Ósanwë-centa

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2010-09-20T14:17:00.001+05:30

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Taramati: The Legend of an Artist

2009-03-12T15:59:00.001+05:30

Recently I had the opportunity to witness a performance of that oft-mentioned Hyderabadi play; Taramati: the legend of an Artist. After reading about it far too many times in the papers, I thought what the hell, may as well check it out.

The play relates a rather romanticized (ie, questionable) version of the tale of Taramati and her affairs with the penultimate Qutub Shahi king, Abdullah. The play itself was OK... I didn't really care for the performances, good though they were. The language was high falutin Urdu, even for me. Which bothered me: Why use north Indian style Urdu in a play about the birth of Hyderabadi tehzeeb? Hyderabadi Urdu, or Dakkani, is as ancient as the northern variant, and a literary language for longer. So it would seem logical to employ Dakkani here, would it not? Intelligibility for a wider audience certainly wasn't a consideration, that's for sure.

P.S: My posts will probably be bite sized for a while now... I blame my short attention span on Web 2.0.

The Return

2009-02-12T14:09:00.000+05:30

Finally after far too long, I have decided to return to the blogsphere. Hopefully it shall be far more regular than the past many months.

Armchair cultural studies: Mortality and the search for 'something real'

2007-08-03T13:54:00.001+05:30

Yesterday night, as I was settling in to an hour's commute back, I spotted a crowd on the opposite side of the road. Curious, I peered out the window.

Through the throng of people, I noticed a pair of legs on the road, uncomfortably angled. Sneakers and jeans, just like me. He must be face down on the road, and wasn't moving. I couldn't make out any blood on the road, in that sodium street light. It took a moment to realise what had happened, just as I heard someone say, "Oh my God!". I searched the faces of the crowd, looking for an identifiable expression. There was fear, but something else... what it was, I don't know.

The rest of the night I thought about death, and what it meant. This post is not about that.

There I was, a well meaning idiot, recycling some artificial ideas about anxiety that I had taken on for no good reason.

My anxiety was about my own speculative mortality, not about anything
resembling actual experience with mortality, which is something that the majority of young people in my social segment don't experience. Just
those pangs of "OMG, I'm, like, 25, maybe I'm not going to live
forever? Whatever, off to the gym!"

Odd, in a sense, that my generation has to force itself to feel anything akin to real emotions. We watch soppy movies over and over again, give ourselves an imaginary pat on the back for being so sensitive and kind, yet would shirk the idea of hugging a friend who's hurting inside. The kid on the street with tears running down his grimy face and torn t shirt gets a "Chalte bano!" and a retort of "It's all a scam!".

I would say more, but hey, whatever, I'm off to the gym!

Harry Potter and the Deus ex Machina

2007-07-28T22:57:00.001+05:30

It's done. The end of the Harry Potter saga. Whatever you may make of the Potter mania that swept the globe, Harry Potter is Harry Potter. There is no doubting the permanent effect it has had on the popular imagination.

I have personally been a Potterhead for the past 6 years. Coming as I did from from a LotR background, I found Potter relatively childish... still, there is something to be said for the breathless pacing and whodunnit format.

Now that the entire Potter saga lays bare before us, there are things that strike me as odd. JKR had always seemingly maintained a coherent narrative, and her constant utilization of the Chekhov's gun and foreshadowing, provided ample ground for conspiracy theories. I am not ashamed to admit I have read a good number of those theories :) (for a while after HBP came out, dumbledoreisnotdead.com was on my bookmarks). Now that we finally know, where do the conspiracy theories stand, and what of the book that everyone had waited for?

For those that haven't read the book, beware..... for here there be spoilers!!

You've been warned. Proceed at your own risk.

Now that I have had sufficient time to absorb and soak in Potter 7, I must say I am disappointed by certain aspects of the core narrative. One thing that I appreciated about JKR's writing was adherence to the internal logic of the Potter-verse. Previously held beliefs may be modified by new information, but they were not outright violated, as I feel has happened in this book.

Take, for instance, the matter of the Elder wand. The facts, as they stand:

1. Wandlore has it that a wand chooses it's master.
2. A wizard can bend a vanquished opponent's wand to their will.
3. Ollivander points out that murder is not the only way to defeat an opponent.

Given these facts, Harry's statement that he is the Master of the Elder Wand seems plausible. However, it seems contrary to the internal logic of the Potter-verse. As Potter claims, since Draco disarmed Dumbledore, mastery of the Elder Wand passed to him. Draco was subsequently defeated by Potter, and his original wand taken. However, does this imply that the Elder Wand, which Draco had never touched, also passed to Potter in that moment? It's seems counterintuitive.

If an expelliarmus/stunning/body binding spell was enough to vanquish someone, then the entire DA should have lost mastery over their wands (since they practiced against each other), Harry included. However, this seems not to be the case. Then how does it hold good in the case of Harry and Draco? It might be said that since the DA members didn't try to claim the wands, they were not truly vanquished. In that case, then Draco shouldn't be Master of the Elder wand either, since he is never consciously aware of it.

Which brings me to another matter. Why should Voldermort's final AK spell fail? Many people believe this is because Harry actively blocks the spell, and since he is master of the Elder Wand, it refuses to kill him. Well, as we know, nothing can block an AK... nothing. Certainly not an expelliarmus. As for the Elder Wand refusing to kill it's true master, it certainly had no problem casting a full blown AK at him just an hour prior, in the forest. The fact that it kills Voldy's horcrux is a different matter... but the AK itself was fully formed.

I do not imply these are loopholes. An author of JKR's calibre and formidable backing (ie, dozens of editors), will not make such obviously glaring plot holes. If anything, I consider these to be serious deviations from the magical lore established in the previous books... deviations that will be explained away, I'm sure. If anything, I applaud JKR for inflaming the passion of her fans yet again, one way or another.

Harry Potter and the end of the Saga

2007-07-22T17:08:00.001+05:30

'tis done. :(

Potter update

2007-07-20T23:36:00.001+05:30

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Harry Potter update update

2007-07-19T22:30:00.001+05:30

So, I've spent another day, reading the book, as slowly as I can manage. It seems unbelievable. The very last book... an end to the saga.... noooooo! :(

Today I have barely advanced 40 pages... the prospect of reaching the end fills me with dread.

Potter update

2007-07-19T10:16:00.001+05:30

Rowling sure weaves a clever yarn, that's for sure. I'm trying to read as slowly as I can, to enjoy the LAST Potter book ever...

... unless of course the money convinces her to write a series of prequels! :)

On page 338... quite a few deaths so far.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

2007-07-19T00:05:00.001+05:30

Yes, the rumours were true. The Harry Potter has indeed been... err... 'acquired' by certain persons who have decided to share their good luck with the rest of mankind... and early adopter that I am, plunged in head first (Stop sniggering, Tam).

I admit it, I've spent all day reading the better part of the book, and I'm hooked. Will let you know how the book turns out, and to the best of my abilities, will keep this space spoiler free.

Return of the King and the Inflammed Tonsils

2007-05-19T11:23:00.000+05:30

I've been down with tonsilitis all this week... which means I've been sleeping in, passing in and out of troubled sleep, and basically bored out of my skull. Just my luck that all the movies I have on hand at the moment are pure piss.... so I've been digging deep and pulling out old films I wouldn't mind watching again.

This way, I saw Return of the King a few days ago. Due to my limited attention span and propensity for headaches, the film stretched over three days... at the end of which I was all teary eyed.

Even after all these years, it gets to me. Frodo and Sam... Merry and Pippin... Gandalf, Aragorn... regardless of what people may make of the films, to me at least the stories came across, and that's what counts. A lot of people are aghast at the changes in the films, but well... I'm too teary eyed to care!! Boo hoo!! Araaaaagorn!!

A few things I noticed (or rather, re-noticed) from the films:

1. Why oh why are the Elves blond? Apart from Galadriel, there is no mention of any blond elves in Middle Earth. Elrond and his children are dark haired due to their part Edain heritage. What of the other elves? After all, most Elves in Middle Earth are probably of Telerin/Sindarin heritage. So shouldn't they have silver hair (like Cirdan)?

2. I have always felt a bit iffy about Aragorn's legal claim to the throne of Gondor. There's a lot to be said about it, one way or another.... though I still feel his claim was quite shakey.

3. The charge of the Haradrim... reminded me of the Persians from 300.... though not as much slo-mo.

4. There seems to be no internal logic about the use of Cirth/Tengwar. Cirth should normally be preferred for stonework/metalwork, and Tengwar for pensmanship, but again... no logic seems to be in place. While the stone door of Moria has Tegwar, Anduril and the helmet of the Mouth of Sauron have Cirth. Hell, even the Ring has Tengwar.

I rule!! Woo hoo!

2007-04-21T12:26:00.000+05:30

Another lazy weekend, and more tests on Tickle.com...

I have an IQ of 138. Boo hoo!

...........................................................................

You're a Visionary Philosopher!

The Classic IQ Test

Brought to you by Tickle

The Downloader's Prayer

2007-03-31T14:21:00.000+05:30

Our Ripper, who art on mininova,
aXXo be thy name.
Thy torrents come.
Seeding will be done,
Here as it was on supernova.
Give us this day our latest rips.
And forgive us our leeching,
As we forgive those that leech from us.
And lead us not on to private trackers;
But deliver us from the MPAA:
For thine is the ripping, the seeding, and the glory,
For ever and ever.

aXXo.

A No Brainer!

2007-02-28T16:34:00.000+05:30

One lazy afternoon... yawn... and an online test to determine my Brain type.

Turns out I have a dominant Right hemisphere. Err... Great!

I paste below my test result.

....................................................................................................

you are Right-brained, which means that the right hemisphere of your brain is dominant over your left.

Typically, right-brained individuals like you are creative, imaginative, and particularly attuned to their surroundings, whether catching the nuances of music, discerning artistic elements, or noticing spatial relationships between different forms. We know this because researchers notice increased activity in the right hemisphere of the brain in individuals hooked up to monitors when they play music or ask them to complete a task involving spatial relationships.

In addition to isolating the ways in which your brain processes information, your right brain also controls the left side of your body. If you are strongly right-brained, you will find that your natural tendency is to be left-handed — though with some skills, you may find that you are right-handed if a right-handed person taught you how to complete a certain task.

Right-brained people tend to be seen as messier than others. It's not that you're necessarily disorganized, it's just that you are likely to have different systems of organization (by theme, by subject, by color) than straight alphabetization or rigidly ordered folders.

You probably have a willingness to entertain experimental treatments and Eastern philosophies more so than others. This is in part because those philosophies mesh with the right brain's strength — taking things in as a whole instead of focusing on the daily minutia.

Though thinking logically might be something you have to do sometimes, you are also good at stream of consciousness thinking and making tangential jumps in logic or reasoning. You are more intuitive than many. And when it comes to pleasure reading, you might have a stronger preference for creative or fiction writing than nonfiction.

For the most part, you think more in terms of symbolism and abstraction instead of things that are more practical and straightforward. You are also likely to look at the whole of a situation instead of seeing it as a series of component parts. You probably tend to be more subjective than objective, allowing for context to color how you interpret a given situation. For you, there are likely very few definites in life, other than the fact that there is almost always more than one way to accomplish and think about things.

That's how your brain processes information. And while your dominant brain hemisphere certainly contributes to the way you process information, there is also a style of learning, unrelated to your dominant hemisphere, that determines the ways in which you are best able to pick up information. When you're learning something new, your dominant brain hemisphere will want to take over. But there are times when the information being presented is not well suited to your dominant hemisphere's abilities.

That's why, in addition to your hemispheric dominance, you also have a style of learning that is dominant for you. Whether you know it or not, you are naturally predisposed to learning things visually, aurally, or through a combination of the two.

Your test results show that you are a visual learner.

Other right-brained people who are also visual learners are Albert Einstein, the painter Vincent Van Gogh, and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

A walk to remember

2007-02-27T14:28:00.000+05:30

After many years, I was back in Delhi for an extended period of time.
I walked down the roads of my colony, and there were memories everywhere.

The crack in the road where I fell off my bike and busted my knee... everybody told me what a brave boy I was for not crying... by the time my dad got there, I had a proud grin and sneakers full of blood.

The stairs were I spent half the night as a 7 year old, standing between two puppies and a wolf.

The night I saw Flight of the Navigator, and looked up at the stars in awe.

The road where I would walk my German Shepherd on a foggy winter morning, in my shorts.

The house where my sister's best friend used to live... and her sister who tried to kiss me.

The park were I walked in the rain after having my heart broken.

Playing favourites...

2006-11-17T15:37:00.001+05:30

You know how it goes... you ask someone a question, and then they ask
you the same thing, and so on. Social flip-flopping, I like to think.

Someone said they liked movies, and I asked the fairly obvious question...
"Your favourite movies?"

"Blah blah blah..... yours?"

Here was the sticky bit. I couldn't name any. I think I've seen more
movies than most people within a 40 km radius, yet I couldn't come up
with five movies I liked the most. Why was it so difficult?

Movies have always been in my life. They hinted at a bigger world
beyond my grasp. Different people, different places... acting skills
or cinematographic prowess didn't seem to matter. As long as there was
a tale to tell, I was hooked. Every film, good or bad, was a glimpse
into the mind of another person, and I was hungry for that.

Every once in a while there would be a film that resonated with me, in
a way that had nothing to do with how good it was. They meant
something to me at that point of time in my life, which if I saw now I
would probably classify as drivel. So do I consider them my favourite
films? Or do I consider films I thought to be especially good? Most
films I found to be especially good, and works of art, meant nothing
to me personally, and were forgotten a week later. So that can't be a
favourite, right? What justifies the designation of "favourite film"?

Is it possible to play favourites?

Redrawing the Middle East

2006-10-03T12:57:00.000+05:30

The Armed Forces Journal has this to say about redrawing the boundaries of the Middle East. American armchair ethnology. Look into it.

Nobody in their right mind could believe that redrawing International Boundaries in modern times could be anything but bloody. It does, however, reinterate just how fluid national (and individual) identities can be. The creation of National myths seeks to reinforce the collective identity, and gives citizens something to believe. For example, during the Iran-Iraq war, the Iraqi government hired actors to grant 'visions' of the Twelfth Imam to troops, boosting morale. Soldiers on both sides were Shia.

Wahhabi Islam emanating from Saudi Arabia is changing traditional muslim identities the world over. Hajjis returning to their homelands bring with them ideas and concepts from the Holy Lands, acting as 'memetic fountains'. Traditional Islam in Indonesia and Malaysia is gradually being eroded by Meccan Islam. In Pakistan and India, Sufism is being denounced as too soft and theologically shaky, and the swift adoption of Wahabism. In Kashmir, where the purdah was restricted to upper class urban muslims AND hindus, the hijab has made swift inroads.

Petro dollars will do that to you.

Addendum: Steve Pinkler of Harvard on the evolutionary psychology of religion. Gene Expression also has something to say on the matter.

The Silence of the Lambs Genes

2006-10-02T23:30:00.000+05:30

Gene Silencers get something to shout about! RNA Silencing has won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine!!

The discovery of the RNAi machinery has been revolutionary in the field of genetics, and was expected to win a Nobel soon. For an overview of the RNAi mechanism, read this post on one of my favourite blogs, Gene Expression.
For an animated tour of the RNAi mechanism, see here.
A documentary on the world of RNA silencing can be seen here.

P.S: Jyoti, if you're reading this.... TREAT TREAT!!

Activators or Stabilizers?

2006-09-27T23:27:00.000+05:30

The Daily Transcript reports on a new study that indicates Eukaryotic transcription may occurs in bursts. Transcription factors (regulators of when a gene is "on" or "off") are often characterized as 'activators' or repressors. The paper suggests activators may instead be stabilizers. Genes are always flipping back and forth between different levels of on and off states and when transcription factors bind they can hold one state steady. When upregulation happens a gene isn't 'turned on', it is just kept on.

This paper seems to indicate that cells (at least eukaryotic cells) have varied systems to regulate transcription. Even within prokaryotic cells, the initial 'jiggly' association of RNA polymerase and the promoter seems to be stabilized by Transcription factors. Once RNAP is associated with DNA, it was very stable. Could stabilizers be 'uncoupling' the initial weak RNAP-DNA binding? Could this be related to the phenomenon of abortive transcription seen in vitro?

Osman Sagar and its predatory denizens

2006-09-12T15:33:00.000+05:30

Decided to go for a jog/run this sunday evening, to Osman Sagar and back.
Miscalculated. There's far too much traffic on that road on weekends to jog, so I walked most of the way. I sorta expected that, but I was NOT prepared for the wierdness. People stare. It's a common enough habit in South India, so I'm used to that. But guys driving by, going " Wooo Hoooo!" was new to me. I even got a "Kya baat hai!".
Huh.

Osman Sagar's pretty in the evenings. From the Tank Bund, the sun sets over the surprisingly blue water, as you can see here ... it's the blue one on the left. (The colour in the satellite photo is probably an artifact of the angle at which it was taken, though.)

This picture was taken on another occasion.

There are signs warning about crocodiles in the water, and I'm rather psyched about seeing one. Fingers crossed.
The views are amazing. In the evening you can see the lights of Hightech city in the distance, and even ISB, home of the Elastic Retreat.

I hope the jog/run materialises into a regular thing.

Crickey!

2006-09-04T15:34:00.000+05:30

Steve Irwin was killed today while filming an underwater documentary.

The Crocodile Hunter is sorely missed.

... sounds like more than just moral support!

2006-08-14T18:43:00.000+05:30

Thank God the Pakistanis are doing their bit for the War on Terror!

- From a Malaysian paper

The Henry Higgins of Genetics

2006-08-04T17:34:00.000+05:30

I'd been hearing a lot about the way a particular scientist at my Institute speaks, and as an amateur linguist, I'm always fascinated by the choices people (and groups of people) make about syntax. Sometimes the choice of syntax can reveal quite a bit about the speaker, and its always interesting to see what information can be gleaned from this. Well, I finally had the opportunity to interact with him, and the level of overlap between his scientific and casual speech was significant.

Scientists as a group tend to allow complex technical jargon to seep into conversational English. While this happens in every occupational group, scientific English has its peculiarities. Scientific English is vociferously international, and regional variations and quirks are unacceptable. The nature of peer review among scientists enforces a common syllabary, which sometimes deviates significantly from standard English. Given the stringent of the field, synonyms are rarely tolerated. The language is argument based, with no room for ambiguity. Analogies and comparisons are the bread and butter of science, and this makes its way into common speech as well. My friends are well aware of (and irritated by) my strong tendency to draw analogies. In addition, modern science uses standard English terms to define new phenomena, unlike the older practice of graeco-latin etymology. Words such as termination, interference, silencing, screening, and selection have very specific meanings, which can differ significantly from the standard understanding. There are almost field-specific 'dialects'. For example, Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic geneticists speak variant, though mutually intelligible dialects. Of course, it's not very pronounced, but it's discernible.

Earlier this week, I was assisting my guide review a manuscript for an international peer-reviewed journal. I was struck by the relatively poor "genetics" dialect of the authors. While the logic of the article was fine, their argument was on shaky ground. The authors lacked a sound understanding of the language of genetics, which fails to impress reviewers. As I later discovered, the authors were medical doctors. The idea behind any communication in the scientific world is to effectively convey your observations, and defend your findings. The logic should build upon previous findings, and therefore must employ the same jargon.

Googlisms: The perks of prison

2006-08-02T17:54:00.000+05:30

Googlism for Aditya:

aditya is confused as he is attracted to shamli but has not thought of marriage & at the same time doesn not know prerna yet she seems to have everything that [plot of Ekta Kapoor serial?!]
aditya is the coolest and the sweetest guy [oh, ok... whatever!]
aditya is the first tanker of the indian navy to be built in the country [Sasta aur tikaoo]
aditya is sort of indifferent to her wails [take that, Be-yatch! And that! And that!]
aditya is a nice man who has been forced to take the path of crime by a wrong doing of the system [expect an angry letter to the Editor of the Economic Times]
aditya is caught by prabha because he's the prime suspect in the murder of an industrialist [crime doesn't pay... as much as it should]
aditya is a criminal who faced the charges for murder and is serving his life term in central jail of vizag [Are we waiting for something.... for Life?!]
aditya is anal [Yeah, prison will do that. Enjoy!]
aditya is glad that the onus is on him to carry the family heirloom [Careful with those family heirlooms in the prison shower]

Googlisms: Ridiculous demons

2006-08-02T17:32:00.000+05:30

Googlisms for Tamal:

tamal is corn [I think they were going for corny]
tamal is wrapped in papatla husks [A straitjacket would be more effective]
tamal is the main murder suspect in srila prabhupada's poisoning [Say two ~~Hail Marys~~ Hare Krishnas]
tamal is untrustworthy [yeah, poisoning someone will do that for your reputation]
tamal is 3 feet long [more like 3 feet tall]
tamal is wrapped in the corn husk and baked [I think I had a dream where I did that]
tamal is ridiculous [As I've said myself many times]
tamal is stuffed with stewed chicken or pork [only at dinner time]
tamal is excellent [HAHAHAHAHA!]
tamal is a tamal is a tamal [how existential!]
tamal is exalted [...at least by me!]
tamal is always a surprise waiting to be opened [true]
tamal is sick from accepting karma [Ye shall reap what ye sow, chump]
tamal is running scared [... of karma?!]
tamal is in a very quiet crisis [I know]
tamal is a demon [... sometimes]
tamal is wonderful [... sometimes]
tamal is to die for… [can't argue with that. I agree]

Googlisms: Cool handsome God

2006-08-02T17:12:00.000+05:30

Bumped into googlism.com. Spooky how accurate these things can be!

Here's a run down of googlisms of me and some friends.

Me:

rohan is cool [Duh!]

rohan is a handsome 7 [Again... can't argue with that!]

rohan is the leader of the mystic knights and the first to gain his armour [cool!]

rohan is not at all what he seems [how true]

rohan is the home of the eorlingas [well, I do love me some lingas]

rohan is an institution [true]

rohan is god [ditto]

rohan is unofficially ranked in top 10 in the world in international moth class [hey, who're you calling a moth?!]

rohan is the son of peter theobald and levana fletcher [bald?!]

rohan is only two and a half years old but his brain is matured to a hundred years old guy he is sharp and everybody is proud of this little babe [yeah, we tend to do that]

rohan is also seen in a lot of local television commercials [Dr. Batra's, mostly]

rohan is considered to be one of the best athletes [how am I kidding?!]

rohan is san francisco's first and premier soju bar [So-who?!]

rohan is one of them [I KNEW it!]

rohan is dashing and smart [how redundant]

rohan is an unusual one [true true]

rohan is aditya's attempt to trick him [Hey!]

rohan is his own man [true]

rohan is draganta [who's in drag?!]

rohan is not the only victim of feng shui [my first chinese words!]

rohan is now studying film technique and art design at the university level [...almost]

These are a few of my favourite genes....

2006-07-22T11:17:00.000+05:30

David Ng reimagines the Sound of Music...

Sigma and the Tale of a new city

2006-07-20T14:44:00.000+05:30

I recently joined the Computational & Functional Genomics department of the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting & Diagnostics, at Hyderabad, as a Doctoral candidate.

My Doctoral studies will focus on the molecular mechanisms of the sigma factors of Mycobacterial genomes. Sigma factors control initiation of gene expression, and act as the recognition domains of RNA polymerase enzymes for specifically recognizing DNA sequences. In effect, the presence (or absence) of sigma factors regulates which genes are expressed.

Individual genes are preceded by short tags, called promoters. These genetic beacons act as colour-coded post-its, read by the sigma factors. For example, lets assume the cell is exposed to excess heat. The cell ceases all activity, goes into red alert, and activates the heat stress sigma factor, the “in case of fire” secret dossier. This dossier contains the locations of all heat stress proteins (a sort of sleeper cell, if you will), which must be activated pronto. The sigma factor discloses the location of these genes to the transcriptional machinery, allowing them to be expressed.

The cell maintains an arsenal of different sigma factors, to be activated under specific conditions. For example, DNA damage, heat shock, osmotic shock, hypoxia, etc.

My Doctoral work will focus on the exact mechanism of sigma factors within Mycobacteria, the causative agents of TB and leprosy. Mycobacteria are extremely hardy bugs, and can survive under a multitude of conditions and extreme environments. They are also incredibly slow growing, which makes studying them very difficult. M.tb has 13 sigma factors, while the average gut bacteria has only 7. It is predicted that some Mycobacteria have as many as 26 different sigma factors. The implications of this are astounding.

Split down the middle

2006-06-05T23:23:00.000+05:30

The other day as I was passing through Secunderabad, a guy in a nice shirt handed me an anti reservation pamphlet. It had a graphic of India split down the middle, half general, half reserved. Pretty strong stuff, I thought.

When the Mandal Commission fracas erupted all those years back, I was just a kid. My elder brother was one of the protesters. To me, he typified the sense of disenfranchisement the youth felt at the time. I could see in him a sense of powerlessness, of being unable to determine your own future against the heavy handedness of the government. Times were changing. A young, dynamic and modernizing Rajiv Gandhi was gone, and power seemed restored to the Old Guard. An Old Old Guard.

When school was closed due to the rioting, I suddenly aware of how vulnerable we all were. I realized my brother was gone all day, and would come back late at night, carrying anti-reservation material. He never talked about what exactly he was doing, and I never asked. My parents weren't thrilled, but they felt the students had no other choice. I still remember the sheer desperation everybody around me felt. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what the big deal was about. Being bought up in the Indian ethos of looking up to authority, I always assumed they knew best. But why were my brother and his friends so worked up? In school I thought we all got along. So why can't people in the outside world? Were they worried about seats in colleges? SO worried that they were setting themselves on fire? I just didn't understand.

As I moved out of Delhi, I came to realize how the rest of India looks at caste. But it was only when I moved to the South that I truly began to understand what caste means.

Caste is everything. It is your identity and your currency. It is your past, and your future. It determines who you marry, who you work for, and who'll employ you. It determines how you see the world, and how the world sees you. Caste is something that you wear on your sleeve, proudly or like a Star of David. That is the reality in India today.

My caste has determined what Institutes will take me. It has determined how much I pay for fees, and what benefits I was eligible for (in my case, zero). As a member of a 'forward caste', I was not allowed to take formal responsibility for my lab, a position the state government dictated could only be held by an 'Adi Dravid'. Proactive SC teachers cut my marks, while SC/BC/OBC/MBC students did suspiciously well in their classes. I know it sounds like circumstantial. Perhaps I was being paranoid. Or perhaps my paranoia stemmed from the university granting a special scholarship to students who were "SC converted to Christianity".

67% of my classmates were on reserved seats. They were bright, no doubt. I knew enough to understand that if it wasn't for reservation most of them wouldn't have gotten as far as they had. It's a shame, because they were indeed deserving and hard working. Most of them came
from relatively modest background, and state reservation allowed them to join a Centrally funded postgrad programme that otherwise might be outside their grasp. The Centre coughed up a LOT of money to establish a setup in a cutting edge research area, and to equip future
researchers with these modern tools. Sure, I can see no harm in ensuring social representation among future scientists. Perhaps there is indeed a dilution of overall quality, and perhaps that is
acceptable. To an extent.

An accreditation commission member was taken aback when I appraised him of the caste situation in the university. It was pretty funny, actually. I met him after a general student interaction with the commission. I knew I could never raise the issue in public and escape unscathed. I didn't have the balls to do that. Scratch that. I WON'T have any balls left. To scratch or anything. When I mentioned the level of reservation, the guy was genuinely shocked. Seeing me talking to him seemed enough to spook a professor who immediately shooed him
into a waiting car, while the guy stammered to me he'll look into it. Yeah, sure. Good luck with that! I won't hold my breath.

The last batch to be inducted had only 1 general category student. The remaining 3 seats were given to category students, without going through the general category wait list. Fair minded professors protested, while the proactive chairman of the school went ahead and authorized it when the others were out of town.

I honestly don't know where I stand on reservations. I'd like to think India will someday be a meritocracy, because that I've always been told is the eventual goal. But the idea of merit is inherently biased. Every merit exam has an upper caste bias. I come from a family that always encouraged me to read, where the pursuit of knowledge was seen as a goal in itself. My family's financial status allowed me access to resources others did not, and enabled me to develop abstract and random notions of intellectual pish-posh. What if my family background was different? How different would my childhood have been? Probably a lot. It'll have been all Campa, not Kafka.

Adam and the Snake

2006-05-14T00:43:00.000+05:30

I am finally a Postgraduate. Yipeee! The last few weeks have been very hectic. My thesis left hardly any time for anything else.

My thesis, on the occurrence of distinct mutations on the Y chromosome in North Indian men, left many people confused. Admittedly, I was one of them. It all boils down to one particular mutation: M17.

This marker confounds me still. Here's why:

Every single North Indian Brahmin I sampled (including myself) carried M17. Gaur, Saraswat, Kanyakubj... all were M17.
Off the record, I heard some of the results of the NRY (Non recombining Y Chromosome) typing of some South Indian samples. These results are not in the public domain, and I'm not supposed to know this. It seems an ancient Brahmin settlement somewhere in Southern Tamil Nadu (I wasn't told which) turned up ALL M17s. This in itself is amazing news.
I heard from my Guide, who is the South Asia Principal Investigator for the Genography Project, that M17 is turning up in unexpected numbers in Central Asia.
In Eastern Europe, about half of all men carry M17.

Based on such figures, M17 has been called the Indo-Aryan marker. The frequency of M17 diminishes down the caste hierarchy, which further cements this presumption.

However, some recent data on Microsatellites on the Y Chromosome seems to complicate matters. Microsatellites are repeating segments of 2 or 3 nucleotides.... eg, AGAGAGAG..... they may be 10 repeats, 30, or 300. The genome is littered with thousands and thousands of distinct Microsatellites. The repeat number is mutable within the span of generations, so individuals with the same (or similar) repeat numbers are more closely related. Sample large enough numbers of people, and you can start to build something of a family tree. Now, simply put, if within a population, you find wildly different repeat numbers for a particular MS, that would mean that the population is more diverse, or in other words, more ancient. Here's where the story of M17 in India gets complicated. Look at Microsatellites on M17 men, and you'll see that there is enormous diversity, vastly more than was expected. Even Central Asia, the presumed birthplace of M17, doesn't have this much diversity. So what does this mean? On the face of it, this would imply M17 originated in India. If so, then how do you account for its presence in Eastern Europe? The Aryan Invasion Theory, or Sons-of-India?

Some scientists like to use popular terminology to explain concepts. Among them, Genetic Adam. Simply put, all men alive today share a single male common ancestor, dubbed Adam. He was the patriarch of a lineage that eventually dominated all other human lineages, till none survive. It is believed Adam lived somewhere in East Africa 40-60 Thousand years ago.

So one stormy night, while I contemplated Adam on my way back to the hostel, I nearly stepped on this Snake.

This is a Saw Scaled Viper, AKA the Carpet Viper. Kills more people than any other snake in the world.

It's Good Friday, Folks

2006-04-15T00:38:00.000+05:30

Lately I've been seeing this quite a bit: Islam bashing on the blogsphere. People quote incidents in rural Bihar or Iraq, and make sweeping statements about Islamic theology. Personally, I didn't expect such vitriolic behavior from Indians. Understandably some people (ie, some Hindus) have preconceived notions about Islam, and those notions are culturally inherited. Understandable. Not acceptable, but understandable.

This view of Islam as the enemy of Hinduism is, well, old. For some time now, Hinduism has been facing serious onslaughts, and it ain't from Islam. Most Hindus are so blinkered into seeing Islam as the enemy, they fail to see what's happening under their very noses. The Churches are far more active than people realize, and they mean business.

When I was a kid, my folks kept a maid to look after me, and to ensure my older siblings didn't toss me in the trash (or scratch my eyes out). This maid also worked in the nearby Church, cleaning and stuff. The priest told her that if she and her daughter converted, the girl could join the school run by the Church, free. As the maid told my mother," If converting gives my daughter a better future, then why not?" Good point.

Years later, I would meet the occasional Bible Society fellow or Jehovah's Witness, who would talk to our family about THE Family. I guess we were nice enough, and listened patiently. As Hindus, we were open to all forms of worship, and tolerant of dissenters. But how much can you take, when someone comes into your home, and disses your belief system as mere superstition? No Sir. After a while, all Bible Society solicitations were answered by the snarling dog. Run Witness, run. The power of Jehovah compels you! Hehehehe.

In school I did have a rather pushy classmate, who seemed intent on scoring.... my soul. Funny how when they expect you to listen patiently while they proselytize, yet are scandalized when you do the same.

It was only in college that I came to appreciate the scale of these operations. South India is a virtual cesspool of Churches. Every bus is plastered with innocuous looking posters for "Youth Meetings", which turn out to be gatherings to praise His name. Gosh, it's all so cloak and dagger, they might as well be putting on white cloaks and burning Crosses, rather than worshiping them. It's common to see posters for firebrand preachers with names like Rev. John Kumar or Kishore Ezekiel Thomas. I've heard a few. It's all fire-and-brimstone sermons.

If you dig a bit deeper, you'll see that the traditional Churches in India are relatively quiet. The Catholic and Anglican Churches are comfortable to keep to themselves, and aren't looking to score major converts. But the American Protestant Churches are really stepping on the gas. In Tamil Nadu, you are never too far from a Pentecost Church. The Pentecosts are pilferaging from the traditionally sane flocks of the CSI (Church of South India). It's these American Churches that are doing the maximum damage. Students are actively working on their classmates. Not so long ago, after my father passed away, a classmate told me that I should think instead of the Heavenly Father, and how much Jesus loves me. I'd seen this before. They went after people who were emotionally vulnerable, and comfort them with Jesus. I saw it at work on another classmate, who finally succumbed to the Jesus-babble. I was carpet bombed with scriptural SMSes, biblical nuggets on grief and loss. I was told the "Living Word of God" would make everything all right. I was literally handed a Bible in class. I politely told her thanks, but I already have two Bibles at home, which I have read. I added that they sit quite comfortably between my two copies of the Gita, and the Quran. They seem to get along fine. Why don't you read what the Quran has to say?

The Baptist and Pentecost Churches also seem to encourage a schism with the rest of Indian society. A lot of people identity more with the Mother Churches in the US than with other Indians. It's this that has me most worried.

The picture above is a sticker on a door near mine, by a group called The India Church Growth Mission, or ICGM. It is Psalms 128:5: “The LORD bless you from Zion. May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.”

Tamil: to be or not to be

2006-04-13T23:55:00.000+05:30

One of the first things I became acutely aware of in Madurai was the notion of identity. It excludes as much as it includes. So which is it? What defines identity? Ethnicity? Primary language? Religion? Caste?

The first billboard I saw in Madurai was a bilingual one, the only bilingual billboard I have ever seen in Madurai. It said, in Tamil and English (in that order), "Tamil language, divine language". I'm told such billboards are scattered across Tamil Nadu. Now, what I don't get is, why English? In all such matters, the use of English is anathema to the "Tamil-is-divine" bunch. So why have a billboard announcing the greatness of Tamil; in English? It's obvious: for the benefit of people like me. Just what they wanted me to take from it, I still dunno.

Something that's always confused me is the sense of Tamil identity. Tamils are probably the most divisive people I know, yet there is a strange sense of belonging. What's stranger still is the number of ethnically non-Tamils who identify themselves as Tamil. When non-Tamils (especially northies) think of Tamil (or any other group), we think ethnic group. A lot of the pro-Tamil people I know turned out to be ethnic Telugus, or Mallus. One recent expat from Andhra went so far as to tell me he now preferred Tamil over Telugu. Back in Bangalore, the first person I
knew from Tamil Nadu (and identifying herself as Tamil) turned out to be Telugu as well.

Yesterday I passed by two Badagas chatting. For those of you who don't know, Badagas are the largest tribal group in the Nilgiri hills, and speak a dilect of Kannada. I thought I'd use my scant knowledge of Kannada and eavesdrop. Well, whadya know? They were talking in Tamil! I don't get it. Every Badaga I've encountered is very proud of his heritage and language. Yet at least one Badaga I know speaks to his parents in Tamil.

This sort of identity-cross-connection is something I hadn't encountered in the North, at least not at this scale. In the North people are more prone to think in terms of religion=language, but that's definitely not the case here. Most Christians here (again, unlike the North) dress, speak, and behave much like everybody else. Women dress in Indian attire, and sport bindis and Hindu-inspired jewelery. Tamil Churches depict Mary in a sari, again, unlike in the North. In fact, in Bangalore I discovered that pilgrims visiting shrines of Mary for her Feast Day wear
saffron, since it is a holy colour for Indians (as told to me by one such pilgrim).

In contrast, Christians from the North (or the North-East) are far more uprooted (if I may use that term) from their ancestral culture. While most South Indian Christians have Sanskrit names, most North Indian ones do not. There is a denominational bias here. Most recent converts to American protestant churches are especially critical of "Indian" systems, and take special pains to distance themselves from anything “Indian”. It's a cultural thing too, after all. There's a greater identification with the US as the Mother Culture, rather than their
heathen ancestral one.

In recent times, these American churches have made serious inroads into South India, and I hope to cover that in a later post.

2001 : An Identity Crisis

2006-04-01T15:51:00.000+05:30

Odd, how we feel when a long term goal is accomplished. For me, that was watching 2001: A Space Odyssey.

I first discovered this film back in school. After the exams, you gotta kill time somehow. Well, for me that meant the library. I discovered this coffee table sorta book, full of visions of how the future might be. Flying cars, giant laser beams, and all that jazz. That's where I first read about 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was hooked.

But when I finally saw the film a few days ago, I was intrigued instead by something else. This film asks obtuse questions about the essence of humanity and consciousness. But I was struck by what shapes our outlook of the world in the first place, and how fluid and dynamic that really is.

Case in point: Scientific concepts trickling down into the public domain and reshaping how we see ourselves and the world. Take for example the descent of man from apes. A concept now so rooted in the public imagination. Hardly the case even 50 years back.

So much has changed. Spiderman is now the result of genetic manipulation, not radiation. ditto with the Hulk. Genetics is the new unknown frontier. Everybody now knows what DNA is. You can have a scene like the Terminatrix performing real-time Genomic sequencing of John Connor's DNA, and everybody can understand what just happened. 20 years ago, could an average audience understand such a scene? 30 years ago? Hardly. It's not like sequencing is a new concept, it just wasn't a part of the public imagination.

Perhaps what I find most disconcerting is how half baked scientific ideas are being paraded in the public. I'll provide an example. As you may or may not know, I am currently working in the population genetics of North Indians, for which I've been analysing the DNA of North Indian men, looking for evidence of migration patterns. I discovered that I carry a genetic marker called M17, which is predominant in Central Asia, Iran, Russia, and Eastern Europe. It is sometimes ubiquitously called the Indo-Aryan marker due to its distribution. Based on its genetic signature, it is believed M17 probably appeared somewhere in the Ukraine region, and spread outwards. M17 is widespread in Iran and North Indian upper castes as well. Curious, I decided to look around for any mention of this marker in the lay media. Well, I was shocked, to say the least. It seems for quite some time now; this and other serious genetic work has been tossed around in the media. People with no understanding of genetics are grossly misinterpreting such work to push forward their own narrow minded agendas. Several articles quote M17 to show an Indo-centric view of the world, the Hindu right-wing notion that the Aryans came from India, and spread outwards. They quote bits from serious research work, and it all looks real convincing.

For that matter, I’ve seen many scientists with a very wrong notion of the basics of Genetics. Especially in a sensitive area such as population genetics, that can be explosive. Take for example the politics of Tamil Nadu. The Dravidian movement seeks to brand Brahmins as outsiders, alien exploiters plundering the innocent Dravidians. Half understood genetic evidence would only serve such bigots. But it’s happening. Even among my classmates, who represent the cream of Tamil Nadu society in terms of education, caste is a dirty secret. Everybody expects caste to come around and bite them on the ass. Caste politics is BIG here. So it’s best not to reveal your own caste affiliations, especially if you’re a Brahmin. I know this because as part of my work, I have to collect details about the person’s ancestry, including nativity, and sub castes. These details are things many people are not comfortable disclosing, even to me.

Funny, isn’t it? In just a few generations, we’ve gone from being proud of our ancestry, to being embarrassed by it. Just goes to show our notions of identity aren't as deep as we like to think.

Munich: Ho hum

2006-03-23T18:35:00.000+05:30

Munich was a mixed bag for me.

I must confess, I had a major misconception about this film. I thought this film dealt with the Munich massacre. Not the case. This film deals with what happens after the massacre itself.

Considering the touchy subject matter, and the fact that it’s Steven Spielberg, of all people, I was hooked. A fine film, on the whole. The quality you come to expect out of a Spielberg. Eric Bana is always a delight, and was nice to see more screen time devoted to him. Not the brightest bulb in the store, but pleasant, nonetheless.

That said, this film can be a major yawn fest. Pacing is a problem. You soon lose touch with what exactly is going on, and that’s never a good sign. Some parts of the story seem seriously flat, and it tends to really stretch creditability. Bana may be OK, but the sore spots really bring him down.

I don’t why Spielberg does this, but he has this penchant for inappropriate sex scenes, when it tends to hurt the film the most. Why? The bit right at the end just made it silly. Not cool, Mr. Spielberg. Two reasons for this. One, it undermines the character. Two, inserting key story elements within racy sequences begging for the censor’s scissors. Whether you like it or not, censors exist, and this is a great disservice to the audiences who lose out.

Addendum

2006-03-21T17:28:00.000+05:30

From my recent posts, it might seem Madurai is a horrible place. Hardly.

Without a doubt, the people I have met in Madurai are the nicest I have met anywhere. They are friendly and helpful, to the point of absurdity. PhD scholars offering me lifts to the department is pretty common. Scholars who have gone out of their way (way out) to help me with something. Students and classmates who have offered to do something, out of their own accord. I haven't gone to the bank to pay my fees in over a year, because everytime somebody who was going there offered to do it. This is a big deal, considering it requires forms to be filled in triplicate.

I have complete strangers do completely unexpected nice things. Like the old man on the bus who indicated his stop was coming, and I take his seat. That has never happened to me, EVER, in Delhi or Bangalore. But its not that uncommon in Madurai. Or the time this guy called up three different people (from his own phone) to get me directions.

These are the people of Madurai.

Old women who called me Thambi

2006-03-20T22:26:00.000+05:30

When I first came to Madurai almost 3 years ago, I had the approach of an idealist. I thought people do bad things, but they do what they think is right for them. I thought the real India would be pretty much how I imagined it: just like urban India, only different. I thought people would be free of the petty meanness that comes from urban living. I sometimes wonder; everywhere you look in India, there is desperation behind every face. Fathers running themselves into the ground to feed their kids. You want the best for your kids, you want them to be safe, to be healthy, to have a secure future. But even the basics take so much. No matter how hard you try, it's not enough. It's like Alice through the Looking Glass, who runs as hard as she can, but she stays right where she was.

I once visited the home of a classmate in another part of Tamil Nadu. She lives so far out of the city, it takes a 15 minute ride in a private coach after the last bus stop, over very bad roads. Even that late at night, the coach was packed, so I guess a lot of people live there. Her home turned out to be tiny and spartan. Minimalist, even. When I heard they get fresh water in a 10 day cycle (10 days water, then 10 days no water, and so on. We were visiting during the dry cycle), it certainly put things into perspective. I bitch and moan that my home on South Delhi gets only 300-400 litres a day. It turned my trip into a guilt trip. Her family was so nice, it was heartbreaking to think people live like this.

For what it's worth, her father is a manager in a nationalised bank.

Funny, isn't it, our sense of perspective? If you live in India, no matter where you are, you will encounter quiet desperation. Maybe the kid holding the tissue boxes outside your car, or the man holding open the lift. We learn early on that they are not part of our world, and we learn not to see them. They float through our world, phantoms crossing our path, but never intersecting.

One time Aditya and I were coming back from visiting some friends of mine, and after waiting 15 minutes for a bus, we decided to take an auto. As it turned out, the driver was pretty chatty. He chatted about his brand new digital meter, commended us on our scant Kannada, and impressed us both with his hindi. But I was really taken in by this man. He was an engineer, but with no job, he drove this rickshaw at night. In the day, he went job hunting. With a huge grin, he produced his laminated certificates from under his seat, and told us he had gone for an interview that morning. This guy had it pretty rough, but he was so cheerful. We wished the best of luck, and went on our way. A few days later, I was talking to a guy in my hostel who was from my school in Delhi. All I remember from that conversation was something about driving his dad's Mercedes at a 120 Kms/hr on the highway outside Delhi... without a license. Talk about perspective, huh?

When I first came to Madurai, I was taken aback by the things I saw. Things you know happen, just not right in front of you. At the main bus stand, there were people sleeping on the platforms, some of whom I noticed hadn't changed positions in days. Many had barely a rag to cover themselves. Old women who called me Thambi, hoping for some spare change. Men who walked as if there was nothing to come home to.

And what was I doing? Well, to the old ladies I said, "Kaas illa"; and watched a DVD of a french film made by a polish guy, while eating a Chicken Sandwich, a Mars bar, and washed down by Diet Coke (ironic, I know). When a single tear runs down Juliet Binoche's cheek, I am all choked up. Such grief! Such loss! As Kaushik would say, so pathetic! I was overwhelmed. But the poor sods I saw earlier that day at the bus stand? Eh.

The colour of Prejudice

2006-03-20T02:25:00.000+05:30

I finally saw Crash.

One thing, I am never sure what to write about a movie. I don't want to give anything away, or ruin it for anybody. Which, I might add, leaves very little for me to say. I think it's more appropriate for me to talk about the context of the films within my own life.

As you know, I watched this film in the backdrop of the surprise upset for Brokeback Mountain. Undoubtedly, I had more than a little bias against it. That said, I was sure Crash was a great film, and couldn't wait to see it. I had first heard of the film about 6 months back, and was mighty impressed by the trailer. And then, it sorta just dropped off the radar. Well, not anymore.

Crash is a clever film. I throughly enjoyed it, and saw it at least thrice (lately I've been repeating films out of sheer boredom, so big whoop). It warms my heart that stories like this are being told. Racism is an issue that is too oft sidelined and caricatured, and whether we like it or not, we are all subject to it. Ok, so there is racism. Big deal. We already knew that. But then again, it's not everyday a mainstream film (an Oscar winner, to boot) raises questions most people are uncomfortable to think about. A off hand remark here, a prejudiced opinion there... racism in a way most people could identify with, and that makes them uncomfortable.

I spent a lot of time trying to come up with a scenario from the movie that would effectively convey the sense of discrimination people face. But everything I came up with seems so circumstantial and easily dismissed as pointless intellectual conjecture. Which is why I give you examples from my own life. I have lived for the past three years in a place that officially discriminates against my community. As a Brahmin, I am constantly reminded that Brahmins are not welcome in Tamil Nadu. Before I came here, I was warned by family friends familiar with Tamil Nadu not to mention that I am a Brahmin. Like most of you, I dismissed it out of hand as medieval thinking. People don't really think like that, do they? After all, here I was, a dyed-in-the-wool ultra über-liberal armchair anarchist, with an innocent face and puppy dog eyes... who could hate me?! Or so I thought. Hatred is everywhere. If it's not one thing, it's another. Tamils hated me 'cause I spoke Hindi, and came from Bangalore. Protestant evangelist classmates hated me 'cause I wasn't leap frogging into the loving bosom of Jesus like all my other heathen classmates. P.h.D scholars distrusted me 'cause I was a brahmin with a big mouth who didn't kowtow to their whims. Professors disliked me 'cause I would speak up in class, and my marks bore the brunt. Other students disliked me 'cause I didn't observe the strict protocol of sexual segregation in public.... no boys sitting with girls, or unnecessary talking, or the like. When for the first time in my life, I flunked a paper, I was stunned. It was a subject I had majored in during my undergrad, and I thought I knew the subject matter fairly well. This was till I heard whispers that the prof was a bigot who favoured his cronies, and had a strong dislike for brahmins. But I thought, my secret is safe. Nobody knows I'm a brahmin. That illusion vanished when I saw my permanent records file in the office, with BRAHMIN branded across the front. I shit you not. Your file prominently displays your caste... followed by your name in appropriatly smaller letters.

In the hostel mess, I almost always get served last, no matter where I sit. I get the rotis or puris nobody else wanted. My dosas are always cold and undercooked. At first I was pissed, but after a few years, you tend to just shrug your shoulders and do nothing.

When our hostel mess secretary decided to serve beef, the other north Indians were outraged. This was blasphemous, and they refused to eat in the mess on those days. While I have no personal problems with beef, I was flabbergasted that North Indians could be treated so coldly. It quickly became clear that the beef issue served little purpose other than to humiliate northies. Cooking beef with no prior warning (especially religious holidays) left the northies with no options to make alternate arrangements. Many would go to bed hungry. I raised this issue with every higher authority, and everybody had the same response: deal with it. WTF? My initial response would have been to put these bigots in their place, but living here has made me realise how wonton their hatred is. I know most of you who read this will think it unjust, but that's just how it is.

And it goes both ways. None of the other northies has even attempted to learn Tamil. They consider Tamil to be vile and wretched; a most heinous language. I can tell you that's definately not the case. But the prejudices go deep. Imagine my joy at meeting another amateur linguist, conversant with a few Indian languages; familiar with French, German, Dutch; and a smattering of Sindarin. He also made it clear he thought Tamil was a foul and uncouth language, and had none of the charm of the Indo-European languages. This really had me thinking. Here was someone highly educated, in the top 0.2% of the Indian population, and bigoted. He was hardly the exception. Almost every North Indian I know has a fairly similiar opinion of the South.

Prejudice knows no boundaries. Actually, scratch that. Prejudice knows nothing but boundaries.

Brokeback High expulsion a hoax

2006-03-16T23:29:00.000+05:30

Well, whadya know? Looks like I fell for it, just like everyone else.

The expulsion of high schooler Brandon Flyte over his class film project has turned out to be an elaborate hoax. While he did make the film for his english class, and it did have the controversial snuggle scene in it, there was no expulsion. It seems it was a hoax, and now he's in real trouble.

Brokeback High

2006-03-15T02:33:00.000+05:30

Brandon Flyte, a student at West Linn High School in West Linn, Oregon, was recently expelled for airing a video project he had been assigned in class which includes a same-sex "snuggle" scene. The film, Brokeback High, is a "gay love story" based on themes from Brokeback Mountain, but set in a modern day high school.

Flyte writes on his website:

"One has to wonder if any of this would've happened had the two characters snuggling in my film been male and female. We're led to believe that diversity is encouraged in schools, but when a 17 year-old straight kid makes a serious gay love story and is expelled for it, it just begs the question of exactly what kind of policy was the administration following? I recall Tim Fields, one of the vice-principals at my school, having to think for at least a minute when asked by the office lady, 'What should I put down for 'reason of withdrawal'?' If the basis of my expulsion is so unclear to them, then surely the circumstances surrounding it are extremely questionable and the grounds on which I was removed are both unfair and unexplainable."

Wow. Man, kids today... when I was 17, I was gripped by the boxers vs briefs debate.

There is a clip of Brokeback High on his website, and an area to leave comments and support. According to Flyte, "West Linn High says they’ll pay for me to finish up my last 2 months of high school at Clackamas Community College, and I'll be able to walk with my high school class at graduation and attend Prom as a guest."

The faineant solitudinarian shoots his own film today... best of luck.

Annie Proulx is pissed

2006-03-13T23:52:00.000+05:30

... and isn't afraid to show it. Ooh Snap!

Bless her soul. Read what the author of Brokeback Mountain had to say about her Oscar® experience.

Looks like she didn't take the loss of BBM too well, huh? Snarky. Good to know.

Post-Crash Post

2006-03-08T20:43:00.000+05:30

Post Oscars, there has been a lot of debate online as to the shock win of 'Crash', and 'Brokeback's debacle. While I personally didn't expect Brokeback to win every award it was nominated for, I did expect it to haul in most of them. Some of the Brokeback nominations were against very strong contenders, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, or George Clooney (Supporting Actor). It would have been unrealistic for BBM to bag those Oscars, but I didn't expect the relatively poor haul. Ang Lee's Oscar is well deserved, and lessens the sense of outrage.

BBM has swept every major film festival it entered, beginning with the Venice film festival, the Berlin festival, Telluride... it wasn't allowed to compete in the Cannes film festival. This was followed by awards by every major American group... the Producers Guild of America, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., the Broadcast Film Critics Assn. and the British Academy. The lone exception was the Screen Actor's Guild, which leaned towards Crash.

In hindsight, there were clear signs that BBM would fare far poorer at the Oscars. Reuters has an excellent analysis of the Brokeback debacle.

Crash n' Burn

2006-03-06T13:23:00.000+05:30

I was in the middle of my morning crunches when The faineant solitudinarian called to update me on the Oscars… and Brokeback’s pathetic showing so far. I resumed my crunches, chanting, “Please let Brokeback win…. Please let Brokeback win…”.

Brokeback didn’t win, and I ended up with sore abs.

I’m glad the Academy finally gave Ang Lee the credit he deserves. He deserves much more.

Aditya says BBM is releasing in Mumbai on the 10th of this month….. yipeee! Yee haw!!

George Clooney… finally. Too bad for Jakey Poo.

Keep your eyes peeled on The faineant solitudinarian and Stuff happens for further post Oscar buzz.

Damn you, Crash. Damn you to hell.

It's almost here

2006-03-06T00:10:00.000+05:30

The Oscars are almost upon us.

I'm so nervous.... I hope Brokeback wins. There may be some fear of me jumping out a window in case it doesn't. Oh well, if you can't change it, you gotta stand it.

Unfortunately, I will be unable to watch the Oscars live (no TV). I'm going to have a most restless night, that's for sure.

Fingers crossed for BBM.

Narnia: Rampant lions and Meen Varuval

2006-03-01T00:12:00.000+05:30

Or rather, Narnia: Athisaya Ulagam, the Tamil version.

I really liked it. Considering I never really cared for the original story, I find it compelling. Having read the story as a child, but with little recollection, I recently reread The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Funny, how you miss some little things in the story. In the book, Aslan's Standard is described as a Rampant Lion. It's mentioned a few times, but I totally overlooked the significance of the word... till I saw it in the movie. It was a reference to Heraldry, but I totally missed it. Stupid of me, since I spent the summer of '98 learning Heraldry. Even the Coat of Arms of the school were I was at that time had a Rampant Lion. Surrounded by Heraldry everywhere on the school grounds, it was something that had me hooked. To demonstrate, here is an example shield generated by the Blazon software. In the jargon of Heraldry (called Blazon), this shield would be denoted by "Sable, a Rampant Lion Gules". Which, simply put, stands for, "A black field, and a red Rampant Lion".

Back to the film. After finally watching the English version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (I had seen Harry Potter: Mayita Koppiyam), I have begun to appreciate what a neat job the dubs are. In Narnia, the Tamil voices appear to have been chosen with care, to represent the original characters as closely as possible. Mrs. Macready has the voice and diction of a very sharp and strict Tamil matron. Peter's enunciation of Tamil is very clear, and reflects how the English Peter would have spoken Recieved Pronunciation, while the other children might still speak a form of Estuary English. But most interesting would have to be the tamil employed for the animals. The beavers speak like a middle aged couple, and the way Mrs. Beaver speaks, you half expect her to put out a tray of steaming filter coffee (besides the Meen Varuval). Maugrim the wolf speaks like a dastardly south Indian villian with a hearty belly laugh and a moustache to boot.

Frankenstein bags himself a new bride

2006-02-28T22:49:00.000+05:30

~~Somewhere~~ Someday, over the ~~rainbow~~ threshold....

Hot steamin' burnin' review

2006-02-23T23:30:00.000+05:30

Toby: Did you know the Lord of the Rings is gay?

Bree: Beg your pardon?

Toby: There's this big black tower, right, and it points right at this huge burning vagina thing, and, like, its the symbol of ultimate evil...
and then Sam and Frodo have to go into this cave, and deposit their magic ring, into this hot streaming lava pit...
only at the last minute, Frodo can't perform, so Gollum bites off his finger. Gay.

That's from Transamerica.

Transamerica is the sort of movie I like: low budget; to satisfy my smug anti-capitalist ideals, just so long as it doesn't reflect in the movie's look, costumes, locations, props, cinematography, music.... and oh yes, acting.

I really enjoyed this film. Well, not the sort of enjoyment I might derieve from a Vin Diesel movie, spending an hour and a half looking for that new facial expression I heard hes got. Or watching Mallika Sherawat's clothes drop faster than Danish credibility in the Middle East.

Transamerica was most enjoyable. A delightfully offbeat story, and wonderfully understated performances. I don't mean understated like Sunny Deol's acting (which is trumped only by his wonderfully delicious dancing). Understated in the sense of good acting, but no screaming or major crying required. Honestly, how many performances like that are there?!

I give it two thumbs up. Way up.... and I have a silly grin on my face. I gotta see this one in the hall, just to see the reaction of the audience...

P.S: I was delighted to learn that Kevin Zegers, who plays Toby, was in one of my favourite episodes of The X-Files. He was a little boy who bears the Stigmata.

Plutonian pancakes

2006-02-23T23:23:00.000+05:30

Many months back, When I was watching Batman Begins, I spent an awful lot of that time thinking Cillian Murphy was actually Winona Ryder in dude drag. Really really! I kid you not!

So, if you're like me, and been wondering what Cillian Murphy looks like in a wig and a dress, you should see Breakfast on Pluto.

It's a wonderfully quirky movie. Who knew Irish films could be like this?!

Something that did catch my eye (other than Ms. Murphy), was the music (OK, it caught my ear). The music is wonderfully upbeat, and not what I would have expected. There's a breeziness that intrigued me the entire movie.

Brief BBM update

2006-02-22T01:47:00.000+05:30

It ain't right not to post something on the phenomena that Brokeback Mountain has become. Unfortunately, I haven't the time right now! If you can't change it, you got to stand it.

So till I do, here's something else to chew on: Brokeback has crossed $100 million in sales worldwide. The cost of making BBM was $14 million.

The shirts from the movie (yes, THOSE shirts...) were recently sold on ebay for a children's charity. The shirts went for $101,100.51.

Photo-op: Pissed off soldier

2006-02-15T22:52:00.000+05:30

This soldier ant guards his colony of Weaver Ants from my prying eyes....

This colony is on a tree near my department, something I see everyday on my way to the tea shop. Can you believe the tea shop guy charges 2.5 bucks for a vada?!

The Bear, the Fairy, and the Closet

2006-02-14T00:14:00.000+05:30

Apropos some recent comments over at the faineant solitudinarian, I bring you some wonderful news, and an insight straight from the horse's mouth.

Sir Ian McKellen received a Golden Bear lifetime achievement award at the Berlin Film Festival over the weekend and used the opportunity to talk about the challenges of being openly gay in Hollywood:

"It is very, very, very difficult for an American actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality. And even more difficult for a woman if she’s lesbian. It’s very distressing to me that that should be the case. It’s not true of actors on the other side of the American continent, on Broadway, where people are very at ease with being open and honest. But the film industry is very old fashioned in California. My own career in mainstream films really took off once I’d come out and said I was gay. And that’s the way it should be because Heath Ledger isn’t gay nor am I straight and yet I can play straight parts and he can successfully play gay men. It’ll fade away eventually.

I was warned by friends in the industry, particularly the American film industry, that my life was about to change. They knew I was going to be famous, seriously famous. Of course it’s always a part of an actor’s interest in his job that he might appeal to a very, very wide audience but in the theatre that can’t be the case. Those films have reached round the world. And that popularity has rubbed off on me. There is no country in the world I can safely be anonymous in.

I think to become extremely famous when you’re very young must be very daunting and very difficult to cope with and shouldn’t really be part of your life because you should be concentrating on the work and not on people’s reaction to your work."

Photo-op: Mantis

2006-02-10T00:01:00.000+05:30

Photo-op: Arachnophilia

2006-02-07T00:19:00.000+05:30

This gianormous spider lives right down the hall from me.... how could I not put it here?

Photo-op: My Private plague

2006-02-06T23:20:00.000+05:30

Locust on my phone antenna.

What next, frogs from the sky?

I am Darkness

2006-02-05T23:31:00.000+05:30

Saw a clip of the South Park Tom Cruise “come out of the closet” episode. Cracked me up.

For those who haven't heard about it, Tom Cruise locks himself in Stan's closet, and refuses to come out. This is followed by several dozen appeals for Tom Cruise to 'come out of the closet'. Even Nicole Kidman pitches in.

This episode was blocked from broadcast in the UK. Gosh darn.

I ask you, when did Tom get so kooky? I always thought of him fondly (!!!), and actually sat through some of his god-awful films just because it was Tom Cruise. I thought it was sweet that he was married to someone taller and talented (maybe more than him) in her own right. Who knew he likes 'em tall n' butch?!

The whole Katie Holmes business smells fishy. How long did they know each other? 3 months? You know how much that is in Thetan years? I don't buy the lovey-dovey stuff. The most romantic thing Tom ever told Katie was “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again”.

The Turkey Baster jokes aside, I really feel sorry for that girl... and her alien babies. Her babies will unlock the portal to the Ogdru Jihad, paving the way for the return of Ron. E. Hubbard. Yikes!

The title of this post comes from the tagline of probably the first Tom Cruise film I saw, Legend. A demon seeks to create eternal night by destroying the last of the unicorns and marry the fairy princess.

No, Tom's neither the Demon nor the Fairy princess. He's the forest boy, Jack, who aided by his elven allies, must ~~beat off~~ beat the demon before its too late.

Jet and Sahara

2006-02-03T17:17:00.000+05:30

The recent acquisition of Air Sahara by Jet Airways has been discussed threadbare in the public domain, and there have been a lot of questions asked about its ramifications.

Coming from an Aviation family, this is an area that has always been close to my heart, and I’m bound to have an opinion on the matter.

For what it’s worth, the deal is heavily overpriced. Sahara is definitely not worth that much. Sahara doesn’t even own its planes, they’re leased. What Jet does acquire, however, is something less tangible. It gains over 200 pilots, and an array of ground staff. Sahara assets spread throughout the country are important. Sahara has hangers in places like Calcutta and Hyderabad, where Jet doesn’t. 60% of Jet flights originate and terminate at Mumbai, where most of Jet’s assets are concentrated.

Perhaps more important are the less tangible gains that Jet has made. Jet now dominates the Delhi-Mumbai sector, the most lucrative. Much of the traffic on this sector are dedicated business travellers, who can afford to travel on any airline they like, and are less likely to shift to budget airlines. Jet also gains Sahara’s code sharing rights to international Destination. This is an aspect that has been overlooked, perhaps. Code Sharing rights are hard to get, and many airlines routine club together to operate a single flight. Jet has been denied access to US skies, though it’s only a matter of time.

But I still wonder if all this was worth it. After all, Sahara was floundering. Profits were razor thin, and valuation of personnel is a difficult task. Sure, Pilots are tough to get. Last year Jet had to cancel flights because there weren’t enough pilots to go around. Sahara’s pilots are Boeing trained the same as Jet. This makes the pilots an immensely valuable resource. Training a pilot from scratch is immensely expensive. How expensive? Well, flying a commercial Jet requires a CPL (Commercial Pilot’s License), and training somebody up to that level costs well over 13-14 lakhs. As you can imagine, training to become a pilot is something most people can’t afford. Finding qualified, experienced pilots is harder still. Plus, they should be trained to fly the same kind of jets that you have. Acquiring pilots from Indian Airlines and Kingfisher is not possible, since they have Airbus Conversion. Retraining them for Boeing Conversion is too impractical.

Still, what does all this mean for the average flyer? A few weeks ago I travelled on Jet, Mumbai-Chennai-Madurai. Though it was nice to see smiling faces on Jet, I had my reservations. Most of the staff seemed younger than me, and I’m young! I’m not sure how they’d cope in an emergency situation. Experience really counts. Are they emotionally equipped to deal with a terrorist wielding a semi-automatic, or are they limited to handing me my aloo bondas? I dunno.

However, there are other things that kind of pissed me off about Jet. Throughout the flight, the guy sitting in front of me had his seat reclined, something that makes eating very difficult. If this had been Indian Airlines, a matronly Airhostess would have barked at him to keep his seat back upright…. But sadly, nothing of the sort happened here. But more importantly, it was shocking to see the lack of basic procedures. The girl sitting next to me (a child star from a recent bollywood film) and her mother kept fiddling with their Sony Ericsson 910. Now, admittedly, this phone has a flight mode, which makes it safe to use in flight. However, NO electronic devices may be used while taxing or descent, as it seriously screws up the sensitive navigational arrays. Twice during descent, the pilot had to announce over the PA to turn off all electronic devices. But none of the flight crew had the nerve to turn the lady to turn off her phone. Is this the great service Jet offers? Gee, I’ll be sure to remember that when we’re plummeting to Earth as a giant fireball.

Photo-op: Koliyalagam

2006-02-03T15:59:00.000+05:30

From today, I begin a new segment called Photo-op. In this, I’ll post a new picture everyday from my life, along with an explanation. It could be anything, and there are no agendas planned. Given my life, it could very well be anything, and everything.

My first Photo-op is Koliyalagam.

It’s a sign I pass at least 4 times a day, on my way to the Department. For many years, the Planetarium on campus has lain vacant, and used to serve as a storehouse for old answer scripts. Within the last year, however, the Planetarium has been spruced up, and it is hoped it be restored to its full glory soon.

The restoration meant the sign was repaired and got a new coat of paint.

Mega Update

2006-02-02T22:58:00.000+05:30

Update time, folks.

Man, there's so much to say.

First off, Australia was great. The people are very hospitable, and the place is magnificent. Darwin has the tropical weather I'm used to, and it's scantily populated, thank God! Us Indians are just not used to seeing big broad roads with no traffic jam.

Traffic jam reminds me, what's with Bangalore lately? It seems to be rapidly deteriorating ever since I left. I know, you turn your back for two minutes and everything falls apart without you....

On a more serious note, the terrorist attack at IISc in Bangalore has had it's effect in Madurai too. According to the hushed whispers of people here, it seems Madurai was a possible target too. The very visible police deployment in Madurai doesn't bode well, either. The police have taken to stopping all vehicles passing the University and questioning them. It happened to me too. Or maybe they mistook me for a Kashmiri terrorist. Oh well. It won't be the first time the colour of my skin has gotten me into hot water here.

In other news, Brokeback Mountain scores 8 Oscar nominations, the highest of any film this year!! Yeee Haw! Bush claims not to have seen the film, though he's heard about it... he giggles, and tells people to go see it. The producer of BBM said in a recent interview that the White House requested for a print of the film and was sent one, though he has no idea who did see it.

My Oscar guesses? Glad you asked. BBM is gonna score Ang Lee Best Director. He deserves it. Best Actor is probably going to Capote, though it would be a hoot if BBM snags that as well. Best Actress? At this point, my guess is Transamerica. Notice I refer to the films scoring the awards, not the people? That's because I strongly believe each performance is unique, and is inextricably bound to the film. An actor may give a brilliant performance, but it's the film that gives him/her the opportunity to do so. It takes a film like BBM to extract rave performances from Heath Ledger and Jake G., both of whom had no serious acting credits till date. Now they're the toast of Hollywood. Funny, isn't it? A few years ago, BBM was the “greatest unproducable script”, and now, it's tearing open minds and hearts. As for acting skills, well, let's just say, does anybody remember Hoffman in a memorable role before Capote? Or any role, that they can remember? I have, and believe me, if he had talent then, it wasn't used. That's how it is. The film is bigger than just the sum of its actors.

Back to the Oscars. Best film? I hope BBM, but the SAG awards have thrown up a strong contender, Crash. BBM cleaned up at the Golden Globes, which tend to reward smaller, better made films than the glitz loving Oscars. However, Crash is a very LA film, and has strong Southern California roots, where most of the SAG voters live. Crash triumphed at the SAG awards, and BBM flopped. SAG voters make up the largest contingent of Academy voters. You do the math. The LA Weekly says that homophobia is keeping many straight Academy members from even screening Brokeback. Either way, let's see. If BBM triumphs at the Oscars, I'll commend their good judgement. If it fails, I'll lam bast their small minded, bourgeois redneck thinking.

But BBM has exceeded all expectations of it's financial returns. Made on a tiny budget of $ 14 million, its earnings per screen are the highest ever. Its popularity can only grow after the appearance of the cast on Oprah. Oprah's seal of approval means legions of Oprah's ~~slaves zombies~~ fans will now descend on their nearest cineplex in their millions. Each deranged fan brings their $$ with them. I commend Oprah for that. Her uneasiness with the subject matter is clear, but she's done more for this film than any wingnut neocon could hope to undo. Bravo, Oprah. Malcontent has the entire Oprah clip on his website. Check it out.

Singapore

2006-01-21T23:42:00.000+05:30

Happy New Year, everybody!

So many things to write about, so here goes.

SINGAPORE:

1. First off, seeing so many pretty people is definitely not good for your ego.

2. Also, avoid Maa Siam at all costs. It's hard to describe, but it tastes like fish guts pickled in vinegar. As yummy as that sounds, it's not good.

3.Indians are pretty big show-offs.

4.Used to ogling at prices in US $, prices in SG $ are psychologically harder to digest.

5.More people were speaking Cantonese than I expected.

6.This is unrelated, but Scandanavians don't look quite as people think. This is something that I've been hearing a lot lately in population genetic circles, and seeing 'em live was definitely helpful.

7. Airport announcers just cannot handle Indian names... much to my amusement!

Delhi to Darwin

2005-12-28T19:51:00.000+05:30

It's been a few days since my last post, and my posts will continue to be erratic over the next few days. My access is over dial-up (yes, dial-up!), and it's not as frequent as I might like.

There's so much to post about, and over the next few posts, I hope to cover the following topics:

1. My thoughts on Singapore
2. Darwin City & Australia in general
3. Blog revamp

Comment away.

Bureaucrats charged with taking kickbacks over... red tape

2005-12-17T01:16:00.000+05:30

Isn't life just ironic sometimes?

Read about it here.

Brokeback breaks record

2005-12-13T22:48:00.000+05:30

Brokeback Mountain has become the highest grosser per screen for any film released.

Read it here.

Responsible journalism

2005-12-07T01:42:00.000+05:30

I know I'm way behind on this one, but for those of you who haven't seen this one, here it is.

Truly, a most remarkable and pertinent piece of photo journalism. kudos.

Random quote for the day

2005-12-07T01:23:00.000+05:30

I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house.

-Zsa Zsa Gabor

Lady Bunny

2005-12-07T00:44:00.000+05:30

Of the Blogs I've been following, Lady Bunny is the funniest, and one of the smartest blogs that you're probably don't even know exists. Go there now (well, after you've spent some time reading my blog).

The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in Washington, DC this Christmas. This isn't for any religious reason, they simply have not been able to find three wise men and a virgin in the Nation's capitol. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.

The Media Juggernaut...

2005-12-06T02:33:00.000+05:30

Another drawback to Brokeback Mountain releasing. Publicity.

This was supposed to be a small, independent film. If you're read the novella, you can't imagine it any other way. But you can effectively throw that out the window now.

Given its A list backing, this film is getting some major column space, and sound bytes are swarming all over the place. I am not pleased. While I was initially glad for any info at all on this film, but as worldwide release gets closer, some rather unsavoury things have begun to happen. But perhaps the thing that infuriates me the most (and judging from the blogs I've been following, other BBM heads too) are the cast interviews. There have been a slew of interviews popping up all over the place that are alienating the old time fans of BBM. While I am hardly an old time fan, I totally agree with them on this. The madness has to stop.

I will not link to these interviews. Suffice it to say, that their foot-in-mouth comments make Paris Hilton look like a freakin' genius.

As one commentator said, "...if I have to hear one more mention of 'their bravery' and all that crap I will have to turn my attention to something else. One more article on Jake 'AmBIguos' Gyllenhaal taking one for the Gipper..."

Brokeback releases

2005-12-05T22:18:00.000+05:30

Exams over! Wooo hooo! Bring forth the dancing ~~queens~~ girls!

Brokeback Mountain has finally had its US release. So it begins.

While audiences squirmed uncomfortably in their seats, this film has squirmed its way into the public imagination. It's been called the most beautiful film of the year, if not the decade. High praise, indeed. Heath Ledger has been tipped for an Oscar nod, and my fingers are crossed. The more Oscars this film gets, the higher the chances of this film making it to Indian shores, and into the eye sockets of our cheap-scotch-in-cognac-bottle audiences. Hee hee. Grandma's gonna have a heart attack.

There is the flip side. This film has been criticized primarily for it's storyline, and how it is unrealistic and cold. This story has been criticized for Ennis Del Mar's lack of articulation, or for Jack Twist's eagerness to set up home from the moment he was porked. One reviewer said it left him feeling as “cold as the Wyoming mountains”. As someone who has read the short story, I beg to differ. This story may be many things, but unfeeling it certainly is not.

I admit, when I first read the story, I had a rather queer reaction: I instantly regretted it. I cursed myself for having put myself through the torture of reading those 20 odd pages, and felt as if I had stuck an ice pick in my chest. It was like being stabbed by an icicle, you just have a big hunka ice where your heart used to be. Then it changes. Ice turns to water (steamy scenes not withstanding), and you find yourself standing in a puddle. Make that a puddle of tears!!

As the days passed, I knew that for better or for worse, I would not be able to get the story out of my head. Over time, I came to feel that I was glad I read it. Seeing the trailer after that just made it all the more real, and I know I'll be a bawling idiot whenever I see it. I just hope I have a loved one close by to turn me over so I don't choke in my own tears. Or to put me out of my misery.

A State where a boy named Matthew Shepherd lived. And a country where a President named Dubya ponders his response to the war in Azkaban.

Life

2005-11-24T23:32:00.000+05:30

Expectations.

Rarely is any word loaded with such painful possibilities.

What is it, that compels this human animal? Why are we so eager for hope? Why are we driven to expect better than the past?

Perhaps the thing more fragile than human life, is the expectations we make of it. To expect kindness; to be treated with respect and dignity. To be able to live your life in peace and security. To expect a better future. To realise childhood dreams. Is that not childish?

When we hurt, why do we think we have the market cornered on human suffering? Why are we so eager to cut ourselves off from others? What do we expect would happen? Why does fear drive us so much? What are we so afraid of? Why are we so afraid to accept ourselves?

Why do we hurt ourselves so much?

Expectations.

Rarely is any word loaded with such painful possibilities.

One old Chinese woman... and Paris Hilton

2005-11-24T00:55:00.000+05:30

Some time back the solitudinarian talked about the cruelty humans inflict on each other. Here is the flipside.

What is one man's cruelty is another man's necessity. Depending on where you stand, this may seem incredibly cruel, or incredibly heartbreaking. So which is it? Comment away.

Here's my opinion, for what it's worth. Whatever we make of this or any other case, we lead privileged lives (if you're reading this, then you're already better off than most people) and despite our bleeding hearts, we cannot grab the true magnitude of the lives of these people; regardless of whether they end up as the victim or the perp.

I think it's incredibly sad that more column space will be devoted to Paris Hilton's Hellenic obsession (come on guys, that woman has only ONE pose, for crying out loud). That woman probably doesn't know Greece is spelt differently from the musical.

"Two Thumbs Up!!" : Annie Proulx

2005-11-24T00:12:00.000+05:30

Here is a review written by Annie Proulx. 'nuf said.

The Mystery of the Disappearing Virus

2005-11-23T23:25:00.000+05:30

I've been closely following the case of Andrew Stimpton, the British man who claims to have been cleared of the HIV virus.

While the claims have yet to be backed up with irrefutable scientific proof, if it indeed is true, it would be an unprecedented event. Till date, there has been no proven case of spontaneous clearance of the virus. As of right now, there just isn't enough evidence either way.

Last week the NHS went on record to say that Andrew probably never had HIV in the first place, and he was the unfortunate victim of a testing error.

Scientists have reason to be sceptical about Andrew, and I'll outline why this is the case.

In August 2002, Andrew complained of flu like symptoms and general malaise, and his doctor recommended a HIV test. At that point, Andrew had been engaging in protected sex with his HIV+ve partner. The test came back ambiguous, and the doc recommended another test after a few months. This test came back positive.

Andrew gave up using protection during sex with his partner, and received no treatment. After 14 months, another, more sensitive HIV test, came back negative. Three subsequent tests came back negative as well. Andrew decided to sue the hospital for their earlier false positive test, but DNA testing of his prior samples identified them as his.

This is the extent of what has been covered by the media. As you can see, there is a definite lack of scientific information available, and there has been unnecessary sensationalism. What is needed is a clear explanation of the facts.

The typical, routinely performed HIV test is the ELISA. This detects the useless antibodies produced against the virus. The caveat here is that the antibodies take several weeks to develop after infection, and it's very possible for someone to be HIV+ve and have an initial negative result. This is what was assumed to be the case with Andrew in August 2002.

The normal course of events should be thus: if an ELISA test comes out positive, it is repeated. Only multiple positive ELISA tests are considered conclusive. If a subsequent ELISA comes out negative, however, a more sensitive test called a PCR is performed. The PCR is the gold standard, and is considered irrefutable.

So what happened in Andrew's case? We don't know. That sort of information is just not available right now.

It is known that some people are just immune to HIV. They have certain mutations that don't allow HIV to infect their cells. This has been known for 10 years now. Other people have certain genes that greatly retard HIV growth, and while they do become positive, they proceed very slowly. This has also been known for a long time now. But for someone to become positive, and then negative? This is new.

Could this be it?

2005-11-15T00:06:00.000+05:30

A British man may have overcome the HIV virus.

25 year old Andrew Stimpson was diagnosed as HIV positive in august 2002. 14 months later, his HIV tests have come negative.

Andrew, on learning of the negative results, tried to sue the hospital for bungling his initial results. However, DNA analysis of the old samples have confirmed them to be his. This spontaneous clearance of the virus is all the more mysterious in light of the fact that he gave up safe sex with his HIV positive boyfriend after his own diagnosis.

Talk about crappy cakes!

2005-11-07T00:34:00.000+05:30

"A Dallas cab driver is in big trouble for getting caught on tape sprinkling dried feces on pastries. Forty-nine-year-old Behrouz Nahidmobarekeh is on trial for allegedly throwing fecal matter on pastries at a Fiesta grocery store. Police said they found a pile of human feces by his bed. He would dry it [and] grate it up with a cheese grater and then sprinkle it at the store, officials said."

It's the bit about the cheese grater that lifts this story out of the horror camp and plops it down in the mind-numbingly-horrifying-puking-nightmare camp. Will any one us ever be able to shake the mental image of Behrouz sitting in his apartment contentedly grating his dried crap? And, more importantly, will any one of us ever eat anything with a chocolate dusting?

I had a nice picture of a piece of cake to go with this, but thankfully I changed my mind.

Tale of Two Cities: Part Two

2005-11-06T20:17:00.000+05:30

I recently went to Coimbatore for a Bioinformatics Conference. While the conference was fairly blah, the place was interesting.

I was immediately struck by how different Coimbatore is from Madurai. Life in Madurai feels like swimming in a viscous soup of molasses. There are times you feel like an insect who knows he's doomed to an amber sarcophagus, but struggles anyway. Everything seems constrained and decrepit, including the people.

Coimbatore seems so different. For one, it's much more modern, and that goes for the people as well. Thankfully the tragic fashion sense of Madurans doesn't extend it's hideous arms as far north as I might have imagined. Hence my amazement at the natives. The people are friendly and helpful (!!) and the weather's better too. It's claimed the Siruvani is the second sweetest water in the world. Madurai, by comparison, has very hard water. That is, when it has water.

Tale of Two Cities: Part One

2005-10-18T01:13:00.000+05:30

It's been a while.

Since my last post, I've been to Bangalore and Coimbatore.

My, Bangalore has changed. It's a lot more crowded, and the traffic is out of control. Also, all the pretty people can be quite distracting. Luckily no such problem in Madurai. I was also struck by the fact that in the three days I was there, I heard more Tamil than Kannada.

Bangalore is quite a curious place, in an uneasy sort of balancing act between the traditional and the modern. It's everywhere you look. Bangalore has probably the most heterogeneous population in South India, yet this is something that people regard with both pride and resentment. The powers-that-be always seem unsure about what to do with the funny business that is Bangalore.

Case in point. The Bangalore Traffic Police erected a billboard warning about the dangers of jaywalking, and it depicted a guy in funky clothes running across the road, and what appears to be a red Ferrari zooming down towards him. Perhaps they were trying to point out the lack of civil mindedness among Bangalore's newest residents. But why have such a billboard only in Kannada? The target audience is clueless about Kannada, and even I can read more Kannada than the only Kannadiga I know. It's an obvious answer, and we all know it. The language of the billboard serves a greater political purpose, while masquerading as a social message. An average visitor to Bangalore may never even encounter spoken Kannada, and billboards such as these serve as visual anchors. Language identity in India is enormously important, and it's funny how us young urbane people never seem to notice it.

However, the biggest question in my mind was: why on earth is the guy wearing a blue shirt with red pants?! That ensemble is so last season. Haven't they heard? Crimson is the new red.

The Pariah Pietà

2005-09-26T21:15:00.000+05:30

Father Mychal Judge died on Sept 11, 2001; victim no. 00001 of the World Trade Center.

A body.

Everyone stopped. One of the firefighters aimed his flashlight low across the ground. A halo of light framed a man’s face. Everyone saw it. “Oh, my God,” they began to shout. “It’s Father Mike.”

He wasn’t buried under much rubble; his body, even his face, was still perfectly intact. They took his pulse. Nothing. “I took an arm,” says Cosgrove. “Someone else took an arm. Two other guys took his ankles.” Waugh grabbed him by the waist, and together the men carried him out of the building. They found a bunch of broken chairs on an outdoor plaza and nestled Judge in one of them, so that they could carry him down a staircase to the street.

That was the moment a Reuters photographer, Shannon Stapleton, snapped the picture that Christopher Keenan, one of Judge’s closest friends at the friary, now calls “a modern Pietà.”

The Rev. Mychal F. Judge, the Fire Department chaplain who died in the rubble of 9/11, was, and still is, one of the most widely loved Roman Catholic priests in New York City's recent history.

For 40 years, Father Judge tirelessly ministered to firefighters, their grieving widows, AIDS patients, homeless people, Flight 800 victims' families and countless others. At his funeral, Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani called him a saint, a sentiment that admirers have followed up by campaigning for his canonization. A simple prayer that Father Judge wrote has been circulated around the world and attached to thousands of donations to the needy. Pope John Paul II accepted the gift of his helmet.

Father Mychal Judge was gay. Pope Benedict and the Catholic Church believe that Father Mychal Judge was unfit to be a Roman Catholic priest.

Here's an article by the New York Times.

Hail Mary

2005-09-24T00:43:00.000+05:30

The Pope wants to ban fairies in the Church.

It'd be outrageous, if it wasn't so friggin' ludicrous.

I pity the poor guy.

Imagine his plight. There he is, sitting in the Sistine Chapel, just north of St. Peter's (obviously named by a fairy), and looks up at the ceiling.... painted by a poofter. He nervously adjusts his hat and robe (which you KNOW was designed by a fairy!) and calls his assistant. Considering there are so many fags in the Church, there a good statistical probability that's he's a fairy too. Benedict breaks into a sweat, looking at the young priest's plucked eyebrows.

Hail Mary. The Lord is with thee... so no fear. Panzer Pope or no Pope.

Benedict, I'd watch my back if i were you. Pun intended.

The Federline-Spears Family Portrait

2005-09-23T22:55:00.000+05:30

Aah, my favourite Pop Tart, with her little tartlet bundle of joy. Oh, and the baby too.

Do hurry back, Britney. We miss ya.

BBM Dolls

2005-09-20T00:02:00.000+05:30

Found these utterly cute dolls on the net while looking for BBM reviews... a deranged fan *sheepish grin* made them with Candybar Doll Maker. The one on the left is Jack Twist, and the one on the right is Ennis Del Mar.

Admittedly, the Jack Twist doll doesn't have quite the 'come hither' look that Jake G has in the trailer, but damnit, they're soooo cute!!

Somebody suggested that the dolls could be animated so that they're dancing in Babylon...

Still cracks me up.

First no Marys, now no Marias

2005-09-19T20:33:00.000+05:30

Salzburg is planning a museum devoted entirely to the Sound of Music. I hear Austrian native Schwarzenegger is planning to veto the idea.

Blog changes

2005-09-18T22:58:00.000+05:30

Made a few changes. Feedback from you poor suckers loyal fans out there is most welcome.

Baby o baby...

2005-09-16T00:27:00.000+05:30

I've been in denial all this time. I told myself, this can't happen... but it's finally happened.

Britney's a mom.

How did all those years go by? Wasn't it just yesterday that I sat google eyed in front of the TV, watching this bright eyed kid gyrate to that classic Hit me baby one more time? Man o man. (Silly grin plastered on face...) Of course, I thought she'd never last. I still thought the coolest teen babe was Buffy. Aah, Buffy!! ^_^

Aguilera was good, and I found myself secretly moved by the Beautiful video. But she was no Britney. That woman could somehow make Skanky-ass videos that were shockingly enthralling. I suppose I was captivated by her virginal (man, how lame was that?) persona... she always seemed to have an unfazed look. After watching Crossroads, I realised she was just a totally lame actress. Silly me.

Britney & Federline. The lamest celebs our times have ever spawned. Poor kid. He's gonna have one crazy life. Redneck dad and Louisiana's fav Ho for parents? Adds up to one majorly f**ked up kid.

Brokeback's Mountain Lion

2005-09-13T09:56:00.000+05:30

I always knew Brokeback Mountain was a Top... uhm, winner.

Brokeback Mountain has won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, which drew to a close recently. I hope this is an omen of things to come. Almost all reviewers have raved about the film. Yes, there have been a few negative reviews too, criticizing certain aspects of the characters, or the length of the film. Europeans! As for me, a good film can never be too long. Especially if it's an Ang Lee.

It would have been interesting to consider how this film would have fared at Cannes. Cannes has no love for Ang Lee. There is also a legacy of discomfort with controversial films. Last year's critically acclaimed Vera Drake did not make it to Cannes, though it went on to win the Golden Lion at Venice.

Update for you South Park fans: They're NOT eating pudding in this one.

Damp reception for Brokeback Mountain

2005-09-06T20:20:00.000+05:30

I should have known.

One film goer:

My wife came out of the ladies' room and said, 'There are 15 women in there, and they're all crying.' I said, 'You ought to see the mens' room.'

Yeah, this was always going to be a tear jerker... think Jake G holding baby sheep!
He hugged and comforted poor ol' bawling Kirsten Dunst after the show... OK, that's it. All those sniggering about Jake the Lonely Cowboy and his Sheep, get off my page NOW! I mean, don't get-off on it... I mean...

I'm so confused right now.

Crouching Lion, Hidden Talent

2005-09-05T00:51:00.000+05:30

It's happening as we speak.

First Venice, now Telluride. The reviews of Brokeback Mountain are beginning to trickle in.

It looks like Ang Lee's done it again. Most reviewers are floored, and the IMDB board is buzzing with excitement. The few nay-sayers have criticized it on the way the story progressed, that Ang Lee should have done this, or the characters should have done that... but hey, that's in the source material, so that's that. Chillax.

Wait.... news just in... yes, there are unconfirmed reports that the Motel scene HAS been included. I repeat, the Motel scene HAS been included. You folks out there who've read the book know what I'm talking about. Ever since this project was first announced, it was widely believed that this pivotal scene would never see the light of day, and the crucial dialogues would be distributed throughout the film. We can all relax now.

Dare I say it... those two words... Golden Lion? Can this film win the Golden Lion? According to some critics, that Cat's already in the bag.

Critics are raving about Heath Ledger's understated and muted performance. Even those dissing the film admit: the lad's got talent.... who knew?! Jake G's great as always, and predictably, the rumour mills are grinding away... could it be Him? Is Jakey G, in fact... Toothy Tile?!?

Gossip really is the lowest form of discourse, but I'd personally be surprised if it wasn't our own Jakey boy. After all, he seems to fit Mr Tile to the T.
Toothy T. or not, I must add... I hate you, Jake G. I hate you and your 12 year-old-boy hairline.

Google Moon - Lunar Landing Sites

2005-09-04T13:10:00.000+05:30

Lunar Landing Sites

"Welcome to Google Moon. In honor of the first manned Moon landing, which took place on July 20, 1969."
Zoom right in.
... and you thought the Evolution debate was the problem.

Google Job Opportunities

2005-09-04T13:05:00.000+05:30

Google is hiring...
Honestly... the things Americans will do to avoid Outsourcing to India.
Oh right. They DO have a Centre in India. Ha ha ha... Suckers.

George Washington the hottie

2005-09-03T00:11:00.000+05:30

"Physical anthropologist Jeffrey Schwartz is attempting to recreate what George Washington looked like when he was 19 by forensically reconstructing the founding father's bones based on what he looked like in portraits, and working back in years to when he was young and strapping. The verdict? 'Despite what he looks like on the dollar bill, it turns out George Washington may have been kind of hot.'

Washington was a giant for his time at 6'2' and possessed, according to the Mount Vernon estate's executive director, 'larger than average hands and feet.' The Washington Post's report on this reconstruction does, however, note: 'Though the figure is being created nude, there are certain parts that are not being, shall we say, reimagined.'"

Brokeback Breaking News

2005-09-02T17:42:00.000+05:30

These are the words of the editor of europeanfilms.net, who saw Brokeback Mountain at the Venice Film Festival:

"Lee and his cast and crew have done the near impossible; they have translated one of the most acclaimed American novellas of modern times onto the screen and deliver something that is on par, if not better, than the work that inspired it and yet is completely respectful of its source material."

I hope he's right. It would break my heart if Ang Lee made a wet noodle out of this one. But then again, he's no sitting duck.

Ang-ling in Brokeback Mountain

2005-08-31T12:11:00.000+05:30

The trailer of Ang Lee’s latest movie, Brokeback Mountain, finally hit the Net.

I’m an unabashed fan of Ang Lee’s work, ever since I saw Wedding Banquet many years ago. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon was a masterpiece, and it’s a testament to Ang Lee that Chow Yun Fat’s popular gun totting image never came to mind. Bravo, Mr. Lee.

Even Hulk was amazing. I never could have guessed the story of a meathead like Hulk could be so meditative. I eat my words like yesterday’s Kung-Pow chicken.

Now, back to Brokeback.

Annie Proulx is an author I have greatly admired over the years, but her works are impossible to find in most Indian bookstores. She has undeniable skill, and she works it well. Her characters are real and flawed, and she sets them against the stark beauty and majesty of the American landscape. The grittiness of her stories hits you at full force, and leaves you gasping for more, yet you wonder if you have the balls (and enough tears) to read on.

Brokeback Mountain is the story of Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist. I am indeed glad Ang Lee is doing this, and not a Hollywood crow like… never mind. Hopefully his vision will be able to match up to this story. From the trailer, it looks more like a Gus Van Sant film than an Ang Lee, but let’s not count our Peking Ducks before they hatch. Yeah yeah, I know Ang Lee’s Taiwanese, but you get the drift.

The trailer: the dialogues are right out of the text. Yipee!! Heath Ledger and Jake G. … . I’m going to have a lot of fun with their southern drawls. Jake G.’s ecstatic “WOOOOHEY…. YEAH!!” in the trailer sounds suspiciously like what must have resounded in the White House the night they caught Saddam, that perv down in Eye-rack.

Brokeback Mountain makes its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival, so hopefully by next week we’ll have reviews of the film.

I love Wood, Elijah

2005-08-29T09:42:00.000+05:30

I finally saw Sin City. Albeit a screener, but since there are no immediate plans to release this film in India, I thought; what the heck. Take that, you fat-cat studio execs.

Talk about über-violent. That’s a lot of blood. Lots and lots. The only thing I can think of with more blood is George ‘Dubya’ Bush’s hands. But jokes aside, it’s a lot of blood. Did I mention how much blood was in this film?

Two things came up while I watched this film:

1. My lunch.
2. How disturbing it is that I was fascinated with Elijah Wood’s character, Kevin. Boy was he smooth, and I don’t mean smooth in a twink-sorta way (which he is). Think Bible salesman. Heck, stick a tie on him and he’s a Mormon missionary. Oh wait… that explains a lot.
Anybody else notice how cute that dawgy was?! Awwwwwwww.

I know I speak for a lot of people when I say this: I do not like Rosario Dawson. I actually let out a “Whoopie!” (how embarrassing) when Michael Clark-Duncan gave her a good one. Take that, Ho. That’s for Alexander, Bee-yatch!!

I give it “Two Thumbs Up!”. Just make sure to keep this for AFTER dinner. You’ve been warned.

Dead End, or...?

2005-08-28T18:30:00.000+05:30

Apropos my recent tirade about the difficulties of adapting a literary
work to the screen.

Enter Batman: Dead End.

A Short film, all of 8 minutes. Here is Batman, shorn of all his
glitzy goodies. Set in the backdrop of the Joker's escape from Arkham, Batman suits up to yet again capture that kooky clown. Without going into the story (all 8 minutes of it), i was struck by how this short film tried to cover parts of the Batman tale we never get to see on the screen. We see his bandaged body, while he suits up, preparing for yet another battle. The humanity and vulnerability of Batman has never been satisfactorily covered by any of the other films, yet this is the first thing we see here. A simple suit, much like something someone might contrive for Halloween. Indeed, Batman packs his utilities much like i might pack my lunch (we all have our priorities!), simply and without much ado.

Made on a shoestring budget, this film is obviously made by a deranged fan (aren't we all?!), and is all the better for it. Plus it packs a couple of guest appearances that might just... well, surprise you.
Think Godzilla vs King Kong.

To be fair, something of this sort will not appeal to non bat freaks. Batophiles raved about the purity of its approach, and avowed orthodoxy to canon. Low budget acting aside, seeing Batman jump
reminded me more of Phoebe's free spirited running, than anything else. If you don't know what I'm talking about, Egads! Get off my page at once, Peasant!

A quick peek at IMDB's discussion page reveals the mixed response this short created.

As for me, loved the scene with the cape. Woah.

Homeopathy's benefit questioned

2005-08-26T20:45:00.000+05:30

Oh crap!

Zen and the Art of Film Adaptation

2005-08-26T19:34:00.000+05:30

Some time back, my friend forwarded me a link to a review he wrote of the Batman movie… he hated it (“tears of blood”, as I recall). He felt real anguish over this appalling rendition of his beloved hero, and how it had missed (by a long shot) the depth and character of the Dark Knight’s saga.

It had me wondering: is it possible to successfully transliterate a beloved tale from one medium to another? The Graphic novel heritage of the Batman is a particularly difficult one to harness, striding both the written and the visual. Batman wouldn’t be the same in just text, and the over-the-top visual confetti in most Hollywood films isn’t the answer either.

This begs the question: is it even possible? Case in point: The Lord of the Rings. I had such intense expectations from the film (everybody knows that), and really looked forward to the film versions. But Fellowship was such an intense letdown. To me it seemed such a poor representation of the richness of Middle Earth, a watered-down poor man’s version of an amazing story. But I still simply adored the films, and saw them over and over again. Aditya was utterly sick of my fixation with Arwen’s entrance… I must have seen that 18 second clip over a thousand times… no kidding. I convinced people to watch the films, and ended up watching them again. People were pissed with my running commentary, but politely tolerated my fawning over these films.

To me the films were appalling. They had more flaws; factual and otherwise; than I can list here. But it was still LOTR. The story had me so worked up that even the poor onscreen rendition moved me to tears. The party tree, Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf… everything reminded me of the little things, from the book. The characters on screen were strengthened and reinforced by the book. The hobbits’ love of the Shire, their irrepressible joy and true nature; Aragon’s sense of destiny, and his willingness to give it all up… nothing was in the film, but it was in my mind. I couldn’t help but make the connection, and thus made the emotional connection to the characters on the screen.

So what is it then? What constitutes a successful crossover from book to box office? Artistic considerations aside (gasp!); it can’t cater to only a niche audience. I’ve been told that the ‘soul’ of the work should remain the same. Well, is it even possible? Every medium has its idiosyncrasies, and they do not translate well. While in Manga 10 frames devoted to a single falling drop is completely legit, for a smug movie version to attempt such a visual haiku would be hara-kiri. I know I’m going to be told… but what of Anime? Wouldn’t that be a visual rendition of Manga? Yes, but only to an extent. The idiosyncrasies don’t translate. Every Manga I have seen predominately uses Hiragana for the text, which has a tremendous influence on the overall effect the dialogue creates. Consider Anime in the original Japanese and the dubbed English versions. The effects they create are quite different. The English renditions strive for believability (which they achieve), while the Japanese voiceovers rarely try to create lifelike characters. The characters are more exaggerated, the girls are squeakier, and the men gruffer, and throughout an Operatic quality predominates. I understand some of the changes must be made for western audiences, and different audiences react differently.

But then, what counts as a successful crossover? Can any film hope to faithfully represent a cinematic version of a beloved classic? It’s said Bruce Wayne/Batman has mastered all forms of martial arts, and has attained complete physical mastery of his body. We must accept this, because it is part of canon. How is it possible for a man to ‘master’ the martial arts without understanding its meditative soul? It’s not. Yet Batman remains a deeply flawed man, clinically even a psychopath. Is it even possible for such a man to master the martial arts? Yet canon says so. 90 year old Zen Masters struggle to grasp the true spirit of a single Aikido Dojo, and yet this skinny white boy shows up and pulls a Karate Kid on them. Suspension of disbelief, yes; but a film must achieve that and more. A Batman film cannot target only Bat freaks. It has to reach out and be understood by audiences varying in their knowledge of Batman back stories. The true spirit of the Batman saga must come across to them as well. How do you do that? How much of the story can be deemed trivial and cut away? At what point are you cutting into the soul of story? Where does that Rubicon lie?

I can only say I do not envy the task.

My advice to Christopher Nolan… don’t ever sleep with the lights out. Be afraid of the dark. Be very afraid.

Blog kiya jaye?

2005-08-22T23:53:00.000+05:30

It's been a while. I hope that I finally have the time to post on a regular basis. If all goes according to plan, expect to find updates on my work, and my opinion on current affairs, technology, scientific developments, movies, books, and what-have-you.

For my old chums, hey!

If you're new to this blog; welcome. Enjoy your stay and I look forward to your suggestions.

Communication

2005-06-01T23:33:00.000+05:30

This is the little corner of cyberspace that is home to me, AKA, Rohan. Here you'll find all sorts of weird and wonderful stuff, so remember to visit often. You'll never know what you'll find here next.

For those interested in such matters, the title of this blog is inspired by the genius of Prof. J.R.R Tolkien. Centa is Quenya for Communication, the soul behind this entire endeavour. I hope this blog will serve it's primary objective, to bring about a greater degree of communication and understanding, through my modest contribution to the global web.