Notebook

NOTEBOOK

A subtle, romantic and beautiful love story. A master stroke set in the Kashmir Valley; it strives to give peace a chance.

In this age of sensationalism and high pitched voices, the sane and logical voices are usually buried and forgotten. But sometimes a breath of fresh air comes which is gentle, cool and sincere; it brings calmness and smile to your faces. Notebook is one such example.

Set in the Kashmir Valley on the beautiful backdrop of Wullar lake, it starts as a simple tale of love between two strangers who have not met. What binds them and brings them together is a notebook diary of  Firdaus, the teacher (Pranutan Bahl). A diary which Kabir (Zaheer Iqbal), the new teacher happens to find. He falls in love with Firdaus through her notebook entries. He learns how to face solitude, to find one’s  place in universe and also teach the little children; all through the musings of Firdaus.

The story moves at gentle steady pace and gives you time to absorb the beauty of the lake, the landscape and the serenity of the wilderness. It touches upon the growing radicalization of the children and how it needs to be stopped. The most powerful message comes through a very simple thought.

Andhere ko andhera nahi mita sakta

Andhero ko mitane ke liye ujala chahiye

It is a metaphorical reference to violence. It suggests that violence begets violence. It needs efforts to win it over with peace. The story moves in this direction and is very successful in conveying it’s message. It does it in a way which is bereft of any violence. But, the tension and the underlying unrest in the valley is unmistakable.

Such kind of cinema, comes your way once in a while. It is too nuanced, romantic, beautiful and subtle. Don’t let it pass. Soak in it and feel it through your heart. You will love it for sure.

POLITICAL MURDER OF SECULARISM

POLITICAL MURDER OF SECULARISM

The political discourse has turned vapid and so-called ‘secularism’ is nothing but a myth. 

The non-secular politics vs secular politics of the so-called secular Mahagathbandhan is nothing but a political mirage and bluff called upon the people of India. Their claim that the ruling party practices and preaches a communal agenda is nothing but an insult to the whole country as a whole. The thumping mandate given by the people in the last elections to this philosophy is painted as nothing but communal. How is it possible that the majority of the country is communal and only these parties are practicing secular politics? Are we all the people of India communal?

A little closer look at their policies will lift the veil out from their hidden agendas. One may brandish oneself as a secular party, but still take stands that polarize the people on the basis of caste, creed or religion; what kind of politics is this? It is just fooling the people. 

The prince of the dynasty decides on contesting from a seat, which is a minority dominated constituency; isn’t this polarizing the people on the lines of religion? What signals are you sending out  to the people? How can you call this as secular politics? And he has the gumption to label the ruling party of practicing the politics of hate and religion. It’s nothing but tomfoolery!

The ‘Samajwadis’ as they call themselves, are neck deep into the politics of caste. They have no right to talk about secularism when the whole ideology is based on differentiating people on various lines of religion and caste.

It is sad that the political discourse turns to divide people in one way or the other when the election times approach. This has to stop and people should see through this fog of pseudo-secular agenda of these parties.

Something is seriously wrong when the majority community starts going on the defensive when the political parties start clamoring for votes of the so-called minorities. It is communal in nature to ask for votes on these lines.

Let there be only one agenda- development of the country. And let it be done unitedly. The political parties should put out their plans to achieve the best through their manifestos, and let the voters decide who suits the bill. Let us all be united in fighting all these divisive forces.

KESARI

KESARI : SOAKED  DEEP IN HISTORY AND VIOLENCE

Witness the battle of Saragarhi fought in 1897 by the 36th Sikh Battalion, not for the British masters but more for the Izzat and Sikh valor.

The first question you would like answered is 'Should I watch this movie?’ Well, it depends upon what is your appetite for watching violence? Because Kesari is a violent battle for survival; the so-called Last Stand. It’s as bloody and violent as it can be. It can easily compete with  'Game of Thrones' if you get what I mean. Well, if you can get past it then yes, it is worth a watch.

The Battle was fought in 1897 by the British against the Pashtun Orakazi tribesman and the Sikh troops who were on the payroll of the British. It was in the same general area of Balakote which has become so famous after the airstrikes. The history dates back to the first seeds of Jihad being planted here by  Sayyed Ahmed in 1831, where he tried to spread the jihad and was badly defeated by the then Sikh ruler Ranjit Singh. He had taken refuge in Balakote and had planned to further his cause by defeating Ranjit Singh. He wanted to spread his Jihad to the Kashmir Valley and then to the subcontinent.

History was somewhat repeated in Saragarhi. The Pashtuns and other tribes gang up against the British troops stationed at three posts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in now what is Pakistan. They are mobilized and coaxed by the fanatic and radical Mullah. The 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Battalion are defending the post of Saragarhi, which is actually a strategic (heliographic) communication post between Fort Gulistan and Fort Lockhart.

The premise is complicated, but the story simple. The Sikh troops are left with a choice of either surrender, flee or fight the onslaught of an enemy numbering about 10,000. It is a suicidal mission and they decide to fight against the odds and guaranteed death. But it is because of Sikh valor and bravery; that they choose to guard the fort till the end. They all perish but indirectly protect the other posts by delaying the attack. 

The gory details and violence get to you after the interval and then you cringe and want it to end as soon as possible. Otherwise, the movie excels in all the departments. Akshay Kumar shines all throughout with an ensemble of supporting cast that does a fantastic job. The story moves at a brisk pace and keeps you hooked on. Parineeti Chopra as Hav Ishar Singh’s wife is a very inspiring performance. The backdrop of the Ladakh landscape (I presume) is very picturesque but could have been shot better.

Finally, what leaves behind after the movie ends is a bitter after taste. A question of what is the purpose of this mindless violence? Are bravery and valor only achieved by sacrificing and perishing? Isn’t survival more important? Isn’t discretion a better part of valor? 

All the battles of history were fought by soldiers on the ground. But the wars were won by deft strategy and diplomacy. This is all the more important in today’s world where warmongering and hyper-nationalism is a growing phenomenon. The futility of all this must be understood and highlighted. 

The sacrifice and valor of the troops who fought and lost their lives are not forgotten. They were awarded Victoria Cross (equivalent to Param Veer Chakra) and Saragarhi day is still celebrated in the 4th Sikh Battalion even today. But sadly for the families of those 21 Sikhs the loss was permanent, wasn’t it? Can anything ever compensate it? 

So, remember the heroes, their sacrifices, the price paid and learn from history. So we never lose such brave men to violence again. Let’s not glorify violence. Let’s abhor it. Avoid it. Steer clear of it. Let’s try and make the world a little more peaceful.

Note: Sikh military personnel and civilians commemorate the battle around the world every year on 12th September. All units of the Sikh Regiment celebrate Saragarhi Day every year as the Regimental Battle Honours Day. 

MADE IN HEAVEN

MADE IN HEAVEN

A balanced recipe of drama, action, sleaze, scandal, relations, love, sex and lot of marriages!!

A PERFECTLY BLENDED DRAMA

Bollywood seems to have hit the sweet spot with this one. A perfect and balanced recipe of drama, action, sleaze, scandal, relationships, love, sex and off course a lot of Indian marriages!  But the criticality is in always maintaining the right proportion and balance. Not overdoing any of the elements, and spoiling the taste of the individual components. That’s where Made In Heaven has hit the G spot, I must say!

It may appear to have a formulaic backdrop of crazy Indian marriages a la Karan Johar style. But it  has been spiced up with lot of bold scenes and scandals,  and sprinkled with a judicious dose of social issues. Nevertheless it's  done with so much elegance and nuanced storytelling, that it leaves you breathless and makes you immediately hit the next episode button. The narrative is fast paced, always progressing at a constant speed. Doesn’t loose grip at any point.

Tara Khanna & Karan Mehra

The lives of of six characters, their struggles, their compulsions, aspirations, weaknesses and how they eventually come to terms with it; and make peace with it, is worth a watch, no doubt. 

The backdrop of the superrich Delhi circle and their ways of splurging the wealth on marriages  with the pomp and show is very amusing and at times vulgar. But Made in Heaven is just not about it. It goes to a much deeper level. It scratches all the layers and makes them bare in front of you. Be it the royal family  and its  dirty deeds or be it the political family masquerading their political alliance as marriage. The opposition to late marriage of a widowed mother by her own children is as heart wrenching as  the bride walking away from her marriage due to dowry demand by an IAS groom. It was really amazing to find so many social evils tackled in such a tiny space of nine episodes without ever loosing focus and pace of the main narrative. Really impressive…directors and script writers take a bow..

Adil & Tara Khanna

The performance by Sobhita (Tara Khanna) and Arjun Mathur (Karan Mehra)  are astounding. They are sincere, touching and very adorable. They really shine. The supporting roles by JIm Sarbh (Adil Khanna) and Shivani (Jazz) are genuine and convincing. Shashank Arora (Kabir) is very cute and lovable as the official videographer. Kalki is as usual glamorous, perfect and classy. 

The title song too grows on you after three or four episodes and I loved it very much. It kind of reminded me of the effect of GOT title song. It has a very nice feel and captures the wedding atmosphere beautifully. Very impressive.

Overall it’s a 4.5/5 rating. A perfect blend of all ingredients in the most balanced proportions and served in the most stylized way..Go for it..

Love for chocolate

Love for chocolate

A  gift for someone you love

Nine out of ten people like chocolate,the tenth person always lies. 

That sums up how much chocolate is loved by everyone. Chocolate has become the metaphor for love. It is given to express love, celebrate occasions, gifted to someone you love, express gratitude or even as a return gift. In fact there is no occasion for which a box of chocolates would be inappropriate.

So, why is that we love our chocolate so much. Is it some genetic factor, is it in our genes? What makes some people choc-o-holic, to an extent that they are not ready to try any other flavor than chocolate? Try offering it to a die hard fan of chocolate and see if you can persuade him into trying something new !!

Chocolate had been used as early as 1900 BC by Olmecs (Mexico). What started as a chocolate drink has metamorphosed into  a multi billion dollar industry of commercially produced chocolates in different forms; bars, syrups, spreads, ice creams and chocolate cakes.

What exactly is Chocolate?

Cocoa beans are the dried and fermented seeds of the cacao tree (Theobroma cacao). Theobroma literally means “Food of Gods”. After fermentation, the beans are dried and then roasted. The nibs are extracted by removing the shells. Then they are  ground and liquefied to make pure chocolate liquor. The liquor is further processed into cocoa solids and cocoa butter.

It is the varying proportion of the cocoa solids and the butter which gives it the characteristic taste and texture. The active ingredients are in the solids. More the butter, more will be the fats. Pure chocolate is devoid of any milk and sugar. It’s addition makes it more palatable ranging from dark chocolate, milk chocolate to  finally white chocolate.

The Aztecs used to consume chocolate as a bitter, frothy drink mixed with chillies. We are luckier though, with the plethora of options we have. Chocolate triggers the release of endorphins and serotonin, our feel good hormones. It makes us feel happy and elated. It is said to contain more than three hundred different chemicals, but the most important ones are caffeine and theobromine.

A table spoon of unsweetened cocoa powder contains 12.1 mg of caffeine, whereas dark chocolate will contain in a higher concentration- 22mg per 25 mg serving. The psychoactive effects on cognitive performance can be seen with even 9 mg dose.

Why do we love it so much ?

We love it because of the rich aroma and taste, the way it simply melts in our mouth. The rich creamy flavor evokes a wonderful joyous feeling. Its association with love, romance and happiness makes it a part of our celebrations. But wait, the answer is not so simple! 

Letting chocolate dissolve in your mouth produces the same effect as a passionate kiss in the brain and raised heart rate. Moreover, the effect can last unto four times longer!

There are several hundred different chemical in your typical chocolate, but the most notable are the stimulants theobromine, phenylethylamine and caffeine. It also contains a feel good chemical called anandamide, similar to the one found in marijuana called anandamide THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). It also persists for a long time giving us the longer lasting “chocolate high”.

Eating too much chocolate also triggers a different area of brain (parahippocampal gyrus. Orbitofrontal cortex and prefrontal regions) which practically tells the person to stop as it is perceived negatively.

Choc-o-holics vs Non choco-o-holics

Is there is a difference in the response by brain in people addicted to chocolates against those not? Apparently, there is a difference. Certain areas of brain (orbitofrontal cortex,cortex, ventral striatum and the pregenual cingulate cortex) behave in a different manner in these persons. These same areas are involved in other forms of addictive behavior, such as drug taking, drinking and gambling.

Even a sight of chocolate when you are dieting can trigger a response.

Is it bad for me?

Dark chocolate has higher levels of epicatechin levels which are understood to increase physical performance to a small extent. Some studies say that it reduces the blood pressure, but it has been found that the effect is seen only when it is consumed in very high quantities.

Some side effects include heart burn, sweating, trembling and headache. Consistent consumption can lead to kidney stones. Chocolate can be an important source of lead especially in children, if consumed in high quantities. Allergic reactions and  acne are known to occur.

So eating small to moderate quantities does you no harm and might be of some benefit, but eating too much will increase sugar and fat intake which leads to obesity and its problems.

 Final words

Charles Schulz has said, “All you need is love but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” So indulging yourself or giving it to someone you love is definitely a thing you must do. It creates long lasting memories and moments which we can cherish forever.

Enjoy the chocolate high, gift it to someone whom you love, share it with friends who make you happy and  surprise someone by sending it to them without a reason.

Keep making your life more chocolatey by enjoying the Theobroma…the food of Gods !!