Oscars have been slummed.....

Slumdog Millionaire Movie Trailer-HD QUALITY!!! (2008) - Watch the best video clips here

I know I was the one who was opposing the idea some days back but to be very honest even i am loving it now. Like it or not Slumdog Millionaire has been a run on success in the Oscars this year. The movie won 8 oscars with as many as three coming to people from the Indian origin. These were A R Rahman, song writer Gulzar and sound engineer Resul Pookutty. Prior to this only three Indians have won the oscars. Meera Nair, Satyajit Ray and Bhanu Atthiayah. So this means that thanks to the movie the Indian presence on the oscar statuette has doubled in one shot. What this success means is a more profound presence of Indian artists on the international arena. I think this could mean a great deal for the recession struck Hindi film industry. With global exposure and international audience to cater to, our film makers will have a wide array of choices to potray in content rather than just doing the regular song and dance routines, we are so used to.

Take for example the case of Slumdog Millionaire itself. The movie draws its plot from the book QnA by Vikram Swaroop. The movie tells the story of a young boy who goes through multiple hardships to win the love of his life. In creation it is  the exposes the reality of the slum life in our country...... The movie progresses through various stages eventually with the triumph of hope and the viewer in a a sea of scmaltz. What is important is not the scatalogical tale of misery and pain, but the will to win over all of it.

Pitted as the favourite at the oscars this year Slumdog Millionaire did justice to all expectations. The oscar ceremony was rife with the chants of "Jai Ho",  reiterating the mass appeal the movie has generated. The Director's and all other casts'  were exceedingly justified in the huge success the movie has garnered among the critics and the masses alike. First a bevy of Golden Globes and BAFTAS and now the Oscars the movie has surely had a dip in history. Here's to a many more like Slumdog "Jai Ho".

Sari, We are India....

Every time this time of the year, emotional tempers run high.... Suddenly people become aware of the culture of our country. They profess culture, they practice culture and how? By ruining the Valentine's Day celebrations of some young love birds here and there. The process has been going on for a long time but every year it seems murkier.... This year a new name was added to the list of the moral police - Ram Sene. The Ram Sene attacked some women in a Mangalore. They say that the pub culture is destroying the Indian culture. However, I would like to know which Indian culture do they boast of. These are the men who pass lewd comments at girls at a bus stop, these are the who whistle their lungs out during movies, these are the men who will beat up their women and children after having a drink or two at the local wine shop. The list is endless. However, what is the most disturbing is the virulence in the process which at the best renders the possibility of nuanced reading.

Globalisation has changed a lot of things in our country but its most distinguished impact has come out in terms of the growing opportunity for women in the society. It has allowed free access to top paying jobs for the women, who for the first time since independence are finding themselves at the helm of power. This however creates a conflict of sorts. These women are torn between the conventional and the modern. Some prefer to maintain a low profile and play a second fiddle in the relationships they pursue. However, the rest chose otherwise. These women want to break free and are justified in doing so, but the moral police of our country who unfortunately are constituted of no good for nothing fools are opposed to their freedom. The problem is not with the culture but with the mind set. Men in our country are used to dominating, but these women seriously jeopardise their claims for the ultimate authority. The result is a clash between the sexes which often gets physical. It is sad that the women in the Mangalore pub were beaten up. This episode has fetched the Ram sene unprecedented publicity but at the height of the matter it is not the outcome of cultural biases but of gender biases. The women as a mark of protest are sending Pink undies to Mr. Muthalik. Albeit funny, this is a strong gesture. This shows that the women of our country are no more prepared to be bend down to the hegemony of the hooligans. But again this is India and outcomes pour out in a trickle. I would like to see how this issue is dealt with.

Ram naam satya hai - The death of an ideology..

Union elections are just around the corner, and guess what, the BJP has reiterated its rhetoric to re institute the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. I mean how sad can things actually be. The horrible memories of the 26/11 attacks are still fresh in our minds. Instead of working towards communal harmony this party wants to divide us across communal lines. After the attacks it should have been our first priority to ensure that no community in our country should be marginalised on religious lines. But, this party is doing just the opposite. Rajnath Singh in his speech mentioned that no one can shake BJP's faith in Lord Rama and that Ram temple will be built at the spot it was supposed to be. However, what he has forgot is that these issues count for nothing any more. It was in 1992 that the Babri mosque was demolished. The nation in the coming months was embroiled in a sequence of vicious riots and mass destruction.  BJP by invoking this issue all over again has proved that it is least concerned about the fate of the country. Quite expectedly its allies are now crying fowl. What they see is a blatant attempt to seize power at any cost. Not saying that these parties are any betters, but they at least have the sensibility to not to talk about non-redundant issues.  What makes matters worse is that this issue will now invoke reactions from the Ulemas and other important Muslim seers. This will further aggravate the tensions between the Muslims and the Hindus. 

Sadly when this party was in power it did little for the Ram Temple. But, now it wants to rake benefits of the issue long forgotten. Quite interestingly one of its former members and the chief minister of UP, Kalyan Singh, during whose regime the Babri mosque was demolished has apologised for the incident. Well we all are aware of what that means. This opportunistic rhetoric counts for nothing, what matters is that all the parties start working for the development of the nation. The verdict of the people is in front of us. Even in the last round of the assembly elections, people voted for development. Mrs. Sheila Dikshit was able to make a come back just because she has done substantial work to make Delhi better. The Delhi Metro stands testimony to the same. The BJP should take cue from this incident and prioritise some real issues to confront the Congress in the coming elections. After what happened in Mumbai and many other parts of India this is the least the party can do.

What do we celebrate?

So what is this media frenzy all about? Slumdog millionaire has bagged 10 Oscar nominations and very desi Mr. A R Rahman has been nominated thrice under two award categories. But, is this achievement really worth celebrating. Take a nice and fine look at the movie and you will discover that movie does precious little to bring forth the reality of the subject. Slumdog in itself is a good cinematic creation but lacks the vigour or the intensity of real India. Set in the slums of Mumbai the movie tells the rags to riches story of a slum dweller only through vicious yet real satire. I don't have any problem with the slums, neither do i have anything to say against the satire and sarcasm in the movie. What disturbs me most is the deliberate attempt to pander to the whims and expectations of the West. Even after its stupendous growth, India is still perceived to be land of snake charmers and bullock carts by most in the west. The movie not in the perspective, but in the content and the presentation is surely an extension of the same idea.

India as a country is much more than just the slums and slum dogs. It sybolises the will to win, to survive, to thrive and to remain happy even in the worst of times. The movie highlights so many aspects of the slum life but is least concerned about the prospect of highlighting the way people live. It is only concerned about what becomes of them. But, don't we agree that if the end is the most important thing then all the human folk is reduced to the same whimpering mess. Men like Napoleon, Gandhi, Marx and many others are remembered by mankind for how they lived, rather than how they perished. People have to realize that every person in this world is born to face difficulties. Only in the case of slum dwellers we notice them more because we have the opportunity to take some time out for ourselves. But, nevertheless these men and women stand testimony to the indomitable human spirit. The movie as it presents this scence is shockingly awful. The reality fails to bite and the satire falls face first. The emotions (well I was able to find little don't know about you) refuses to move and the plot is hardly an attempt to attain finesse. Debutant Freida Pinto has done her part but Dev Patel fails miserably at his attempt to emulate a slum dog. However, this is only the tip of the ice berg. The two best acting performances in the movie come from boys who are actually slum dwellers. It is shame that these kids are hardly a part of the promotion of the movie and I seriously doubt they would ever be able to watch their performances on the big screen just like we did. Ironies galore and so do fallacies, but there are certainly points where the movie appeals to the viewer. Rahman's music comes out top. It is rich, soulful and definitely conveys the message the movie fails to do. The other good thing about the movie is the choice of the sequences and the flawlessness with which they have been edited. But, every thing said and done it is only a movie about India and not an Indian movie. So India wake up and don't shrug this off with biscuits and the morning chai after a night of thinking. Decide how would you like to be seen in the future. The choice is all yours......

Dreams come true....

Not so long years ago, words echoed "I have a dream that the four children of mine will some day live in a country where they are judged not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character". That was Rev Martin Luther King Jr. expressing his idea of a dream, few would have called probable at that time. But, how swiftly have things changed and what a change this has been. As the entire world saw an African American take charge of the most powerful nation of the world, history was written and a memorable one. Move the clock two years and back and this all seems so impossible. No one would have ever imagined that a rookie senator from Illinois will turn the tables on the face of the stalwarts in the US elections and would script a story never heard of in the annals of history. Barrack Hussain Obama has just done that. While I write this article, the world wide web is being flooded by Obama's swearing in ceremony videos. The ceremony has already become the most watched show in the history of television. But, the story does not end with the razzmatazz. It signifies a greater end, a broader perspective and richer thought process. Obama's triumph is not just that of a race or a man, it is the triumph of belief over despair, of merit over dogma and of endurance over hate and humiliation. There used to be times when the blacks did not get to vote and now they have come this far that a member of their community holds the top most job in the land. It heralds the unfolding of a saga where meritocracy is the order of the day. It is the reaffirmation of the values of equality of opportunity and well being. Obama's term irrespective of how it turns out to be will certainly be unique, for his feat is nothing short of monumental.

Mr. Obama is taking up the office in the most trying of times. America has two unfinished wars to deal with and with the economic slump taking its toll, souls will be difficult to pacify. The economic crisis has left the Americans heart broken. It has shook their confidence more than their markets. The Americans for the first time are feeling down and out. The whole country is in grips of frustration and the coming months promise to be no better. China and Russia are both lurking up to the heels of the Americans and the once undisputed American dominance is now being questioned seriously. Obama has the task set in front of him. He has to withdraw troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, he has to be extra sensitive with central Asia, he has to build up a sagging economy and a frustrated nation and he has to face the ugly force of terrorism. Certainly this is an uphill task, but Mr. Obama will have to face it and mind you if he is able to pull this out he will not only establish his reputation but will also lay the foundation for more such changes in the entire world. After all the Europeans are yet to witness a change of this magnitude. But, as of now let us just be happy for Mr. Obama. Hope his tenure is like one of those beautiful dreams that last forever and end only to become reality.

We the people of India.....

Of tainted politicians to banned cricketers. Of in-effete bureaucrats to jailed felons, our elections have it all. Recently Sanjay Dutt the noted Bollywood actor and son of former minister Sunil Dutt evinced in serving the country by becoming an MP fighting on a Samajwady Party ticket. Shahrukh Khan some days back had announced that he might contest the polls on a Congress ticket. Many other actors such as Govinda are already the member of the Lok and Rajya Sabha. But, the celebrity list does not end there. The latest addition to this list is former cricketer Azharuddin who will be contesting on a Congress ticket in the coming elections. The message in all these cases is clear that the political parties want to cash in on the huge fan base these celebrities command. As coalition politics has taken command every seat in the Lok Sabha counts for a lot. These celebrities many a times make easy meal of the elections and make in roads into the galleries of power. The political parties gain from their presence and rake in huge benefits, thanks to the seats these people capture. Everyone seems to gain from this except the ones for whom this process is instituted, the common people. 

                    The celebrities have little or no idea about the issues confronting the people of this country, their foray in politics is the best they can do to maintain their public images. This is certainly bad for the general interest of the people.  No person would disagree with this. The celebs are making easy money and the common man is left to languish in the dark alleys. His fight for subsistence continues and so does the lone hope that some day some thing might happen. That some day his prayers will be answered, that he and his family will live in proper living conditions and their children will have a secure future. However, the reality is anything but. The way as it appears, the political parties are hardly concerned about the well being of the people. They are exploiting the weaknesses of the democratic process to fulfill their needs. As is evident in such cases the legislators are hardly qualified to work for the people and make a royal mess of the democratic process. It is a shame that nothing much can be done to stall this process except pray that some day good sense will prevail and good times will descend upon us. Wish the founding fathers of our democracy could have thought about this, so that "We the people of India" could have really lived in a country that offers hope and promise not dismay and frustration. 

Here is the silver lining........

Many a hearts have broken over the past one year........ several people across the world have lost their jobs and several others will loose theirs in the months to come. But, according to a recent report, all is not lost for these people and regardless of how turbulent the times are, there are certain industries which are still doing good business and will continue to do so in the days to come. One such industry is the online job search and placement portals. Eversince the lay offs began, these sites have seen a slur of new job applications in various fields....... Not only are these companies making huge profits, they are now coming in a situation where they can hire heavily from the market and become a force to reckon with in the field of job creation. Most of these sites have shown very good business figures in recent times and their business will receive a major fillip when the businesses across the world start to recover, as more and more skilled professionals would be required to take up the corporate responsibilities.

There are other avenues which promise to perform well in the coming times. One such avenue is the education sector. As trends suggest this year is going to see the maximum no. of applications for full time and part time MBA courses in various MBA colleges across the world. More and more professionals have evinced interest in taking up a dedicated course in business administration to further their career growth in the future. The colleges have also received a record no. of applications for the entrepreneurial training courses. This indicates a trend towards innovative business reasoning and a detachment from the corporate bandwagon.

Continuing on the entrepreneurship aspect. Recession has often provided good business opportunities to people who dare to take the risks. These protagonists who wage their bit against the trying times will become bellweathers of the up and coming corporate houses. Business opportunities galore in the time of recovery. This has been proven in the past several times and would be no exception if it happens again. One only needs to keep up his spirits and wait for the right opportunity.