old and the new

The 2 movies that I caught last weekend belong to this theme- One that claims to celebrate the yesteryears charm of angry young man (which it does not btw) and one for the new Generation, that doesn’t flinch hearing choice abuses on screen.

S0- lets take the more interesting one first- Delhi belly. The movie is as irreverent, as cheeky and as in your face as you can wish from our desi filmmakers. The movie has a distinct plot aur isme romance bhi hai, action bhi aur comedy bhi- all in a new age avatar. I won’t call it a laugh riot but it certainly keeps u bound to the seat till the end. Except for the lead actor, there are no big names in the cast and that works out in its favor. What entertains u is not the costumes, locations or any eye candy but the movie itself.  Some might say that the humor is a little slapstick and in truth, they have relied on potty humor quite a bit with one of the trio constantly in the loo, but it all seems in place. The performances are quite balanced and I totally loved Imran in his almost-bad-boy role. He has carried it off quite well- seems he is in the race after all. All in all- a more than one time watch. (i am planning to watch it again sometime soon)

And now for the much awaited movie for Amitabh fans- Budhdha hoga tera baap. The movie was a big disappointment and delivers non of its promised antics. Nowhere I could see the angry restless Vijay of Trishul or the somber Jai of Sholay! What was presented in his name was a deluded lecherous old man who has a liking for fluorescent clothes and can’t keep faithful to his Seeta like wife. The plot is non-existent, and the performances  - over the top. A runaway gangster comes back to save his son’s life and goes back. In between making friends with his to-be daughter in law and her cry baby friend, romancing a cougar, he manages to get in Mumbai’s most dreaded mafia gang and finish it off single handedly, without any help from his ACP son. The cougar in question here is Mrs Raveena Thadani, who has given some power packed performances in movies like Daman, Aks. But here in the name of “light entertainment”, she has gone back to her Mohra days and acted like an irritating school girl in love. Stop battling eyelashes Raveena, we get it -u r trying to seduce the old man. I did not waste any money on the movie thankfully, but it was quite a waste of time as well.

Now waiting for Harry Potter final series…

 

 

Queen of Dreams

Eureka!A great find- after Haruki Murakami, I was searching for another interesting author, and how the luck favored me! Chitra Divakaruni is a rarity amongst Indian writers. I have read only 2 of her works so far- Queen of dreams and Vine of desires, and already am enamored by her writing. Her strength lies not only in the delightful Indianness of her stories, but also her poetic language. Very few writers have the content of a good story and a way of telling it too. Can’t wait to read “a palace of illusions” now.

Many thanks to a friend for introducing me to her..

 

Superfast express

That’s what life has become. Ever since the sabbatical got over, I have been trying to keep pace with it- and find myself badly out of shape. Hopefully, I get my rhythm back soon.

So many times, I find myself dreaming of what to write about, how I would put my thoughts in words- but it all evaporates by the time I get back home. Oh well, I guess there is some price to pay for having your bank account regularly replenished

The latest on my mind right now is the movies I watched yesterday- Dhobi Ghat and last 1 hour of Sweenty Todd. First about Dhobi Ghat- I found the whole experience very pleasing. It’s not ground breaking or anything- but very very fresh. All the four stories are quite engrossing and the 95 minutes pass in a jiffy. All the 4 stories have different flavors but intertwined beautifully. What definitely takes the cake is Prateik Babbar’s performance. That guy is such a charmer- and not only in looks (although there is nothing wanting there also). He has played his part of a wanna-be in love, ashamed of his condition, to perfection. He has acted with his whole body- not dialogues.

Sweeny Todd- more about that later. I am just very proud to be posting after so long and wanna take a break, hopefully shorter this time.

Part 1

“So Agrawal ji, when are you giving us the good news of your daughter’s wedding?”

“It all depends on well wishers like you, bhai sahab. Suggest some good proposals for her, so we can give you the marriage sweets as soon as possible.”

“Sure, sure. She is like our daughter also. Do you know Bansal ji from so and so?”

Conversations like these were becoming more and more frequent around my house. Even before the completion of my education, my father wanted to pack me off to some eligible Marwari boy- which basically meant a fair, educated, earning son of a wealthy family. To this end, my family with all the branches of its hugely extended tree was dedicated single-mindedly. There were phone calls, mails, newspaper ads; my family had even gone online to search for my life partner.

In our community, finding a groom is like treasure hunting in some Indiana Jones movie. You get a hint about some suitable match, and then start your quest.  There is a full proof 3 step screening process in place to help you sift through the undesired proposals and find that perfect match.

• You endeavor to start the search for a common relative who will then give you the initial information about the family.
• After making all discreet enquiries, you try to initiate a contact with the other family to express an interest in their trophy son.
• Once the two parties agree on the terms of trade, then the actual transaction takes place when the parties reveal their trophies to each other i.e. the guy and the girl are allowed to meet up.

There are obstacles all along the way – in the form of nosy relatives who try to foil your quest for no apparent reason. With me also, all the steps were duly repeated for each case- but the treasure remained elusive for a long time despite everyone’s best attempts.