Happy New Year...

Another year has passed by and now its time for a brand new beginning. Its a time to look back at the bygone year, learn from mistakes and move on. 2009 was fun and I'm sure 2010 is going to be even more fun.

This year as usual, I've made a new year resolution. I'm hoping that at least this time around I'll be able to keep it till the end.( I can't even remember last year's resolution) I've made two resolutions this time. Firstly, I'm going to explore my culinary skills. My knowledge in cooking is very limited and I've always wanted to try out new recipes but I keep postponing it.This year, I promise to try out one new recipe every month. My second resolution is that, I'm going to do some kind of exercise everyday, whether its running, jumping or dancing. Now this is one resolution that I'm sure won't last even a month but I'm going to give it a try. :)

I hope everyone has made good resolutions and are planning to keep them. Best of luck with that. Hope 2010 is going to be a great year for everyone. Wishing you all a rocking year...!!

The Last Time They Met

This is one book that needs you to read it twice to get the complete story registered. After reading it once, I felt as if i had missed out on something. When you read it for the second time, knowing the climax, you start getting the real feel of the story and find yourself getting attached to the protagonists. The author, Anita Shreve has used a method of telling the story of Linda and Thomas from end to the start, moving back in time. Its more like connecting a series of events with a narrow thread.

The story begins with Linda and Thomas, both in their fifties, meeting at a hotel. The author gives us a small peak into their relationship and then takes us to Kenya where they had last met, about 30 years back. The story of the two lovers who nurture intense passion for each other is further revealed through the events that took place during their first meeting at high school. The story is intricately constructed and made me wonder about the weird ways of life. It is very apparent that the two were made for each other. But they were not able to make it together in life. The first time they got separated, we could blame Linda's aunt for going out of her way in ensuring that they remain so. Second time , the commitments that they had already made posed a hindrance to their union.By the time of their last meeting, it was too late. Linda was already a mother of two grown up children and Thomas was nursing the wounds of a daughter drowned in her early age. One could call it fate or an opportunity they had failed to utilize for which they paid with their life. What would have happened if they had just reached out, breaking the distance between their lives?I can't stop myself from thinking about that. The story ends tragically when Thomas commits suicide, lamenting over the life that could have been his.
One of the worst things that can happen to a person is when he looks back at life and feels that it was a big zero. When he starts realizing how many opportunities he had missed, decisions that could have changed his life for the better. Thomas is the victim of the same. 

Love Jihad

'Love jihad' is the term coined for Muslim boys 'trapping' girls of other religions in their love and forcing them to convert to Islam. It got into the news in Kerala when some Hindu organizations started complaining after two girls escaped from 'Love Jihad'. Now even the Christian organizations are coming up with the complaint.

I think the whole thing is a blow up by some anxious and conservative parents. One or two random incidents shouldn't be mistaken and enlarged to such proportions that they generate hatred towards the entire Muslim community. Posters claiming to be from 'Shiv Sena' have surfaced in many parts of Kerala warning Hindu girls against 'Love Jihad'. This is the first time that Shiv Sena activity has been reported in Kerala and I'm not very happy about it. Shiv Sena has always tried to restrict the growth of women in the name of Indian culture and takes pride in spreading communal messages. How can anyone forget the Bangalore bar incident? Girls were beaten up by Shri Ram Sena Activists for having a drink in the bar along with their male friends. Excuse me, but i thought this was India! Indian culture always stood for respecting women and what are they trying to preach by going around beating women? They have their parents and other elders to correct them if anyone feels that the girls have done some horrible sin. Advising them would have been ok, but beating them up publicly in front of TV cameras cannot be justified in any way! Rise of Shiv Sena and other similar 'Senas' in Kerala is definitely going to lead the society into the pit of communalism.
The inquiry commission appointed by the High Court has come to the conclusion that there is no racket involved in the whole 'Love Jihad' episode and the fears of the same are unnecessary. But not everyone is happy with the report it seems!

Its interesting to note that parents of children having inter caste marriage worry more about their children converting to other religion than about the idea of them living with someone of another religion. Our society has changed a lot but there is still a lot of things that need to be shaken off. I wonder when people will start realizing that love is beyond religion and should not be weighed down by it. Religious belief is a good thing but forgetting that the religion was made 'for the wellness of the people', and not 'people for the wellness of religion' will only demean both religion and love.

Animation Movies

Recently, I saw two animation movies- ‘Bolt’ and ‘Madagascar, Escape 2 Africa’.

I had wanted to watch ‘Bolt’ ever since I watched its trailer on TV. The trailer had this super dog, Bolt on a chase with some ruffians. The dog used its super powers to defeat the villains. It was a really cool trailer and it made me eager to watch the movie. So, I sat down expecting some really awesome animations. The beginning was nice with the chasing scene and all. Then we realize that the dog actually has no super powers and that its merely acting in a movie with everyone except Bolt knowing the truth. Through precisely timed action sequences and effects the dog is lead to believe otherwise, so that the crew can capture the real emotions on his face. Never having left the sets and always under the care of his beloved master, Penny, Bolt suddenly finds himself lost in the busy city with all the strange creatures of the street. Still believing to be invincible, he ends up in some trouble. This part was quiet boring with the dog taking an incredible lot of time to realize the truth. But from the part where he meets the rowdy cat, Mittens and strikes up friendship, there was no stopping the movie from getting good. It was really cute to see Mittens teaching Bolt how to be a normal dog. Along with a hamster, Rino, the two embark on an adventurous journey to Hollywood. The story ends with Bolt back with his beloved Penny living the life of a normal dog along with his two buddies, Mittens and Rino.


 

‘Madagascar, Escape to Africa’ is the story of a dancing lion from New York zoo going on an adventurous journey with his friends, a zebra, a giraffe and a hippo. He ends up in his homeland in Madagascar and meets his long lost parents. The movie has its moments but overall it could be termed as a slapstick comedy.

Pain of those Silent Nights

Last day shuffling through old books I found this poem that i had written a few years back.
Hope you guys like it...


Alone in the darkness of the night,

I cry to the pillow my only mate.

The moon in the sky was never so dim,

Neither did the stars wink as they had.

For my pain of the silent nights,

Took away the charm of the night.

Stop I can’t that’s all I can say,

The cool breeze forgot this sweet friend of his,

The mourning soul, writhing in pain.

My heart is broken and my eyes are swollen,

Didn’t know when I stopped living.

Dragging my lifeless limps,

I exist just for those haunting memories.

It pains a lot to think of the past,

But can’t just forget them that’s all I know.

My suffering soul exists just for the spring.

I wish this winter would die soon,

Taking away those painful nights.

I wish the spring would come to light up my nights

Better be fast I beg you my dear…

Three Cheers to ISRO

ISRO has made India proud once again with the discovery of water molecules on the surface of moon. Chandrayan along with NASA’s payload, ‘Moon Mineralogy Mapper’ has made a breakthrough discovery, which is going to give a new vigor to our space odyssey.
Astronauts of future will be able to extract water from moon and use hydrogen to fuel their rockets and oxygen to breathe. Moon can also serve as transit point for our inter-planetary missions. The discovery is also a great boost to our search for water on other planets. A new theory is being formulated on the planets where the probability of finding water is high. According to this theory, planets with silicon compounds on their surface have an edge over the others.
Third World War is predicted to be for water and finding water on any other celestial body gives the scope for hoping that maybe, just maybe, this will extend the lifespan of human race a little further.

The entire crew of ISRO needs special applause! They have reaffirmed to the world, the superior quality of our scientific community and technical capabilities. The nation is proud of you and we hope ISRO will be able conquer space not only for India but also for the welfare of the entire human race.

Uighur Uprising

China was never the favorite of human rights activists. With its stringent rules and restrictions, China has always alarmed the world. China’s oppressive measures in Tibet and the subsequent condition of the Tibetans are very much familiar to us. But there is more to Chinese brutality.

East Turkistan is a region situated in the northwestern parts of China and thickly populated with the ethnic group of Uighurs. These people who speak Turkic language follow Islam. Established as the ‘East Turkistan Republic’ in the 1940s,this nation was annexed by China and renamed Xinjiang (meaning ‘new territory’). This region came to the attention of the world in this July, when the Chinese president left the G-8 summit mid-way and returned home due to an Uighur uprising. The Uighurs who have always wanted an independent country were not only denied it but were also deprived of their fundamental and human rights. They are not even allowed to worship in accordance to their religion. In order to dilute the borders, a large number of Chinese people are being relocated to the Xinjiang province. In the 1940s the Chinese population in Xinjiang was a meager 4%, which rose to 40% by 2000. The recent Uighur uprising was brutally crushed by the Chinese government and the unofficial death toll is 197 while 1721 were left with injuries (officials claim much smaller figures). The Uighurs who escaped from the region has setup a ‘World Uighur Congress’ with its headquarters in Munich. Their leader is a former businesswoman, Rebiya Kadeer, who is now a refugee in USA. The Uighurs in and out of Xinjiang is pleading to the international community for support, something they rarely get. No one wants to incur the wrath of China, which is all set to become one of the major world powers in the coming years. But it’s high time they renewed their policies regarding Xinjiang and Tibet. China is trying to project the protesters as terrorists and is including them as targets in their fight against terrorism. If an independent nation is too much to ask for, at least human rights of the people can be easily granted. I think it’s the responsibility of all the world nations to rise up and stand by the oppressed Uighurs for the freedom they deserve.