PK he kya?...

In Munna Bhai MBBS he interrogated the medical system, in Lage Raho Munna Bhai he introduced Gandhigiri and in 3 Idiots he questioned the education system. Now Rajkumar Hirani takes on the much hyped Godmen in India. If I had not seen Oh My God (2012) then PK would be a pleasant surprise but that doesn't take away anything from this masterpiece. The similarity is just in the idea but Hirani's PK is another level all together.

Who PK? What about him? His quirkiness…relation between a radio and nude Aamir… Is he a part of band?… Is he an army man? and a lot more. All these questions are appositely answered in the hilarious yet thought-provoking invention of Raju.

The film starts off with PK (Aamir Khan), an alien, landing on earth, in the desert of Rajasthan, to study about human begins and life on earth. Arriving stark naked on a earth, PK has a rough start on the planet when his tracking remote, that helps him send signals back to his spaceship, gets stolen. He now has to find the remote to contact his spaceship and till then survive on earth on his own. Unaware of human mannerisms, language or life in general on earth, PK finds it difficult to adjust. However, fate brings him in touch with Bhairav Singh (Sanjay Dutt) who becomes his dear friend and helps him with life on earth. But destiny takes PK to Delhi. From here on starts a whirlwind story of a stranger in the unknown city of Delhi asking questions that despite their innocence hold a valuable and deep meaning. Aided on by Jagat Janani (Anushka Sharma) who teams up with him on this journey, PK challenges some of the oldest rituals of religion that are ruling life of people on earth.

One more interesting thing was the justification of female character in Amir’s movie. For the very first time actress has done something else apart from just looking awesome in Amir’s lead. The movie has neck to neck coordination between Amir and Anushka. Boman’s role cold have been much more interesting and challenging if he would have been in the negative character of Baba instead of having him as a media person. Sanjay dutt’s character was too small, as in I don’t know why that role was needed. May be the role had been abbreviated.

All in all, the impeccability of Aamir and individuality of Hirani with zings of Anushka makes for an interesting watch in the year end. Go for it...

REAP what you SOW...

And again terrorism has dazzled one more country, the one that sown terrorism over decades, the one that did not utter a word when India got victimized in September, 2002; again in July, 2006; again in November, 2008 and so on… I think now the so called democratic nation, Pakistan, is fed up with the things ensuing with it… At least it seem, when we see some of the editorials in Pakistan media. One of the editorials is from the leading newspaper of Pak.. The Nation…

Have a look….

16 December 2014 is one of the worst days Pakistan has had to live through since its inception. This national tragedy, which has caused unimaginable grief and pain across the landscape, will not and must not be forgotten anytime soon. Muhammad Khorasani of Jamat-ul-Ahrar, also known as Omer Khorasani, of the Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan led by Mullah Fazlullah, has accepted responsibility for the attack on the school. In his statement given to the media, the militant commander termed the attack as retaliation for the ongoing military operation in FATA.  

Some say that at a time like this, it is not wise and appropriate to blame the government or state institutions. Such a tragedy calls for unity, and criticism doesn’t help to achieve that purpose. But no consensus can be built, no wrong can be corrected, no problem can be solved by deciding against speaking the truth. And the truth is this: Not just terrorists, but everyone, from the wider population to the civil and military leadership is responsible for the barbarity our children were subjected to.  

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, your government has contributed absolutely nothing towards building a narrative against extremism. Operation Zarb-e-Azb started without your permission, and it continues absent meaningful political ownership. You have refused to act against seminaries funded through Saudi money, which are poisoning the minds of our youth and turning them into zealots. Instead of putting them behind bars, the Punjab government protects sectarian elements as they return the favour by not attacking you and taking out rallies in your support.  

Chairman Imran Khan, you are the most mainstream and consistent Taliban sympathiser in the country. Despite the murder of 132 children in the capital of the province where your party is in power, you couldn’t muster the courage to name the Taliban. You have done a great disservice to this nation by repeatedly justifying the murder of your fellow countrymen and pushing a toxic narrative based on factual inaccuracies and ignorance.  

Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, despite all that has happened, despite the many sacrifices of the brave soldiers who have died fighting terrorists, you refuse to employ a blanket policy against non-state actors. While the military conducts operations against bad Taliban in FATA, it continues to protect sectarian elements in Quetta, the Afghan Taliban and other ‘jihadi’ organisations such as Jamat-ud-Dawa. The country is reaping what it has sown over decades. 

Citizens, you seek comfort in conspiracy theories to avoid facing the ugly truth. What will it take for you to unite against extremism unequivocally and without provisos?  

The idea is not to berate or discourage, but to offer a reality check and prompt change of policy for the sake of our children, for the sake of our country’s future. Only the truth will set us free.

Hope Pakistan will also "stand united with INDIA" against terrorism...

Being lefty...

So finally I end up with those frustrating 4:00 am to 2:00 PM morning shift days and obviously with some unpredictable way of taking out my frustration (Some of you have thoroughly observed it). Again I am searching for some crap thing over net(this bing search engine is too unnerving). This time it is something that make me feel how outstanding I am!! 

One really interesting factoid that I picked up was that left handed people tended to be more independent as a result of having to adapt to a world which is largely built for right handed individuals. Haha… Did I? May be it was not a big deal for me!!

BTW something problematic for me are struggling with binders, bumping elbow with righties at dining time(it is indeed too irritating), school desks, dealing with scissors, butter knives, f**king right sided number pad on keyboard and most importantly the shocking scientific facts that lefties are prone to dying sooner. WTH..

Whatever… Even if the world is cruel to us, my B positive blood group made me transpire some advantages of being lefty.

So here we go....

• Left-handers are more likely to pass their driver's test on the first try. (Except for India driver’s test is actually the driver’s test so don’t mistake this fact for lefties having good relation with RTO officers.)
• They are also more apt to be a part of Mensa, the world's largest and oldest high IQ society. This is because studies have shown lefties are more likely to have an IQ score above 131. (as in Pune-times Mensa... right??)
• Lefties are great at competitive sports. They make especially good baseball players, tennis players, swimmers, boxers and fencers (OK… this is not for me but... ya I may have been a international level polo player (I wish I were allowed...))
• Left handers recover from strokes faster. (OMG…) And are also more likely to pursue creative careers (Shit... IT professionalism is not at all. )
• Of the seven most recent U.S Presidents, 4 have been left handed, including Bush Sr., Bill Clinton and Obama.(No comments... who knows some day India will have Krishna!!)
• Left handed college graduates go on to become 26% richer than right handed graduates. (Haha... 0.74*mySalary= (how do you manage guys?))
• Lefties can clearly see the world underwater. Scientists think it has something to do with a different part of the brain being central in left handed individuals. (Ya that is indeed true. BTW what does that mean?)
• Research shows lefties are smarter in math because their brains are more flexible.(Here it is…)
• Left handers process things faster than righties and can multitask easier thanks to connections between the right and left sides of the brain being faster in left-handed people.(Yeah engineering taught me to message and make professor feel that I am getting him at the same time. I guess this has nothing to do with being lefty…)
• Left-handed people easily hear rapidly changing sounds. (Righties... don’t you??)
• And left-handed individuals have better memories. (Of course  that is not advantageous quite often…)

Reasons to eat Banana...

Googling every time leads me to some diverse things. Today also I actually was going through “the banana Republics” and it don’t know somehow lead me to “The Benefits of Banana”… Strange, isn’t it?…!!

But ya… for the people who are too lean, as I was; want to gain weight, as I wanted; are pure veggie, as I am, should know the paybacks of Banana as the best alternative for gaining weight easily. (Of course not the muscle building but the carbohydrates which at some extent not bad and ya too important for weight gaining)

Apart from attaining weight which I have thoroughly observed and experienced, following are the banana benefits which I was not knowing (and may be you too)

Blood pressure: Maintaining a low sodium intake is essential to lowering blood pressure, however increasing potassium intake may be just as important because of its vasodilation effects. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, fewer than 2% of US adults meet the daily 4700 mg recommendation.

Also of note, a high potassium intake is associated with a 20% decreased risk of dying from all causes.

Asthma: A study conducted by the Imperial College of London found that children who ate just one banana per day had a 34% less chance of developing asthma.

Cancer: Consuming bananas, oranges and orange juice in the first two years of life may reduce the risk of developing childhood leukemia. As a good source of vitamin C, bananas can help combat the formation of free radicals known to cause cancer. High fiber intakes from fruits and vegetables like bananas are associated with a lowered risk of colorectal cancer.

Heart health: The fiber, potassium, vitamin C and B6 content in bananas all support heart health. An increase in potassium intake along with a decrease in sodium intake is the most important dietary change that a person can make to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.

In one study, those who consumed 4069 mg of potassium per day had a 49% lower risk of death from ischemic heart disease compared with those who consumed less potassium (about 1000 mg per day).

Diabetes: Studies have shown that type 1 diabetics who consume high-fiber diets have lower blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetics may have improved blood sugar, lipids and insulin levels. One medium banana provides about 3 grams of fiber.

Preserving memory and boosting mood: Bananas also contain tryptophan, an amino acid that studies suggest plays a role in preserving memory and boosting your mood.

So stay boosted.. and I again get into where I started from.. " Banana Republic "

Three thousand ducats...

" I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes?

Hath not a Jew hands,

organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions;

fed with the same food,

hurt with the same weapons,

subject to the same diseases,

heal'd by the same means,

warm'd and cool'd by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?

If you prick us, do we not bleed?

If you tickle us, do we not laugh?

If you poison us, do we not die?

And if you wrong us, do we not revenge?

If we are like you in the rest...

...we will resemble you in that."

These are the words from tormenting and tormented Jewish moneylender, Shylock, one of the most complex characters of The Merchant of Venice – and arguably of all of Shakespeare's work. The words that truly justifies Shylock’s cruelty, anguish and vengeance. If I were in place of Shylock, I would have done the same things. For sure…

Coming to the title… I used to think that after the titles like Othello, Macbeth and Hamlet why not the play titled ‘Antonio’? But the title is truly warranted as the play’s main character… at least for me was ‘Shylock’.

Racism, love, secrets and loans. The play strikes true to certain parts of the modern world (at least the modern India) as well as the time it was set and written. It is compelling that Shakespeare was able to write about such things. Even though it is called The Comedy… To a modern reader, it isn't so much comical but instead a tragedy and something that shows all the things that are wrong with the world. I will not get deep into the modern and the ancient world hitches like Racism, love and all as we all are well aware of it.

The drama of the play begins after Bassanio, in need of money to woo the heiress Portia, asks his friend Antonio for a loan. Antonio has bailed Bassanio out several times before, and is happy to do it again. But this time, because his ships are at sea and have not yet returned with their riches, Antonio has to ask Shylock for a loan.  

Shylock hates Antonio because he is a Christian, and because, on one occasion, Antonio spat on Shylock for being a Jew. To take a measure of revenge, Shylock forgoes charging any interest on Antonio’s loan and instead sets the bond at one pound of Antonio’s flesh. When Antonio's ships are lost at sea and he is unable to pay, Shylock demands that pound of Antonio's flesh and brings him to court in order to be repaid. 

The trial in the court of the Duke of Venice contains the great climax of the play. Unwilling to simply nullify a contract, the Duke calls upon Portia, disguised as a male lawyer, to argue on behalf of Antonio. When Shylock refuses to show mercy, she finds a flaw in the contract: Shylock’s agreement with Antonio mentioned flesh--but said nothing about blood. If, in the process of collecting Antonio’s flesh, Shylock were to be guilty of shedding Antonio’s blood, then Shylock’s property would have to be confiscated by the state of Venice. 

Portia even goes a step further, and points out that Shylock is a Jew (therefore an alien) who has attempted to take the life of a Venetian citizen, and this crime is punishable by death. While the Duke pardons Shylock's life, he forces him to convert to Christianity and leave his entire fortune to Jessica, Shylock's daughter, who had recently converted to Christianity.

Again coming to Shylock.. His character is complicated. Even though we can see that Shylock is a victim of bigotry, he often makes it hard for us to pity him entirely. Shylock is often rude and base in his interactions. He's abrupt with his daughter and mean to his servant, and his house is described as a "hell" on more than one occasion. Plus, he wants Antonio dead and doggedly pursues his "bond" (a pound of Antonio's flesh) when the Christian merchant is unable to pay back his loan.

Even if all have different views on how to interpret Shylock, one thing is certain: the man is an outsider who is alienated from just about everyone – even his own daughter, who can't wait to run away. By the end of the dramatic courtroom scene, Shylock is a broken man – he's humiliated in court, stripped of much of his wealth, and forced to convert to Christianity. However his character may be, how are we supposed to see this? Are we meant to sympathize with Shylock? Are we supposed to think that his forced conversion is a good thing?

For me.. Shylock was correct at all occasions whether it be asking for the flesh of Antonio or hating the Christians more than anything else. Obviously if someone or the mass is spitting on you, would you willingly be able to exonerate them? What do you think?