Desicritics Author: Chanakya

Fiction: Barren Eyes, Roots and Wings...

Chanakya — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 05:05:42 EST

It was 1.00 AM on a cold Minnesotan winter -- four days prior to Christmas. A mild gust draped across the lonely night swaying the leafless trees in a synchronized dance. White confetti of snow sprinkled the dark night. Soon a white canopy reflecting the full moon added an ethereal glow. Rashmi sat at her laptop by the window admiring the calm of the night. But she herself was anything but calm. Despite a hectic day at work and a gym workout to boot, insomnia had hit her. Here she was, sitting at her laptop waiting for just about anything that would ease her boredom. The emails seem to run dry and the omnipresent pings of Instant Messages from friends seem to have evaporated. "Where are the people when you need them?" she muttered. She was hoping for some life from across the cyberspace to reach out and touch her.

"Last Christmas, I gave you my heart..." crooned the voice on the radio. She had enough of it. She pulled herself up to substitute a mixed tape from back home. Maybe nostalgia would comfort her? It was a compilation of melodious ghazals by Jagjit Singh. The soulful rendition was sure to move her, or so she thought.

koi ye kaise bataaye ke wo tanhaa kyon hai,
woh jo apanaa thaa, wohi aaur kisee kaa kyon hai?
yahee duniyaan hain to phir, aisi ye duniyaan kyon hai?
yahi hotaa hain to aakhir, yahi hota kyon hai?

[How can anyone fully decipher the cause of her desolation,
Whatever was mine -- why is it someone else's now?
If that's how life is, why is life such?
If this is what is destined to happen, why is it destined so..?]

The lovelorn rendition touched Rashmi. "So much of the song's lyric applies to my situation" she thought. "Except that I'm not lovelorn. That makes it worse..." She decided some introspection would do her good. She embarked on a quick self-evaluation. She was a young attractive woman in her late twenties. She was a portfolio manager at a Fortune 100 financial company. She loved her work and was well placed in life. Her work and the financial gains were necessities for her family and she felt proud of it. She was engaged to a man she adored. All plusses. So what was the cause for her misery? The misery was not chronic, it seemed to have wafted in a day or so ago. Her subconscious mind was trying to tell her something. If she could figure out what the hell it was, she could get back to her routine of being happy again.

A white wintry mix of carded snow constantly glided onto the ground. It looked like beautiful fluffed cotton all around. But ironically it added to Rashmi's woes. Half a foot of snow would get life to a grinding halt and she would be stuck at home tomorrow. "More time to brood". She decided to switch off the constant change of channels in her mind and tune into the song. Jagjit Singh's melodious voice glided across the room. Jagjit Sing was her favorite. This will surely help, she thought.

'Yeh Daulat Bhi Lay Lo Yeh Shohrat Bhi Lay Lo' he chimed. "Who presented this mixed tape?" she wondered. Though the song on hand was one of her favorite songs the timing of it vis-a-vis her current situation couldn't be worse. The meloncholy song about wanting to trade name and fame for the childhood innocence seemed to have Rashmi's this very moment in mind. "Is it just coincidental that every song seems to have a bearing on my current state of mind?" she wondered. She decided to reign in her fertile imagination and hum the song.

Woh nani ki baton mein pariyon ka dehra
Woh chehre ki jhuriyon mein sadiyon ka phera
Bhulaye nahi, bhul sakta hain koi
Woh choti si raatein, woh lambi kahani

[Those numerous fairies in nanna's stories
Those telltale signs of an era bygone in the wrinkled face
Even if one tried, how could one forget
those very short nights and the never ending stories]

"How I wish for a long story that makes the night's darkness so short. And by my dear grandma!" she sighed. It brought in nostalgia for her days with her Appamma. She called her grandma Appamma -- Appa ka Amma -- Father's Mom. As a kid she had spent innumerable days with her head in her Appamma's lap for many stories. A bedtime story was her reward for doing her homework and studying for the day. Her grandma was an encyclopedia of mythologies and parables. Tales from Ramayan, Mahabharat, Panchatantra and Jataka tales took turns. She doted on Rashmi.

Rashmi was special to Appamma. Unlike people her age who would pine for a grandson, Appamma was always happy for her favorite granddaughter. She named her Rashmi -- rays of the the sun. " Just wait and watch. My granddaughter will go places and your grandsons will be left gaping.." she would often say. Appamma was a beautiful lady who had aged well. She had sharp features that Rashmi had inherited. Seeing her grandma in her had made Rashmi proud since her childhood days.

"Appamma, when is your birthday?" Rashmi would often ask as a kid.

"Right around Kissmas sweetheart" Appamma would reply and the mis-representation of Christmas as Kiss-mas would always tickle little Rashmi. It became a tradition with Rashmi to ask her that well beyond her kid years. They would laugh about it together. During her teens, Rashmi would get Appamma her favorite "Bluecose" biscuits. After many attempts to correct her English-challenged mistake, everyone in the household would now refer to 'Glucose biscuits' as 'Bluecose biscuits'.

Rashmi's grandfather, though a strapping six-footer, was not the head of the house. Her grandma was. Her husband's carelessness had made Appamma take the reigns and drive. Drive she did, with gusto. She had done a fine job of raising her seven children. Rashmi's father though one of the youngest was her trusted lieutenant. Together by sheer diligence they had got all of their near and dear ones well placed. It was a common practice for people in the community to come in to seek Appamma's advice on very many issues. Practicality, simple yet clear thought was her trump card. Many including Rashmi in her adolescence had found comfort in her words. One such moment was when Rashmi earned an exchange scholarship to study abroad. Appamma was elated. On the day of her departure the din in the kitchen woke Rashmi early. Appamma was busy cooking Rashmi's favorite dessert. She was not doing so well. But she would not let that tie her down. She hummed a folk tune and went about her work with effortless precision. Rashmi went and hugged her. Seeing sadness in Rashmi's eyes her gradmother put an arm around her. "You are not going to cry on my shoulder. Are you? Save it for another day when I'm not around ." They both laughed. Appamma cupped Rashmi's face in her palms and said " We are very proud of you dear. You have worked for this scholarship and earned it. It is a big decision to leave the family and head overseas. But a person cannot have roots and wings at the same time. You can come back to your roots, now is the time for you to fly. So soar high...". With her grandmother as the wind beneath her wings Rashmi had taken to the skies.

A year later the phone rang. It was 3.00 AM. The ring for some reason had a distinct sense of being a messenger of something bad. Rashmi's hostel roommate answered. It was Appamma. She had moved on. She had gone down fighting a brave fight with cancer. To everyone's dismay Rashmi had not cried. She was sad. But had been relieved Appamma did not suffer much. A sense of longing for a few more moments with Appamma had been Rashmi's constant companion since. She was ever in gratitude of the wonderful moments she had had with her grandma, but tears evaded her -- back at her funeral ten years ago and even now. "Wonder why. I want to.., but I don't ..." she thought.

With the thought of her grandmother alleviating her angst to some extent, Rashmi dwelt on her days with her Appamma. Just the thought of her seemed to make Rashmi feel good. "La the bygone days.." she thought. She was grateful to her grandma for comforting her in absentia. She said a silent prayer for the wonderful family she had grown up with and wondered if she was worth it? Wondered if she made them proud? Had she really gone places like her Appamma would often muse? Or was it just her unconditional love for her granddaughter speaking? "Maybe a bit of both".

Rashmi hit the bed in the hopes of sleep. Sleep was still intermittent and elusive. Eventually the din of a new mail on her laptop acted as the last straw. She ambled out of her groggy stupor and opened her work email. There was a mail from Kathy of HR department. Kathy had recently interviewed Rashmi for the in-house magazine. Rashmi was considered a bright young manager who had a lot of potential. Rashmi was elated and had met with Kathy two days ago for a tete-a-tete. Kathy had sent a draft copy to Rashmi to eyeball it for any slips. A groggy eyed Rashmi skimmed through it. Kathy had done a good job. She was about to revert back with a staple 'All is well' when a word jumped out at her. She rubbed her eyes and stared at the monitor. It grabbed her attention no doubt. She sat in a quiet thought for the next few minutes.

In the interview one of the questions was about the woman Rashmi looked up to. Rashmi in true filmy banter had said it was Mother Teresa. This was bothering her now. "That is just crap !" she said involuntarily. "I lied through my teeth !". On second thoughts Rashmi's career in a Fortune 100 hardly had anything in common with the benevolent nun. She was trapezing a myriad branches in the corporate tree, she was not helping the needy. But she was doing what her family needed. "Just like Appamma had braved the corporation of life". Rashmi did not mind putting her personal life on a temporary back burner a la her grandmother. She was a startling copy of her as well. Since her childhood Rashmi had always admired the courage and grit in her grandmother and never expressed it. She had always wanted to grow up to be her. "I wish I could be half the woman she was.." She had not have to look far for inspiration. She just did not realize it. Rashmi felt a knot in her stomach. A realization that it was her dear Appamma that she has always wanted to be and not anyone else gradually flooded her. Sure her Appamma was not a superhuman like the holy nun. But she was her hero nonetheless -- more than Mother Teresa at that. "How I wish I could have a moment to tell Appamma !" Tears welled up in her barren eyes. The day for her tears had arrived. The tears that were held back even at Appamma's funeral would be held no more. It streamed across her cheeks at this simple realization.

"I need to be true to myself" Rashmi thought to herself.

"Dear Kathy, I have not answered a question truthfully ......" she started. A sense of relief washed over her when she hit send. A sense of pride at the realization, her decision to be truthful and correct her mistake made her feel good. Calm that she was so desperately seeking seem to fill her now. A wide goofy smile and a silent gratitude for her grandma was writ large on Rashmi's face. She slept like a baby. Just like she used to in Appamma's lap ages ago.

India and the West: Changing Lanes in a Flat World

Chanakya — Tue, 5 Dec 2006 09:14:20 EST

In the not-so-distant past, India had the dubious distinction of being noted for just its beggars, the Taj Mahal, and Mother Teresa. A land of snake charmers and rickshaw pullers, they said, largely impoverished and illiterate to boot. The west's perception of India left much to be desired.

The fact that this land of a billion was - for centuries mind you - until a few decades ago under the mis-rule of the west is easily and conveniently forgotten. India, for her part, has not done much better herself. Post-liberation from its colonial wrongdoers, corruption, religious strife, and war marred the first few decades. A slow but steady progress ensued thereafter till the early nineties.

During this era India's perception of the west was equally warped and jaundiced as well. The fear of the colonizers still haunted it. It was both an excuse as well as a means for political mileage. Bash the west. The change of heart that the erstwhile colonizers claimed to have were treated with skepticism and mistrust. Claims of India's ethnic culture and traditions being more respectable than the hippie west were many. "Who needs the west?" went their rhetoric. It still sounds like sour grapes. For a while, it seemed like India was happy to be known for its beggars, the Taj, and Mother Teresa only. Nothing more.

Right around the time of the noble nun's death in the late nineties, the west's notions about India and India's notions about the west changed dramatically. A notable essay on the change is Thomas L.Friedman's upbeat take in The World is Flat. It is a compelling read. His description of the ten world-flatteners, ranging from Columbus's quest to the fall of the Berlin wall to the Internet to open-sourcing to out-sourcing, is a telling tale on how we got here. It is a veiled take on where the world is with regard to free-market and capitalism. Some hail it as an eye-opener while others accuse it of over-sensationalizing the obvious, with Friedman not being able to extricate his emotional self from the narrative. Now that the din of its debates has abated, it looks like a good time to revisit and assess what it means in the current global context, more so in how the warped notions have changed vis-à-vis India and the west.

With the stock markets pushing western businesses into an iterative growth spurt each quarter, companies were forced to seek lower cost alternatives. While staying away from the politics and merits of outsourcing, at a cultural perception level there was a paradigm shift -- a shift that states that the once defamed land of snake charmers was indeed capable of much more. With a large majority of its younger generation adept at English and technically trained, it was a gold mine waiting to be discovered. India, on the other hand, had the infrastructure to produce technical talent with very little of it being used. English was abundant. So was the notion that it was just a vestige of the erstwhile British raj. Given the new order, it seemed like a match made in heaven. The perfect storm lined up in the form of the Y2K millennium bug. The west needed help and the land of the snake charmers was more than eager to help and dispel its tag.

India did much more than to merely dispel its tag. It has come a long way since the Y2K era that gave it the much needed exposure. It has steadily garnered a good and respectable share of the low- to medium-cost IT outsourcing pie. Not just stopping there, it has moved up the value chain to be a part of the Internet revolution with Indians contributing significantly to the World Wide Web revolution. Silicon Valley has Indian executives managing key units of very many Fortune 1000s. Though you cannot say the same about India's Olympic medals haul or human rights, India in technology is a force to reckon with.

Until recently, that brainpower mostly went in one direction, from India to the west, benefiting the west more than India. Today, we see a bevy of chip, software, and e-commerce startups in both nations, mobilizing billions in venture capital. The economics are so compelling that some venture capitalists demand Indian R&D be included in business plans at the onset. New age visionary companies like Yahoo, Google, and Microsoft have long heeded this and set up large research centers in India. These are not just relegated to low-end support call centers. It is to engage in top of the line research. It is paying rich dividends. The Indian arms are leading the way in patent filings. Considering Indian cyberspace uses Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo as extensively as the west, it is only appropriate that they be a part of the development. Not withstanding the outsourcing hue and cry, even before IT shone its spotlight on the country, India has been a strong supplier of textiles and precious stones to the west. Indian grey cells are as much behind Hotmail as behind Bose acoustics, or India’s indigenous nuclear, space, and ballistic technologies. A new India has emerged.

If one had a penny for every time Bangalore was mentioned in the west, he would be a millionaire many times over. But what is oft ignored is that China and India represent not just threats to the developed west, but also great opportunities. A low pay, low respect job in the west translates to a high pay, high respect job in the east and at a fraction of the cost. This comparative advantage that mandates an Indian techie in Bangalore will, on the backend, spend his newfound higher-than-the-norm income to buy the products from the west. That is west's comparative advantage, the proverbial ying and yang.

Per Newton, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. The gain in India's IT sector is not without its share of costs. A job loss in Ohio is as much a heartache as is the loss of a few due to mom and pop restaurants closing, courtesy of McDonald's and Burger King. If the Indian low-cost technology has killed a job position in Ohio, high volume, deep pocket corporations of the west are doing very much the same for Indian businesses. The newfound money in Indian IT has found its way into the bottom lines of Nikes, Microsofts, HPs, McDs, Burger Kings, INGs, Fords, and Hollywoods.

Newly sprung department stores that are brightly lit with shiny marble floors and endless aisles of well-stocked, neatly stacked inventory resemble any Macy's or Sears in New York or London. Fast food restaurants, smoothie bars, and coffee shops line the food courts while stylishly dressed young Indian men and women, garbed in a mix of designer western brand names and traditional Indian clothes, wander in and out of stores with shopping bags, while chatting on the newest style cell phone. From the Volvos that take the techies to the HP work desks that run Microsoft, to the Cokes and Pepsis consumed to the Nokias used, to the Jay Leno or Hasslehoff on a Samsung or Sony, it is the west and its businesses flourishing. Given the amount of dependency the east has on the west and vice versa, it looks like the world is flat. Like it or not, this is how business will be transacted in the future, experts opine.

So how does this equation reflect on the largest democracy and the most powerful democracy? The United States dominates the global policies like no country since ancient Rome. It has been at the forefront of global policies, pushing for open markets, open trade, and democracy. All of it much needed. India needs the United States to be its partner for its economic growth and to ensure peaceful co-existence with its non-trustworthy neighbors, an economic partner and a geopolitical deterrent.

India has much to offer the United States and this has not gone unnoticed. Apart from a new, untapped, one billion person strong market for its wares, the largest democracy all of a sudden seems a much better bet than any Islamic fundamentalist-ridden country the United States has courted in the past. Pakistan and Afghanistan are rife with sectarian violence and are more headaches than true allies. Communist China needs to be contained. On the economic front, if critics are to be believed, outsourcing is imminent for the United States to be competitive and India is the outsourcing mecca. As opposed to the baby boomer retirement wave that is hitting the United States, the Indian population's median age is twenty five. Even within the United States, Indians are among the highest earners when segmented ethnically. They are largely peace loving and stay out of trouble. The number of Indian students, 70,000+ in U.S. universities, is one of the largest of any ethnic group. A lot of this is true for India with other western powers as well.

So with the realities on the ground drastically changed, no wonder the warped wrongful perceptions have since straightened out on both sides of the table. Myopic vision which illusioned a blurry horizon just had a much-needed LASIK surgery to see the world as flat. The paradigm shift for India has been to see that the west is not bad. Many were colonialists; they have changed. We have the manpower sans the money; they have money and need manpower. We are spoken of as having potential; we need the west to realize our true potential. The paradigm shift for the west has been to see that India is not worthless and poor. India has illiteracy; but India also has a scientific pool that even the United States taps into, constantly at that. India has beggars; but India is not a nation of them. India has her problems; but India is not a problem.

India needs the west as much as the west needs India.

4 Billion Tickets Sold and 1000 Movies Each Year - It's Bollywood, Not Hollywood

Chanakya — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 00:59:10 EST

Have you heard of Bollywood? There is no typographic error there. I do not mean Hollywood that produces 400+ films a year. I mean Bollywood, which churns out twice Hollywood's number and a tad more at 1000 movies a year. Yes, close to 1000 movies a year and all of them full length feature films averaging three hours each.

Chances are, you have not heard of it. Bollywood is a mammoth industry. Fourteen million viewers throng the theaters each day to lap up its movies. Four billion cinema tickets are sold each year. According to published reports, in 2004, more people globally watched Bollywood movies than Hollywood movies - 3.8 billion vs. 3.6 billion (Paul Brett, British Film Institute [BFI], UK). I’m sure 2005 and 2006 numbers were similar or better. Bollywood movies compete for top slots in the UK box office. In the US, it fares in the top 20-30 despite very limited runs.

Bollywood, Bombay’s Hollywood, is the Indian film industry. It is a tacky and sometimes controversial name given to the Bombay (now Mumbai) based Hindi-language film industry of India. When combined with the rest of the Indian film industries, it is considered to be the largest film industry in the world in terms of number of films produced.

Almost all of Bollywood's films are musicals. There have been a few exceptions to the norm in recent years. Movie soundtracks (released prior to the movie hitting the theaters) and their success (or lack of it) contribute to a film's profitability and can be partly responsible for the movie's fate as well. A run of the mill offering is the masala movie. Like the mixture of various spices in a masala (seasoning for Indian curries) the movies are awash with songs, dances, love interest, comedy, and daredevil thrills -- all of this neatly packed into a three hour-long extravaganza with an intermission.

Like western musicals, the tone is melodramatic. Often the good triumphs over the evil. Heroes are omnipotent and are portrayed as being able to overpower a gang of villains. They are the defenders of the society and the sons every mother would wish for. Formulaic ingredients such as star-crossed lovers, corrupt politicians, twins separated at birth, conniving villains, angry parents, courtesans with hearts of gold, dramatic reversals of fortune, and convenient coincidences are almost always woven into the story.

Bollywood movies are usually bright, colorful, and grand. Bollywood satisfies the escapist nature of the Indian middle class. Fraught with corruption, poverty and various other issues, a commoner in India sees his/her share of woes each day. When they hit the theaters, it is usually to forget these woes for a brief three-hour duration before returning back to it.

Musicals to Indians are as staple as a saree or a naan bread. Indians have been brought up on musicals. If the music fails, the movie has a greater chance of tanking at the box office as well. All of the heroes and heroines sing. But fortunately for them, it is playback singing with professional singers doing the voice and actors just lip-synching. Lyrics are almost always poetry written for the movie and not the gibberish of an aspiring singer. Almost always, both the playback singers and the composers are rooted in one of the meticulous Indian classical branches of music.

With 1000 movies a year, you can take your pick -- quite a few picks, actually. While drama and comedy are aplenty, animations and children's movies do not find much favor. The Bollywood box office, thought not as diverse as Hollywood's, is impressive. From India to the Middle East to Africa to North America to the UK and Russia, Bollywood has a very devoted fan following. Bollywood is probably one thing that Pakistanis readily like about India. It serves as a cultural bridge between the two estranged neighbors. Post-Taliban regime, there was a mad rush in Afghanistan for the erstwhile banned song- and dance-laden Bollywood movies. They are still very popular there.

Though times are changing, typical Bollywood fare will not have the characters kissing. Public display of affection is still a taboo in India, ironic as there is a lot of affection behind closed doors to produce the 1.1 billion-strong Indian population! With kissing being taboo, anything more is unthinkable, so you will not find explicit sex scenes in mainstream cinema.

Songs are usually understood to be dream sequences, so that explains why the heroes and heroines dance their hearts out in exotic locales ranging from the Swiss Alps to the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. It is not uncommon to see more than one country in a song that has numerous costume changes. Elders are revered and touching of their feet to seek their blessings is a common occurrence. A bindi (dot on the forehead) on a woman signifies that she is a Hindu while a lack of one could mean that she is a Muslim or Sikh.

Some of the biggest stars in Bollywood include Amitabh Bacchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, and Aishwarya Rai. Amitabh Bachchan is an over 60 actor with more than a billion fans. In fact all of these actors have a comparable fan following. But BigB, as Bachchan is called, takes the cake. He has assayed various roles in his much-varied 40-year career. He is an actor that can do it all. He has had great success, whether it be comedy, drama or action. His movies are excellent to watch, but best appreciated after an initiation of sorts into Bollywood. Shahrukh and Aamir are current box office favorites. Aishwarya Rai is a much talked about beauty of Bollywood. Touted as one of the most beautiful women in the world, the former Miss World has thousands of websites devoted to her.

For a westerner wandering the numerous bylanes of Bollywood movies, a primer is recommended. With a century of movie-making and the recent times being prolific, there is much to choose from. I would be tempted to revise my list a month from now, forget someone else!

I would suggest digesting a few contemporary movies before delving into classics like Sholay, Mother India, Guide, HareRama HareKrishna, Pyaasa etc. So for the 101 on Bollywood, I would recommend the following to take the sting out of over-exposure to an unknown culture and to gradually introduce you to this dream land. English versions of these/original with subtitles are available at Indian grocery stores for renting and buying. Online stores like EROS entertainment lists many of these as well. Bollywood 101

Veer Zaara is a love story between an Indian man, Veer Pratap Singh, and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan, who meet under strange circumstances and commit the sin of falling in love. Zaara’s father, very influential Muslim politician in Pakistan, is against this for obvious reasons, Veer being an Indian and a Hindu as well. The lovebirds are separated with Veer landing in a Pakistani jail, courtesy Zaara’s dad and languishing there for 20 years. A young good-hearted lawyer who is pained by this saga takes up Veer’s cause to get him back to his home, India. Though the story is almost a seemingly run-of-the-mill tragedy, it is the treatment that makes this worth its weight in gold. A must watch. Apart from rich insights into Indian and Pakistani cultures, it has melodious songs and beautiful Himalayan locales. Cinematography is first class and very powerful performances from all make this a treat to watch.

Swades is a movie about an American Indian torn between the two countries. Mohan, a NASA scientist on a visit to India, is drawn to its earthy rustic charms and affable people. He is however peeved at how people have resigned themselves to what is meted out to them by the government and are content at playing the blame game. He inspires the villagers to cultivate self-help and sustainability. He starts out to light a bulb. This forms the core of the movie. Though the movie deals with issues plaguing India, it is deftly dealt by it’s Oscar nominated director and realistically portrayed , but with dignity. It compares and contrasts America with India but does justice to both. While Mohan strives to bring about change in India he stands up for America when it is wrongfully blamed. A must see movie with a heart of gold. Superb performance by the lead actor Shahrukh Khan as Mohan adds to the movie's mettle.

Dil Chahta Hai (The Heart Desires) tells the story of three friends – Akash, Sameer and Siddharth. Akash is a non-believer. To him love is a misguided conception created to ruin perfectly healthy relationships. Sameer is a believer. He is love smitten. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he is out there persevering, he is sure that he will find that 'special someone', as long as he keeps trying. The searches provide a riot of laughs. Siddharth on the other hand is mature, sensitive and understanding. He pines for an older woman. Life takes these friends on different journeys. Their troughs, valleys and realizations make up this interesting fare. This is a very good reflection of the contemporary urban upper middle class in India. It's a light feel good movie(see clip).

Teen Deewarein (Three Walls) is a movie inspired by Shawshank Redemption. This is not your typical run of the mill Bollywood kinds. It is artsy and deals with raw issues plaguing India. It is the story of three prisoners Juggu, Nagya and Ishaan who've been sentenced to death. Juggu has resigned himself to his fate while Nagya is hopeful of a change to his wrongful conviction. Ishaan on the other hand is realistic, accepts his fate as a matter of factly and is always looking out for an escape. To this mix add a compassionate warden who intends to reform the prisoners. He does not consider prisons human cages and has entrusted Chandrika to make a documentary on the capital punishment convicts and his prison reform. Director Nagesh Kukkunoor is a USA seasoned individual who also plays Nagya’s role. The movie showcases characters that are far from ideal role models, but it looks at hope as well as redemption that can occur in the darkest of areas.

Krrish (a short form of Krishna) as expected has rewritten box-office history this year. For the first time an Indian superhero in the mould of a Batman or Superman has emerged. A hero with a mask and a cape has invaded the Indian screens. It has the fight of the good vs. evil at the heart of it -- a super hero with magical prowess ending the reign of an evil tycoon. Rohit played by Hrithik Roshan, the Indian hunk with amazing good looks, body, dancing abilities and smile wards off the evil industrialist. The highlight of the movie is the usage of special effects and thrills that take the film to an altogether different level. Though special effects are a staple for the western audience, Hrithik should be a good enough reason to watch the movie. Bollywood 202

Sholay (Flames) - Touted as the greatest film of India, this movie is an Indian Western with two former convicts employed by a former warden to kill a dreaded dacoit. The reason why this is in the list far below is to help you graduate to it. Apart from the stars that grace the movie with powerful performances, the highlight of the movie is its dialogue. It would be a crime to watch this movie without being able to understand it that well. So to enable better digestion, this masterpiece is listed below.

Almost any of Amitabh Bachchan's movies: Anand, Abhimaan, Deewar, Don, Coolie, Baghban, etc.

Iqbal - A moving story of a mute kid from a village who has a great talent in cricket (a very popular sport in India). Powerful performances amid realistic settings make this a treat. But this needs a skinny on Cricket to get past and hence is listed down the order(a cricketing term).

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (I’ve Lost My Heart to You, My Dear) - A grand movie with extravagant settings. It tells the story of Sameer with Indian origins, brought up in Europe. He returns to India to gain expertise in Indian classical singing to aide his opera performance. He He falls in love with his teacher’s daughter Nandini and the teacher does not approve of their love. Against her wishes Nandini is married to Vanraj. Upon discovering the truth Vanraj sets out to find Raj and unite the forlorn lovers. The prime highlight of the movie apart from the beautiful Aishwarya Rai is the state of Gujrat and it’s colorful culture. Cinematography is top of the line with soulful music.

Bollywood 303 anyone ?

This includes what most Bollywood purists would recommend as a must see of Bollywood. The reason I caveat the above with a most--no two Bollywood aficionados may agree on the entire list or some selections in the list. Additionally I have added a few which are the biggest hits of it's times as well.

Lagaan (2001)

Mr. & Mrs. Iyer (2002)

Deewar (1975,oldie not the newer one)

Naseeb (1981)

Aradhana (1969)

Bombay (1949)

Devdas (1956)

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2000)

Mughal-e-Azam (1960)

Mother India

Awara (1951)

Andaz (1949)

Baghban (2003)

Bobby (1973)

Pakeezah (1971)

Pinjar (2003)

If vivid cinematography, vibrant colors, pleasing music and a step or two to go with it interest you; If different cultures intrigue you ; If you want to learn about middle of the road India ; Bollywood will not disappoint you. The 2.5-3 hour run time does seem excessive. But like a good novel, a good Bollywood movie is an attention grabber.

Gender Wars, Courtesy Forbes?

Chanakya — Wed, 8 Nov 2006 00:49:49 EST

Guys: a word of advice. Marry pretty women or ugly ones. Short ones or tall ones. Blondes or brunettes. Just, whatever you do, don't marry a woman with a career.

Well, before you bite my head off for the obvious male chauvinism that's reeking in that statement, let me clarify that those are the words of Forbes editor Michael Noer and not yours truly. The editor, in this "Point-Counterpoint" styled article, goes on to describe how the "... more successful she is, the more likely she is to grow dissatisfied with you."

We are told that the spouse's parents' marital status is a very important consideration, as is the greater likelihood that she may meet someone better than you while working. While you are left wondering if this is pushing us to an era of female subjugation a la Taliban which forbids women venturing out for similar reasons and begin to sympathize with the opposite sex, the counterpoint comes by and misses the mark by a zip code (albeit still better than Mr. Noer).

It is about how guys need to start out by going to the gym and how they need to be "connected to the world" by sampling movies and books. Point noted, but will someone talk about the two people involved in a relationship here? The only noticeable mentions are when they are talked of as cheating and running off with nymphets. Makes it seem like an everyday happening and there are not very many respectable relationships around. Maybe they are talking of Hollywood? Or maybe I'm hallucinating. Statistics is a wonderful tool when used well. But when used to justify things like these, they become a laughing stock. There's probably research available on the web on any given fickle issue and statistics to back it as well. But that definitely does not make it right.

In my humble opinion, this is one of the silliest articles I have read, and a good way to start a ruckus. Both sides couldn't be more wrong. For some unknown reason, we as humans have the need to slot things and expect everything to conform, more so, here in the USA. What works for one might not work for the other. There are numerous cases where successful working parents (both) have taken lesser roles and pay to support the family needs. On the opposite side of the spectrum people have had to re-tool and start afresh after long gaps. So be it a career mom or a stay at home dad, it's entirely an individual family's choice. To say one is better than the other without considering the variables, constraints, and parameters of each individual situation is naive at best. Few things in life are black or white -- almost all of it, always, is grey.

I need to admit I do not know much about the authors, but I have had to squirm many a times when they get the so-called experts to opine. It's usually some dude that has read and published a paper with almost no practical or pragmatic experience. Please bear with the digression, but in a recent Newsweek article about Bollywood (India's Hollywood, with 900+ movies a year and one billion fans) the front page was graced by Padma Lakshmi. Exactly. "Padma who?" Lakshmi is an actress/model who is married to author Salman Rushdie. Does she even know the ABCs of India ? Well, being linked to Rushdie, who has Indian roots, should be enough. Karma and yoga are two other overtly misused and misinterpreted topics. People who cannot even utter Omkara are yoga experts. Every other fitness center boasts of a yoga program that's essentially calisthenics marketed as yoga.

In all of this, the Forbes authors seem to have lost the essence of marriage. The pillars of trust, honesty, faith, and love seem to have been unceremoniously tossed by the wayside. Both talk of how so many silly things are important but fail to realize that eventually, it's the two people involved that can make it or break it. When they do want it to work, all other things won't matter. Marriage needs work, and consistently at that. Roadblocks always appear. But when you are in a ditch and providence provides you a rope, you can either use it to get out of the ditch or hang yourself. What you choose defines you. These authors are definitely looking at hanging themselves -- the easy way out.