The Weekly Masala
The Story:
I was in a hurry. So, here I was hurrying up to apply the final traces of Cinthol onto my face, running out of the shower, trying to get into my cumbersome clothes and using my hand as an unwieldy comb. Whatever happens, a good amount of time has to be spent on tying shoelaces and ensuring everything's zipped - matter of dignity you see. The car keys were usurped. Their rotation was the only hope. As a human who has to attend meetings to fill his stomach (pun intended), the thought of reaching late, knocking the door and smiling sheepishly before taking the seat seemed horrific. Yeah sometimes, my eccentricity leads me to situations when I just cannot help myself saying 'excuse me'. I turned my humble beast into ignition mode and whirred it into action. Not too long after, it was zooming at a Schumi speed which would surely get me a ticket. I was sweating. And it rolled down faster when I realised that the PUC of my beast had expired yesterday. The men in white had to avoided at all costs today. I think they read my mind as I saw them lurking somewhere on the horizon. An immediately decelaration followed and I humbly followed an antiquated rickshaw emitting plumes of black smoke and a groaning voice. Perhaps, the policeman will find a problem with the rickshaw and the law of averages suggest that the next driver should be left scot free. As these thoughts and sweat flew, I hit a beautifully eroded pothole. Damn! Did the sun forget to rise from the East today? Something got hit below my seat. My car was drop dead slow after that hit and from the corner of my eye, I saw the tall "enemy of the day" in crisp white ironed clothes. I started to push the accelerator and the policeman beckoned me with his hand. Is this really happening? I slowed down and began to move to the side of the road. He was indeed eyeing me. Well, there goes 15 minutes, a few hundred bucks and a normal entry into the meeting room. I parked, stayed rooted to my seat and he came over to my window. His mouth opened and all I heard was this sentence. "Son, take care of that pothole the next time. You just missed blowing your engine."
The Music:
I must admit, though with a deep internal conflict, that I love British bands. You ask me and I would name U2 to be my favorite, Coldplay soon to be my all time favorite followed very closely by the Beatles. There is something so British like in these bands that conjoins the three and that something is what I really love. The guitar flow, the bass and the amazing vocals really stimulates my mood. And today, I present to you one of my favorite Beatle songs - I have been humming it since the last three days. Its from Abbey Road and its called "Here Comes the Sun". Sung by George Harrison, there is just so much optimism in the tune that it can show a melancholic soul the right path. My suggestion: don't deprive your ears with this amazing rendition.
The Book:
On the lookout for a nice, sweet, controversial, witty and a beautifully composed novel? Go ahead and buy "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Lee Harper. It has won the Pulitzer prize and there's no reason it wouldn't. The story is in the first person mode seen through the eyes of a young 6 year old girl set in rural Alabama in the 30s. In a time, when racial prejudices were at the peak, her lawyer father takes up the case of black man charged with the rape of a white girl - an unknown occurence then. Carefully detailing the social mores of the American society back then, the novel is wonderfully scripted and a must read.
The Movie:
I finally caught one of Stanley Kubrick's famous work. The masterpiece called "2001 - A Space Odyssey". I had read the novel by Arthur C Clarke and I had found it jaw-dropping awe-inspiring. The movie with Kubrick's handiwork rendered the book perfectly. Leave the few differences with the book and this movie should take anyone's breath away. With dialogues covering just 30 minutes, it is the eerie images of space, the mystery of an alien monolith stone, the dawn of man and the evil HAL computer that makes one appreciate filmmaking at its best. No wonder it ranks in the top 100 all time movies list by IMDB.
I was in a hurry. So, here I was hurrying up to apply the final traces of Cinthol onto my face, running out of the shower, trying to get into my cumbersome clothes and using my hand as an unwieldy comb. Whatever happens, a good amount of time has to be spent on tying shoelaces and ensuring everything's zipped - matter of dignity you see. The car keys were usurped. Their rotation was the only hope. As a human who has to attend meetings to fill his stomach (pun intended), the thought of reaching late, knocking the door and smiling sheepishly before taking the seat seemed horrific. Yeah sometimes, my eccentricity leads me to situations when I just cannot help myself saying 'excuse me'. I turned my humble beast into ignition mode and whirred it into action. Not too long after, it was zooming at a Schumi speed which would surely get me a ticket. I was sweating. And it rolled down faster when I realised that the PUC of my beast had expired yesterday. The men in white had to avoided at all costs today. I think they read my mind as I saw them lurking somewhere on the horizon. An immediately decelaration followed and I humbly followed an antiquated rickshaw emitting plumes of black smoke and a groaning voice. Perhaps, the policeman will find a problem with the rickshaw and the law of averages suggest that the next driver should be left scot free. As these thoughts and sweat flew, I hit a beautifully eroded pothole. Damn! Did the sun forget to rise from the East today? Something got hit below my seat. My car was drop dead slow after that hit and from the corner of my eye, I saw the tall "enemy of the day" in crisp white ironed clothes. I started to push the accelerator and the policeman beckoned me with his hand. Is this really happening? I slowed down and began to move to the side of the road. He was indeed eyeing me. Well, there goes 15 minutes, a few hundred bucks and a normal entry into the meeting room. I parked, stayed rooted to my seat and he came over to my window. His mouth opened and all I heard was this sentence. "Son, take care of that pothole the next time. You just missed blowing your engine."
The Music:
I must admit, though with a deep internal conflict, that I love British bands. You ask me and I would name U2 to be my favorite, Coldplay soon to be my all time favorite followed very closely by the Beatles. There is something so British like in these bands that conjoins the three and that something is what I really love. The guitar flow, the bass and the amazing vocals really stimulates my mood. And today, I present to you one of my favorite Beatle songs - I have been humming it since the last three days. Its from Abbey Road and its called "Here Comes the Sun". Sung by George Harrison, there is just so much optimism in the tune that it can show a melancholic soul the right path. My suggestion: don't deprive your ears with this amazing rendition.
The Book:
On the lookout for a nice, sweet, controversial, witty and a beautifully composed novel? Go ahead and buy "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Lee Harper. It has won the Pulitzer prize and there's no reason it wouldn't. The story is in the first person mode seen through the eyes of a young 6 year old girl set in rural Alabama in the 30s. In a time, when racial prejudices were at the peak, her lawyer father takes up the case of black man charged with the rape of a white girl - an unknown occurence then. Carefully detailing the social mores of the American society back then, the novel is wonderfully scripted and a must read.
The Movie:
I finally caught one of Stanley Kubrick's famous work. The masterpiece called "2001 - A Space Odyssey". I had read the novel by Arthur C Clarke and I had found it jaw-dropping awe-inspiring. The movie with Kubrick's handiwork rendered the book perfectly. Leave the few differences with the book and this movie should take anyone's breath away. With dialogues covering just 30 minutes, it is the eerie images of space, the mystery of an alien monolith stone, the dawn of man and the evil HAL computer that makes one appreciate filmmaking at its best. No wonder it ranks in the top 100 all time movies list by IMDB.
posted by Tejas at 10:06 AM
2 Comments:
lots to cover :)
well, I agree - some of the best music dealt to us has been from british bands.. though I must confess there seems to be a major shortage these days.. of good music as such!!
To Kill a Mockingbird is an amazing story..and a humbling one too. If I may suggest a classic : try "One Flew over the Cuckoo's nest" - i know u've probably seen one of the movie versions ( english, mallu or hindi ) but still, the book trumps all.
As for movies - No way!!! there we differ in opinion.. let's put it mildly :) as "I didn't enjoy the movie." lol
Bach gaya (from the men in White)! :)
i haven't seen that one yet ... perhaps i'll give it a try soon ...
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