Clutter Audition

Top Influences

2012-01-07T00:22:00.000-08:00

I've never been an active blogger, writing posts here and linking it in comment threads. I do occasionally use this as a scrapbook to pen down my thoughts but I find very few to be interesting enough to put up on blog.

I am a much more active blog reader. Here is a list of the key posts or points from other bloggers that have stayed with me through the years. They undoubtedly changed or at the very least, significantly influenced the way I thought about these issues at the time.

The points are from memory, of posts I read long ago and may not be accurate. They do not purport to be exact quotes.I will try to provide links to the actual posts if I can still find them.

1. Dilip D'Souza presented two sides of a question.

Until I read this post, I had different compartments in my thinking for terror attacks and riots.

2. Nitin Pai reframed a problem.

I have to admit I would have gone with the original flow of the problem statement, especially at the time I read it:

Agriculture which is the livelihood for 65% of the population needs to be a focus for the government.

So the way Nitin recast this was very effective:

65% of the population, who depend on agriculture for their livelihood, need to be the focus for the government.

3. Annie Zaidi watched something she knew she disliked.

Like with just about everybody else on this list, I disagree with some of her writing too. But when I read about Annie standing up and asking for a play to be continued, that she was about to walk out on (she found it deeply offensive) to counter others in the audience who were trying to shut it down, at one stroke, I "got" the Freedom of Expression thing. She and a few others then sat through the entire performance.

In supporting the expression of ideas that were personally very revolting to her, to the extent of sitting through this performance to keep it going, opposing people who she had common ground with (they found it just as offensive) for the principle of it, she has become my hero on FoS.

4. Polite Indian recalibrated fatwas for me.

I havent been able to find this quote again and the blog appears to have changed as well. It was a throwaway remark by PI on his comment threads, IIRC. He was talking about Hindu godmen and their various declamations and decrees.

"I consider them fatwas", he said.

This simple statement reset my thinking about both the godmen's proclamations and fatwas. I realized there were probably hundreds of fatwas churned out every day by various figures in the Muslim community that probably most people would not even know about and those few that did hear about these would ignore them. Also I realized that a godman with a serious enough following could create real problems with his irresponsible statements.

5. Indianmuslims.in on nationalism and secessionism

I have previously searched for and been unable to find again this post that highlighted how the same mindset that masquerades as nationalism in majority communities will lead to secessionism in minority communities. There was also a powerful passage that described the diversity of both Shivaji's and Aurangzeb's army commands and sets their struggle in a completely different light than Hindutva forces would like :-) Not being able to locate these again, I can no longer remember whether these were part of the same post or two different posts.

Coke vs. Pepsi

2011-03-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

Is Coke, at least in India, contractually obliged to do worse advertising than Pepsi? I refer to the weird "Burrrrrrr...." ad that's doing the rounds now. It has successfully dethroned Pepsi's "topless gladiators" ad and gives the rival drink a breather by drawing fire onto itself.

Well done Coca-Cola. That's what you set out to do.... right?

CWGames in preview

2010-09-28T07:48:00.000-07:00

* The games are inaugurated with a bang, quite literally, only nobody quite knows whether it was a guard of honour or a passing terrorist. An enquiry has been ordered.

* Strategic reorganization of the events has resulted in steeplechase events being held using the impediments on track. Next day its hurdles. Flat out running races are only scheduled after the tracks are completely cleared on day 4.

* Swimming records are being broken furiously. Its not clear whether this is out of all the training or extra motivation of the swimmers wanting to spend as little time in the water as possible.

* Security has looked up since the shooting teams have been assigned to this job. It has been unreliably learnt that the IM and other outfits dont fancy their chances against such sharpshooters.

* Sportspersons from a Certain Neighboring Nation are pleased as punch. They are being feted royally and invited to all events. A happy athlete praised the mehmaan-nawaazi of the organizers in keeping his contingent present at all contests in their discipline even though they crashed out in the second round of competition. He predicted great things for the future of Indo-CNN sporting ties.

* However it is rumored that good security is also due, in part to the wide visible presence of CNN athletes and officials at all events. This story has been denied by all officials concerned from the host nation -sometimes in advance of it reaching them.

* It has not been possible to ascertain whether the lamp got extinguished at the closing ceremony as abruptly as it did, because of a glitch or somebody's well-planned maneouvre to cut short the droning speeches.

* And in conclusion: the medals tally for India being the highest ever at a CWG, the Organizing Committee has been commended for the way they handled this event. Mr.Kalmadi, it is learnt, is being recommended for a Padma award. It is proposed to make CWG Delhi 2010 a template for all international sports competitions hosted in India in future.

Re-posting quote

2010-08-28T06:26:00.000-07:00

Update2: Oct 10 2010. I reread this post and have decided to put it back up now

Update: I feel really weird about this post now, after learning from Ketan about IHM's loss. It is true that IHM's is one of the more recent places I had seen this. But it is also true that I wasnt aware of the tragedy or even thinking about anything other than how I approach this saying myself while posting it. but it feels more than awkward right now, almost disrespectful. Maybe I should delete it...

Unto the least

I've come across a few sites that repeat, sincerely I believe, the saying:

" I may disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"

I've found this an admirable sentiment and often wanted to put it up on my blog, sidebar or elsewhere. Trouble is, I need it to be literally true. On reflection, this is what I could come up with:

"I may disagree with what you say but I will defend to the point of mild physical discomfort (eg. a shove) or medium-strength psychological discomfort (eg. sustained barracking) your right to say it"

and this doesnt quite come out looking so good. I'd appreciate tips on whether I should leave this up on my blog or take it down.

Oh, and how about if I agree with what you say?

Please continue to refer to my stand above, it still holds :-)

A bridge too far?

2010-07-20T22:54:00.000-07:00

between the points

Trust but Verify

and

Trust but Verify

Raavanan

2010-07-04T21:28:00.000-07:00

*Spoilers galore* *lonng post*

Going in, much gray shade and blurring of the Ram-Ravan lines was expected. But there was precious little ambiguity, or duality I could discern here between the main characters nor does it appear to have been the intent. The title song "I am both Ram and Raavan" pretty much gives the game away. The movie makes its sympathies clear from the get-go and maintains it to the end . (Ram's entry sends a chill up your spine, as he silently apparates from behind the heroish Hanuman. Ravan is first seen in Zorro silhouette, heroic grimace intact and being gazed at in wonder not fear by an apparently mentally impaired Ragini as her boat is reduced to driftwood. He is given the most heroic of exits: standard Indi-movie declamations, a 100-1 ratio and the lady's affections firmly in place).

Is Ragini then the humanising influence? separation from which causes the Ram to go Ravanish and the Ravan becomes humane. But there is only a glimmer of this if at all. Ram starts out pretty bad and ends up worse, even after Ragini is back with him. Ravan's nobler aspects predate the entry of Ragini into his world. Sita if there is one, is perhaps the trust and love of the public and has always been with Veera/Ravan and if at all this film set out to do anything, it might be the Sitaization of Ragini.

If there is any interlude designed to present Ram positively, its the domestic-bliss flashback but with the intro and any foreknowledge of the events to come, the usual "he-man hero receiving the twirling ladies attention" sets up a disturbing picture. There is hardly a redeeming frame in the movie (IMO) that shows Ram as deserving of such affection. Played to perfection (assuming that was the intent) by Prithviraj, the cold, driven and almost nutty obsession of this Ram permeates the movie.

And it fails to be believable. There are huge, gaping plot holes, amazingly sent up by the Vigil Idiot here ; but more significantly, the movie fails to achieve what it sets out to. None of the characters is internally consistent or undergoes believable transition; Ram for instance is the guy that deviously sends Sita/Ragini back to trap Ravan but until then is incapable of assessing basic risk or safety at camp even after initiating provocative (and cowardly) action.

Ragini does better but not by much. Her feminist-approved feisty fierceness is here a device to prevent the audience from turning against Ravan- contrast with Surpanakha, prostrate on the floor in her horrific humiliation, begging her brutalizers to stop; unsure if this is enough, Mani tosses her into a well to seal the revenge theme solid. It could be Aishwarya's limitations as an actor, but her change of heart as the Ravan gang breaks into a weird, implausibly timed shuffle appears as much driven by a fervent desire to correct their dance steps as anything else.

Ravan, the apple of Mani's eye, has it easier. A slim slice of villainy is served up, dressed largely in the "buk buk chik chik" and we are, apparently, invited to think of this as clowning more than dangerous(*1) - the audience guffawing and holding their sides seemed to agree. And yet the consistency fails. A guy who could lop off his would-be brother-in-law's hand for running off from the wedding (for reasons as trifling as an armed police raid, and bullets flying around his head) spares the primary baddie 'Thoothukkudi', his sister's abductor and violator for, it would seem, Ragini's influence. Trouble is, this huge turnaround is never made credible.

And why the late turnaround at all? Ravan is master of this domain, absolutely in charge of the proceedings; deciding when to observe cops from under artful mudpacks, and when to render them immobile; when to raid them for weapons and hostages, and when to move in for the kill. 'Thoothukudi' hangs around in this universe, brainlessly awaiting his comeuppance. Avenging his sister should have been a finger-flick for Ravan.

Dev/Ram's failure is equally and utterly complete. Charging around mindlessly, in supreme and unbelievable unconcern for the safety of Ragini or his men, Dev is the absolute embodiment of what a field officer should not be. The identification of Dev with Ravan could not be more complete, and yet it is overdone. Ravan in the myth had moments of doubt and regret at what he was putting the people of Lanka through. Dev needs to be painted in even darker hue, to assuage this film's insecurities(*2), ultimately needing to be given his own life by the all-conquering Ravan.

For a counter-intuitive film, there are too many formulas and they looked too pat. But to me, the film fails at its grandest endeavor- the love of Sita public for Veera/ Ravan (the real Ram) is read into the evidence with no energy spent in justifying it. Half a village places itself at deadly risk, converting at a blink from settled life to nomadic hideaway outlaws in a wet waterworld, with mirth and song for no believable reason- the director's command is good enough.

In summary, it is still worth a watch for those who are interested in observing themselves and the movie. Significantly less nuanced than what I hoped for, it does engage you sufficiently to observe the characters and what they do to you. Not rooting for anybody brings about a nice sense of detachment and that is ideal to handle this movie.

If you made it this far :-) thank you for reading this ultra-long review.

PS:

(*1) Or so it felt, until the end when Ragini goes buk-buk and you realize that is the local expression for endearments and sweet nothings.

(* 2) Well there is one feature that Dev is better at; for all his jungle toughness, Veera needs his thick Zorro cloak while Dev saunters around in undervest and Ray-bans.

(* 3) Vikram has earned kudos for his dual roles in Tamil/ Hindi but I am not sure if it is entirely deserved. I saw the Tam version where he plays Raavan almost essentially positive; from trusted reviewers of the Hindi version, he plays Dev with dignity, and affection in that domestic routine- he appears to earn some sympathy for Ram in the Hindi version. If so he is essentially playing up the positives of whatever role he is given and not really what the director wanted him to do. But this is such a confused caper, we dont know what the director intended, and from the looks of it, the stars neither.

Angadi Theru

2010-04-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

Its been a while since I saw movies that are not mindless entertainment- I happened to see this movie almost by accident. We'd planned to see some comedy flick but run late so we went to the closest theater to take in whichever movie we could get tickets for. Well one of our group did have an idea that it was a good movie, but we were seriously debating whether to watch Clash of The Titans instead.

There is a net effect from these presets but this was a socko film. It just blew me away. This post does not purport to be a serious review; just a reaction. Just one instance to show the impact it had on me: late into the movie, the heroine is desperately trying to meet her younger sister, a household servant who is being taken to Assam with their master's family. Tension mounts as she futilely searches for her among the packed crowd at the Chennai Central platform. She bursts out crying her sister's name, and the sister appears from right behind her.

Now ordinarily I would be going "huh; how likely is that?" But so completely have I identified with the characters here, that I am almost jumping with joy instead. By this point, every tiny speck of happiness that can be guided their way, I am willing it to happen to them.

So: a little manipulative, maybe. Too tragic? Perhaps again, but only as tragic as far too many real-life stories. You can find laundry lists of sundry flaws at various other sites I am sure. But do watch this movie.

A Rose is not a Ross

2010-04-18T01:24:00.000-07:00

Ericsson, Svensson, Samuelsson( even our very own Manuelson). I used to read right past these names and not find anything of note. Maybe learned something today when I read an article by Alda Sigmondsdottir.

Sanjoy Ghose

2010-04-03T01:52:00.001-07:00

The Voice Stilled

I never even knew you. I did not know your name or what you looked like. Through the moving mists of memory and the fading fog of forgetfulness, I do not now remember your exact words. But you were the Voice from Lunkaransar; something I looked forward to reading, young as I was. Your despatches stood out so vividly against the fluff, yes even in the newspaper that published you.

There was a twinge when they stopped but I assumed you must have moved on to other things. Much later I found others on the web that had some of the same song. One reminded me enough of you that I decided to look you up. I looked forward to finding you. You would, surely, be a sixty-something uncle beaming not unkindly over your glasses. Maybe you blogged. Maybe I would get in touch with you.

Even halfway through the Outlook piece that first turned up, I did not, stupidly, comprehend the enormity of the tragedy they talked about. The wallop was surprisingly intense.

There is nothing I can say that others have not conveyed and a lot better. A point of light brutally extinguished. It must be escapism of the worst kind, but I want to believe you are still around. Be well Sanjoy.

Murxite of Oak

2010-02-19T19:33:00.000-08:00

Most people would be familiar with this email forward:

Cna yuo raed tihs?

i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe.. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Wlel.

I took tihs pciee to my fienrd Bhatkalvaslaa the protocolgist a cssooieunnr of legolicoxy.

"Enimaxe escencfefcrole" he innoted to an antisssat and tunerd form his eternorgam.

"Twas brillig" he snag loonkig up."But..."

"Obverse tihs donest awyals seccued. Partnets comeeelltpy asbnet, no antleratvie mannieg, no sssiccvuee lrttees, few pallurs, fiar secjubt crepehminsoon, and oh... oaky murxite of sroht and lnog wrdos hpels".

I teakhnd him and lfet.

---*---

To any random soul that stumbled along and is now tumbling away.... please dont! I wont write like this again.

Primose.

Nakhoon kaatne ke nau nibandhan

2010-01-23T23:15:00.000-08:00

1. Not on your birthday.

2. Not on your star birthday.

3. Not on any repeat of your star birthday any month of the year.

4. Not indoors.

5. Specifically not at the threshold of your house.

6. Not after 6pm.

7. Not on a Saturday.

8. Not on a Tuesday (not too sure abt this).

9. Not on New Years Day (traditional calendar).

I sometimes envy the kind of leisure our ancestors (well at least some of them) must have had to come up with rules so nitty-gritty to govern acts so trivial. They were for sure not worried about where the next meal was coming from. There must be something to that "land of milk and honey" that we reputedly had :-)

Confessions of a degenerate mind

2009-11-29T05:23:00.000-08:00

Is it okay to admit that I still like and read comics.... and that's not graphic novels. I'm talking TINKLE.

Dreams continued

2009-09-18T23:44:00.000-07:00

Another weird recent dream. Maybe of some interest to some poor soul who clicked through, provided you are bored enough:

Starts with me having to go to my Dad's office (he's retired long ago) on some errand. I'm polite but disinterested; racking my brain to come up with some connect to talk about and remember an old birthday party by BK Uncle. As I'm patting myself on the back for this memory feat I observe that the host is also diplomatically putting up with me for Dad's sake. For some reason he and the others at the office are very tall. I wonder whether this has something to do with BK Uncle's short stature; apparently this gets too boring even for the dream, for we slip into.....

The Faniac

A thriller-jack almost guaranteed to wake you up.

Train chase

Starts very normally as all thrillers do, the dream informs us, with a freight train being chased by the xagonist in another train consisting of a diesel loco pulling a standard road truck. Try as he does, he cannot close the gap, so as is usual again, Xagonist sets off on an angled short-cut track to bring himself ahead of the target.

When the tracks merge he is still a little short of the last car of the freight train. A sidekick in the truck bravely volunteers to assist, as the xagonist nonchalantly climbs out and onto the engine. A backward glance tells him the sidekick has splatted onto the track but he grimly moves on and attempts to snag the freight car with a grappling hook.

We dont get to know whether this heist succeeds for the next scene has the xagonist quietly resting at the bottom of a glade, as two cars of henchmen arrive and intone that "Everything is ready". He nods in satisfaction.

Grand Opera

The glitterati of the city are assembled as the xagonist struts in. There is some muted underwhelming applause. From somewhere wafts a song: "Signoraaaaa..." We are informed that this is the most sophisticated thing that the xagonist could think of. A political figure of some standing leaves at some point and the xagonist then seats himself on a special swing seat. This offends some of the audience. Scene dissolves....

The Challenge

50 of the worst villains of the country are assembled as the xagonist saunters in. He comes to the point quick: a grand prize is on offer to whichever of the villains manages to bump him - the xagonist- off. On warning though: he, the accomplished xagonist, will violently resist said bumping.

There is some pandemonium. One of the bad guys has a grim smile, his eyes tell us he is looking forward to some KillBill-ish dueling. But the rest protest: its namak haraam.

" How can we take money from you to kill you off?" they wail.

The xagonist is stumped at this unexpected quandary. The dream cant figure a way out either for it decides to drop curtains :-(

Airport Dreams

2008-05-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

A strange dream about an airport had me thinking of previous such dreams. Posting/ logging here as a reminder.

1. Helsinki Drona:
As with most dreams I have, this one has narration, and it assures me or I feel somehow that I've had this dream before. There is NO airport in this dream, other than the narrator telling the dreamer this happens in an airport, and the context. There is only a written document like an FIR or something about missing baggage. The explanation summary part of the doc states that I felt dizzy or sleepy and missed my luggage. The narration helpfully authorizes or 'authenticates' itself by telling me that drona/ droni is Finnish for aerodrome!

Interpretation:

Recent upswing on airport coverage with HAL- BIAL. Reading about Finland on some blog. I did lose some luggage at an airport (left it in a taxi) years ago. Hell-Sink-I probably described my state of mind for a few hours thereafter.

2. Some US airport:
A more pleasant experience. Something to do with a longer wait for luggage than expected. A long drive thru some scenic place, a turn at a T-junction, some lake.

Interpretation:
No idea.

3. Some far eastern airport:
I get here because I miss my original connection and the airline decides to route me thru here. A dim memory that the dream suggests this is an airport in the Philippines. I miss my onward flight from here. I wait in some trepidation because something bad is on in this corner of the world.

No wild or dangerous adventure results, at least that I remember. The dream ends tamely with me catching some flight; the only drama is with the immigration officials looking very closely at my docs, getting confused, and some probing questions.

Interpretation:
I think the missed connection dream is not uncommon with air-travellers.

4. BLR airport:
One of my oldest dreams about airports. I go to the airport which the narration tells me I have been to before just to watch flights, around some gentle sloping curve in a road that the dreamer is much attracted to. The airport itself turns out to be a crowded darkish cavern with nobody knowing exactly which flight is where. At one point, I am told to go to the other side of the building, and for this I exit the building and walk around to the other side, on what the dream informs me is NOT the "airside"_ Yet a plane swings by on the tarmac from around the building and we walkers avoid it by huddling close to the terminal wall on our footpath. There is no sense of panic, rather an atmosphere of routine to this. We turn and enter the building from this side into another hall equally dank. The dream ends without much bothering to tell me whether I caught the flight.

Interpretation:
Almost certainly HAL airport: the sloping curve is on Airport road, and I walked to HAL airport to watch flights from a visitors gallery it had at some point lonnng ago. And almost equally certainly a reaction to its being referred to (derisively) as a bus stand several years ago.

KSRTC website gem

2006-11-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

Future aim of KSRTC: entertain you with obtuse poetry though it may not take you to your destination.

http://www.keralartc.com/html/future.html

The journey must go on. The KSRTC has appellation for the caravan of peace and the movement of comfort. The all round winner of traveling for travelers. The show goes on, the fire beams on KSRTC. The fiasco of a journey and the frayed tempers of voyagers trade in to make the diamond core of the institution. The hurry burry life of a mechanical person often needs to be hit on the hue. KSRTC's insistence on pursuing a single-point effort has indeed proven the gamut of its customers.