Under the Tuscan sun

I caught a movie recently a movie by this name on HBO and mighty liked it.


The story is about a recently separated woman writer (played by Diane Lane) who in a bid to recover from the personal sorrow hops onto a tour bus going to Tuscany (somewhere in Italy I guess). She suddenly grows fond of a old villa there in Tuscany and decided to buy it!!! Being an old villa, she spends an entire year redoing it with the help of a few random workmen who are busy recreating the home the way she likes it.


She says in the movie ''I want to stop being afraid of doing something and be fearless!! If that means doing something as weird as buying a villa in Tuscany (!!) then so be it. I am at least not scared of action and went ahead with what my heart said''


The personal sorrow also turns her to constantly seek love and be SOMEONE SPECIAL for that someone. She also yearns to cook for someone and have a wedding in what is now a beautiful villa.


The story moves onto her search for love and people who belong to her. First it is love at first sight with an Italian businessman which doesn't take off as planned. But then she supports the marriage of a young couple (whom she knows well) despite being against the wishes of the parents. This is the sense of belonging she craves for and finally finds love in the form of a fellow writer.


The wedding of this young couple happens in the villa she recreated and as she finds love, there is a sense of magic she feels that Tuscany and the Tuscan sun created for her. She then realises that all that she wished for came true; people to cook for, finding love and belonging to people who matter to her.


One of her close friends in the movie says ''Whatever happens, never let the childish innocence in you die!!''. I was very moved by this thought. I also saw a strong underlying theme of HOPE in the movie. Searching constantly with the HOPE that there is a better tomorrow. The fact that all of us yearn for love and care; giving or sharing was depicted beautifully in the film.


And who better to play this role than Diane Lane?? She has this sense of adventure, a constantly ticking mind yet looking vulnerable & longing for simple human needs of love and care. Check out how amazingly well Diane Lane portrays being a woman and a girl all at the same time.


Check out:

• That strong emotion called HOPE seen in the movie
• Strong human emotions like LOVE sprinkled throughout the film
• The picturesque Tuscany
• Diane Lane's ever-ticking & resilient mind
• Nice Italian background score & 'that' accent
• Fast paced narration
• For the women (ladies first you see!!) - the good looking Italian men with that above mentioned accent ;);)
• For the men - Diane Lane herself ;);)

Ogays!! Enjoy watching this film..bubye!!

Ilaiyaraja & AR Rahman

This used to be the very subject of intense discussions, debates, fights and rivalry during my days in undergrad and engineering college. For the uninitiated, these are 2 legendary Tamil film music directors. Ilaiyaraja ruled the Tamil film world in the 1970s into the early 1990s. AR Rahman, took over from the early 1990s to where he is today.

Now, a quick look at their backgrounds. Ilaiyaraja (translated the young king/crown prince) came from a small village in Tamilnadu, from the grassroots as a performing sessions guitar artist to break into Tamil film music in 1976 and never looked back. He had strong roots in Tamil folk music, something that could be seen throughout his musical compositions. He also brought in the Western form of music, pop and instrumental into Tamil music. His music had a terrific sense of melody that draws me to him even today. That’s the biggest reason for his fan following across India.

AR Rahman, formerly Dileep, was a Chennaite by birth but came through difficult times in his youth due to family conditions. He in fact played under Ilaiyaraja before breaking into Tamil music on his own with Roja (1991). Rahman came in as the refreshing new sound of Tamil cinema and Indian cinema over the initial years. The sound of his music had immense clarity, a lot of Western influence, strong dose of technology and a modern touch.

I have had this debate/discussion about these 2 pillars of Tamil music and here are a few:
· Ilaiyaraja still holds the slight edge on melody than Rahman
· However, Rahman’s melody numbers are unbelievable and given the sign of times where popular numbers rule the charts, one hasn’t heard of them unless one had a collection of his melody numbers.
· Ilaiyaraja’s popularity is limited to Tamilnadu and South India; and across a strongly rural audience
· Rahman on the other hand has gone beyond Indian shores; he is now a global player. And that’s what amazes me. Blame it on the media and hype created by it. But you should have a reach to then promote it.
· Ilaiyaraja used almost the same group of singers for all his movies – SPB, Jesudoss, Chitra, Janaki; ARR on the other hand has introduced innumerable voices to the Indian masses – Karthik, Hariharan, Sreenivas and many more. This I think clinches it for ARR – creating and grooming the future.
· ARR brought in the culture of different singers for each song of a movie which was non-existent that time.
· Ilaiyaraja had a very mediocre group of chorus singers and never gave them credit; ARR had a brilliant bunch of prominent chorus singers and he would always name them in every album of his – Febi, Kanchana for eg.
· ARR would bring in the best instrumentalists from wherever for just one song – Kadri Gopalnath for saxophone for Duet, Vikku Vinayakram for Ghatam and many more. It was horses for courses approach. But only the best.
· ARR always comes up with something new and seems to change himself just when you think he is predictable – say from jingles to movies, from movies to non-film music, from Indian to world movies, to Broadway. Always reinventing himself.
· Ilaiyaraja was a volume player – scoring in many movies at one time; unlike ARR the perfectionist who would score for one/two movies in a year. There have been reports of him turning down film offers which demanded from him a quick film release.
· ARR has often been accused of stealing numbers from Western music; something unheard of from Ilaiyaraja.

So that’s my take on these 2 legends of Indian music. Whatever said and done, the ultimate beneficiary remains music and that’s what matters. It has to pass hands, keep the relay going, progressing from strength to strength.

A NEW CITY…A NEW LIFE…

I just completed a month of living in my rented . Umm nice…

It is a 1 BHK apartment, on the second floor with a nice balcony facing a lot of trees and is snuggled in reasonable amount of quietness (given the noisy, concrete jungles that our cities have become). There are so many pet dogs around; it made me wonder if there are more pets than humans around me!!!!!

Oh breaking news!! I have started cooking and believe me it’s an amazing feeling. Having eaten out for close to 8 years, I surely relish the taste of simple home cooked food. It also made me understand and realize at first-hand the tough and demanding life, women live in the kitchens. Look back at all the early morning running around our moms did to get us up and running to school (literally) …it all came back to me and made me feel so grateful for all those years of unconditional love.

Well coming back to my cooking - it started with breakfast stuff, milk and corn flakes, toast and stuff to poha (Indian breakfast dish). The last week saw an upswing in this department; to more full fledged lunch & dinner. The rasam and sambhar (south Indian dishes) got done and I even carried home cooked lunch to work. And like I said earlier, it just felt great!! The fact that you are self-reliant and its very much in your hands what and how much you want to eat. This is one YUMMY feeling I tell ya.

One of the best times I have had in this apartment is the piping hot cuppa coffee I have sitting in my balcony in the morning. Its one helluva feeling. Birds chirping, otherwise quiet green surroundings, the morning breeze and the strong taste of Nescafe.

So here is to my home, its coziness, my new found culinary skills and happy living out here!! Cheers!!! :):):)

FATHER'S DAY

While being online sometime last week, I came across the fact June 21 is WORLD FATHER’S DAY. I wonder many a time that fathers are surely less recognized / celebrated as compared to mothers. I am sure there was more publicity and hype around MOTHER’S DAY.

Now why this step-motherly treatment to a father (the usage sounds weird right?)…see even there mothers rule!!!! :):) kidding!!!

I do believe there is a reason for this. A mother has a biological connect to the child simply because that’s the way it is. No two ways about that. And hence the influence a mother has on her child. It’s that simple. Do a quick check: you will surely be closer to the relatives/cousins on your maternal side than the paternal side. RIGHT? That’s how strong her influence is.
I believe that dads don’t get their due as the equal half in parenting. Isn’t that so unfair? Poor men!!! They might typically not be as outwardly emotional or affectionate as the mom but come on; they have done stuff for you, cared for you as much….and hence deserve their share of receiving.

In a typical family system like in India, the father is your window to the outside world: sports, education, employment, money to name a few. These tend to gain more importance and self-realisation towards the later years compared to the early formative years where the mother exerts a huge influence and impact. That’s probably the reason that a father’s contribution seems rather intangible and hard to measure when compared to a mom’s. Importantly in the above aspects mentioned, the influence of peers and friends by then becomes as important. And hence further dilution in his perceived contribution and impact.

These were thoughts even as I sent out FATHER’S DAY greetings to my dad and spent an hour thinking of what he has done for me. What he means to me and my life.

HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!! And I wish we could say like the Maruti Suzuki SX4 commercial – ‘’MEN ARE BACK’’!!! ;););)

25 Random Things to break the block!!

I haven't written stuff on this blog for exactly 20 days :(:(



A fellow blogger suggested that I break this writing block by putting down 25 random thoughts as they come to my mind....I have taken this seriously and let me see what I can make up

1. Why have cheer leaders been force fitted into IPL? Something I believe is not part cricketing pedigree. It certainly fits like a glove in say NFL, NHL coz it is integral to them; starting from high school and college games.


2. Film stars and politics seemed quite connected in India. Now film stars and cricket!!!....should I say in the business of cricket?


3. Why don't our film actors lend their business acumen and presence to revive / support sports like hockey and badminton?


4. Boris Becker stormed in and won the 1987 Wimbledon. When he couldn't defend it in 1988 and there was a big hue and cry in the media, he simply said ''I just lost a match...no one died here''.


5. Nothing compares to watching Test Cricket in Australia on Channel Nine at 4.45AM with the hallowed commentary team of Bill Lawry, Richie Benaud, Tony Grieg and Greg Chappell.


6. If people think and believe that SRK is full of himself, isn't he aware or doesn't he know it at all? It's all part of his strategy to craft and sustain an on-screen persona.


7. On the same lines, was shocked to see SRK look just himself playing a character as explosive and intriguing like King Ashoka.


8. Why can't boys wait to wear full pants while grown up men roam around in shorts?


9. There is no rock band like Guns N Roses; Axl and his voice remains in my mind as fresh as always


10. If we as Indians have made pizzas and colas an integral part of our food habits, why haven't dosas and tender coconut water done the same to the Western world? Are we missing a strategy here?


11. Why do we continue drinking colas despite knowing and reading enough about their ill-effects - is it sheer neglect or is it an everlasting fad?


12. We usually never haggle on price at a branded store or an expensive outlet, but can't wait to push for best prices at food malls and lowest air fares.


13. Why a sudden spurt of flying shoes in Indian and global politics? hahaha...look how we are keeping our young politicians on their toes!!!


14. If we spoke of anger and flying footwear...someone got into trouble for showering love and affection on his political opponent!! Love..where art thou??


15. I wonder how e-mails made letter writing redundant...and how now online chats have made e-mails redundant...how SMSes may shortly make telephone calls redundant?


16. Why do women never/hardly follow women's cricket? especially when there is much women's emancipation in the air.....


17. I love the Beatles song...ELEANOR RIGBY...check out the lyrics..very melancholic and has deep meaning


18. Why do the westerners in general have a clear line of divide between personal and professional time whereas they are completely inter twined for us Indians?


19. Why is WORK such an integral part of life for some (Indians for eg.) while it is just a fragment of life for others (in the Western world)?


20. All said and done, Mandira Bedi is a first mover in this whole glamorous-women-broadcasters-in cricket phenomenon...others are just following her.


21. What happens at all to all these winners from reality music, comedy and dance TV shows?


22. Despite all the professionalism talk in corporate world, why is still the BOSS ALWAYS RIGHT??!!


23. Rocking line from Metallica ''What I've felt...what I've known..never shined through in what I have shown''


24. Why do we pay rich (??) tributes to others only after they are no more with us or leaving us? Almost as though we had forgotten their achievements..and their parting/death reminded us just in time


25. Isn't the above almost like a reactive vs. pro- active strategy?

A dichotomy in belief

Imagine this situation: Let's say I applied for a job position and didn't get thru or I didn't make it to some top university despite putting in a lot of effort. I surely would have heard a friend or parents / elders consoling me with words like 'Don't worry, it wasn't destined that you would make it here' OR 'It's all planned and something better awaits you'.

But wait!!! Didn't the same friend/elder tell me (while I was preparing for this very job interview/exam) that one can make his own path; that destiny and best efforts are always rewarded and you would make it.

So what happened suddenly? Didn't I put in my best or did destiny take a last minute U-turn? Why does this dichotomy of belief exist? Are we/others consoling ourselves? Am I being the ostrich and not facing up to reality? Would I call it destiny or my own efforts had I instead been successful? Am I being fatalistic here? Was I not good enough to shape my own destiny?

I wonder many a time why I do the above and try to interpret the consequences or the actions?

The answer to this in my opinion, is two fold. First we are all human and it is natural to be subject to a plethora of emotions and such thoughts. At the same time, are we taking a hard look at effort and then objectively looking at the consequence? Maybe that's what is needed. It's a mind vs. heart thing when it comes to reflecting and looking back at such stuff.

If that happens and can be done consistently, there will probably be no slowdowns...no U-turns...only drive-aheads with an extremely clear rear view mirror.

Charity Anyone!!

I was reading some articles or news about some celebrities adopting kids, donating millions to charity. So how should I view this? Was left wondering if I should think - What's so great if Madonna adopts a kid? I am sure she has a caretaker....What's magnanimous about another celebrity donating millions to charity? They anyway make millions, don't they?

Or should I be thinking - They are giving back to society that made them what they are today. This is amazing?

Then I rationalised. Madonna or Angelina or Sachin Tendulkar are as human as each one of us; when it comes to emotion or feelings. They surely would have a perspective or a view towards society and their contribution as co-occupants in it.

It is just that the bright lights of the media and their glamorised lives have blinded us to their human side.

What about the countless people among us; mere mortals if you want to call so, who donate to charity within their limited monetary capacities, or adopt an orphan into their family? Am I even aware of these people? Do I stop and acknowledge their contributions? These are probably the unsung heroes within us.

So its best left when everyone & anyone is treated for what their inner human self does or calls for. Maybe I shouldn't be reading too much into their status in society but take an objective look at what they are actually doing.