Q-zically Urs – Part 2

 

1. Identify the logo.

              

 

2. Footballing history was made on 23rd June, 2010, when Germany played against Ghana in a group-stage match at the World Cup in South Africa recently. What am I talking about ?

 

3. This company has been named after the Japanese name of the Buddhist Bodhisattva Guan Yin. Identify the company.

 

4.  Identify the two gentlemen :-

 

      

 

5. Named after Thomas Coke, who later created Earl of Leicester,  ______X______ is arguably the most famous of Leonardo da Vinci’s scientific journals. The topics discussed in this 72-page document include discussions on the movement of water and the luminosity of the moon, among other things. It was purchased by wealthy industrialist and art collector Armand Hammer in 1980, before Bill Gates bought it in an auction in the year 1994 for an astonishing amount of US $30.8 million, making it the most expensive book ever sold till then.

Identify X.

 

6. During its launch, Director Jimmy Jellinek pointed out, “ A lot of our audience logs on after work and we saw that we were missing a golden opportunity to reach guys when they're online the most: when they're sitting at their desk, not working, sending e-mails to their friends.”

What was he referring to ?

 

7. Identify the logo:-

 

           

 

8. Pure trivia : Who is the only actor to have won both the Oscar and the Razzie in the same year ? (For different roles, in case you thought otherwise !)

 

9. In the month of June this year, Amazon.com reported a 1000 % increase in the sales of ____X____, which sell for 9.99 $ each. Ebay.com reported that it has received more than 400 bids for ____X_____, with one having reached 17.64 $.

Identify X.

 

10. Another logo. (The Logo-Quiz after-effect !)

 

                 

Confessions of a Workaholic : Monday

8:15 AM : My cell phone snoozes again. Impatiently, I take a look at it. It’s time I wake up. In fact, I should have woken up an hour back as per the resolution I made last night. But then, how many resolutions have I kept till date? I hate myself for being such a lazy self right now. Yet, at the same time, I am already thinking about the possible reasons I may give for taking the day off. Bad tummy? Already tried last week. Migraine? Not again ! Minor accident ? So minor that there are no visible injuries, yet reason enough for a sick leave ? Running short of ideas, I realise I can’t escape the truth : It’s Monday morning and I need to pull myself up against the strongest force in the world, the gravitational pull of the bed and the blanket. However, now that I am already late, there is no harm in stealing 300 seconds of extra sleep, which would serve me well for the rest of the day.



8:30 AM : It’s show time now. Ideally, I should have been sitting on my desk right now, dealing with the daily calls, excel sheets and early morning mails. Instead, I am sitting on my bed resembling a zombie trying to figure out the best possible strategy to make it to my dreaded cubicle in the least possible time. What are the things which I can skip at the moment? Can’t avoid brushing my teeth (that Budweiser still stinks; Anyways, it doesn’t take much time !). Thankfully, Mother Nature’s call is not so urgent and can be dealt with later on. As my friends say, I look mature with some stubble, so the razor can be given a break as well. Bathing, in my case, is a weekend activity. Considering the paucity of water resources, I had pledged a long time back that I would do my bit to conserve them (Ha ! Here’s one resolution I have managed to keep !). The overflow of deodorants in the market has made my task easier. While the Axe effect hasn’t turned the ladies on to run towards me, it has ensured that they don’t run away from me either. Breakfast ? Brunch sounds better. So, that’s it then. Brush your teeth, get into those formals and get going !



9:20 AM : After dealing with the terrible traffic in the millennium city (one of the euphemistic names of Gurgaon), I am finally here. While my mind commands me to run towards my seating area as I am already an hour late, my heart holds me back from entering the war zone. The resultant of these opposing forces are a few slow, measured steps towards my unwanted destination.

One of the advantages I enjoy is that my seat is close to the door and away from the glaring eyes of my boss. This allows me to tip-toe my way to my seat. That does not mean that the time of my arrival is not recorded; just that it prevents a direct confrontation with the boss . Today, I once again hope that the strategic location of my seat saves me.

As luck would have it, I open the door to find my boss standing in front of my seat seeking an explanation from one of my colleagues for coming late (By the looks of it, I believe he has arrived just a few moments back). My entry draws immediate glances and glares and I can bet that my hapless colleague would have breathed a sigh of relief upon my late, yet timely appearance. Suddenly, the focus shifts towards me and I am asked the obvious question. For a change, I don’t want to make any excuses. I simply murmur, “It’s Monday morning and I woke up late.” Perhaps a bit rude and unprofessional, but true. In response, I get back a stronger glare, but that’s the end of the verbal communication for the time being. Perhaps, it’s not such a bad day after all.



10:30 AM : I was wrong. It is a bad day. It was always meant to be. As I scan through my mailbox and list of pending tasks, I regret the laziness I had shown last Friday in anticipation of the weekend. There is so much to do now and I don’t know where to start from. I know it’s a stupid question, but why on earth is a fun-filled weekend followed by a mundane Monday. Need to start somewhere, somehow. Time for a cup of tea.



12:30 PM : It’s getting crazier. Are all supervisors inhuman ? How can they expect a single human being, as confirmed by the monthly salary slip as well, to do the work of 3 individuals ? I can’t complain though. If I do, I know what would be the answer : Start multitasking ! What an irony ! A term coined to define the performance of advanced computers developed by geeky humans is now haunting their lower mortal cousins like me. And there it goes again ! My brand old computer has hanged up and it needs some ‘Oongli’ treatment. While it reboots and prepares itself so that it may be reused again, I better go and grab my brunch. ( Uff ! Finally… )



1:30 PM : I am back ! Didn’t want to, but how long can you keep sitting in that canteen, with all the air-conditioners turned off and the televisions switched to various business channels ? Moreover, all the babes and the beauties in my office have also finished their lunch and are now carrying out their customary post-lunch walk outside the office building. So, I am back.

23 new mails. They never stop coming. Here’s another call. Welcome back to hell !


2:00 PM : I am going through the page on the “Theory of Relativity” on Wikipedia. It is not the first time I am going through this link. Like most first year engineering students, I had found the topic and sub-topics related to it extremely fascinating and thought-provoking. I had even gone to the library to look for some good books on it (Just imagine!). After a few days, I came to the following conclusion : Yes, the theory is interesting, but too complicated for me to comprehend. I am no Einstein, and all this research work is not going to change that status. I am meant for smaller and worse things and that’s where I should channelize my energy. Anyways, I have read enough using which I can show off a little and throw some ‘fundae’, if needed.

Cut to the present. Why am I reading all this now ? How can the theory of relativity help me survive in this mindless world of bits and bytes and a few wires here and there ? Well, it all started with an innocuous question : Why is the clock running so slowly today ? Am I just imagining this or is it actually happening ? Enter Mr Einstein’s theory of relativity :


“Sit next to a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. Sit on a red-hot stove for a minute, it seems like an hour. That's relativity.”


A tongue-in-the-cheek comment by the Genius himself has become the simplest and inarguably, the most popular definition of his theory. And as it suggests, I must be sitting on the stove right now. Did anyone say “Hot Seat”?

2:10 PM : Mr. Einstein. Your theory works. It’s perfect. I guess you already know. You have just found another follower today.

2:15 PM : Enough. I need to fix this clock first. Can’t concentrate on anything else until it starts working normally again.


2:30 PM : Actually, it’s still 2:15 PM. Just changed the system settings to fool myself !

3:00 PM : Sometimes in life, you learn your lessons the hard way. Like I did today. A very important lesson : No matter how expensive your chair is, it can never replace a bed. I have been trying to take a power nap on this stylish and ergonomic chair of mine for quite some time now, but it’s just not working out. Just a few days back, someone was telling me that the Chinese are allowed half an hour’s sleep every day after lunch! No wonder the Chinese are growing so quickly. They understand the due importance of what we call “Bhaat-Ghoom” in Bengali (Etymologically, Rice-sleep). For those of you who didn’t understand, I am referring to the mandatory nap every Bengali takes (or likes to take, as in my case) after he/she has consumed tonnes of Rice during Lunch. To enjoy such luxuries everyday, you need to be a housewife ( or a Chinese ). Since I am not, I should now go to the washroom and wash the drowsiness away.



3:30 PM : I don’t know how and when Plato came to the conclusion “Necessity is the mother of invention”, but I would like to believe it certainly wasn’t the place where I came to it : Sitting, rather sleeping, in my Office toilet. On a day when I have learnt some important practical lessons in life, such as the Theory of relativity, I have also realised that a shitpot can be a place where you can give your eyes, among other things, some much-needed rest. What makes it better than the luxurious chair on your desk is of course, its location : Away from the bosses, the official cubicles and the hidden cameras. This is why we Indians are progressing so quickly : When we don’t find a way, we find a shortcut !
Time for some action now. On your marks. get, set, GO…!

5:30 PM : Whoops ! Another task closed. What time is it ? I guess we are approaching time now. The ladies have started packing their bags (in some cases, their mini-suitcases). The drop in the number of mails received per minute confirms the same. My day is still not over though. Time for a short commercial break. Momos or Maggi ? Tough one. Let’s see.


6: 00 PM : Pleasure. No Taj or Oberoi can claim to have Momos with “tongue burning” chutney or Maggi with eggs and Chat Masala in their menus. And trust me, the dirtier the stall, the tastier the dish. Dirt, I believe, is an important ingredient of these delicious recipes. Cleanliness and hygiene freaks, kindly stay away.

Inside the office, the hullabaloo has been replaced by a much calmer atmosphere. Most of the people have left for the day. The struggle would now continue for them on the jammed streets of the city. As for me, the fun continues where I had left it.


7 :30 PM : Another one walks past me towards his home. A place bustling with activity a few hours back now houses vacant chairs, and each chair is acting as an inspiration that I vacate mine. There is still a lot to do, as per my list of pending tasks. But then, there are so many days to finish them as well. Hell, it was just Monday. It’s just the beginning.

As I swipe my card for the one last time today, I don’t know what is making me smile; is it the ephemeral relief I would get from this monotony ? Or is it a wry smile which knows it would be gone once I return back tomorrow, and the day after, and after ? For the time being, the I Card goes into my pocket and the earphones come out.
Just the song for the moment – Kishore Da at his best :
Musafir hoon yaaron, na ghar hai na thikaana….Um Hmm…Ae he…

What slows down our fast men ?

Name : Rudra Pratap Singh
Age : 24 Years
Skill : Left-arm fast medium bowler
Debut : Sep 2005

Current Status : Out of the Indian squad. On current form, he may lose his place in the Deccan Chargers as well !



Name : Irfan Pathan
Age : 25 Years
Skill : Left-arm medium fast, Left-handed batsman
Debut : Dec 2003

Current Status : Has run out-of-favour from the International scene. The more you see him play for the Kings XI Punjab, you know why. For someone who started his career as a bowling sensation, he has now become a batsman who can be used to roll his arm over.



Name : Ishant Sharma
Age : 21 Years
Skill : Right Arm Fast Bowler
Debut : May 2007

Current Status : Keeps moving in and out of the side. Seems to have lost his way. Still remains one of India’s best hopes.



Name : S. Sreesanth
Age : 27 Years
Skill : Right-arm fast medium, Occasional Dancer
Debut : March 2006

Current Status : Can’t say. One thought it was all over, when he made a surprise comeback against Sri Lanka last year, and a brilliant one ! Since then, he has returned back to his erratic, inconsistent ways.



You may add the odd Munaf ‘Lazy’ Patel (once hailed as India’s fastest bowler ever !) or a Lakshmipathy Balaji to this list as well. All of them had shown glimpses of their capabilities at different junctures in time, and had made the cricketing world sit back and take notice. Once regarded as stars-in-the making, most of them seem to have faded away into injuries and oblivion.



What’s appalling is that it’s slowly becoming the trend. How else would you explain the dip in pace, precision and performance of these players, all in their mid-twenties, within years of their international debuts ? Almost all of them started their careers as genuine fast bowlers, bowling consistently around the 135-Kmph mark, some of them even clocking 145-Kmph at times. Each one of them has given more than one creditable performance against tough opponents, which can’t be brushed aside as a fluke. As a cricket crazy Indian, it hurts when I see Irfan Pathan, whose first wickets in International Cricket involved two bowling beauties to Steve Waugh and Adam Gilchrist, who had once made the classy Mohd. Yousuf his bunny, being hit ruthlessly for monstrous sixes almost every time he comes out to bowl; it baffles me when I see Ishant Sharma, whose exploits in Perth are a part of cricketing folklore now, appear guileless, clueless against much-lesser mortals; it annoys me when I see India’s leading strike bowler during India’s T-20 triumph at South Africa, R.P. Singh, bowling gentle medium pacers, with no spark in his eyes and no sting in his efforts. In his twenties, when a fast bowler is expected to be at the peak of his energy and fitness level, most of our young bowlers appear content bowling slower-deliveries and leg-cutters, with the wicket-keeper standing up to the stumps, they look tired and fragile, just a leap or a dive away from the next injury.



As history suggests, India has very rarely produced quality fast bowlers, who have survived the test of times; Kapil Dev and Javagal Srinath being those rarities. Perhaps that explains the excitement that surrounded these men. A nation used to the taunts “India doesn’t produce fast bowlers” had placed its hopes on this new breed of speedsters, and that could have backfired. Just a few days back, the legendary Wasim Akram had mentioned about how Jaydev Unadkat’s appearance reminds him about his early days, when he was just as lean and thin, and the next day the media and the fans start comparing the kid with the great man. Not a long time back, Irfan was called the next Kapil and Ishant the next big thing in Indian Cricket. A little too early, I guess. While these statements and expectations were not baseless, we should restrict our usage of the adjectives when dealing with young, inexperienced blood.



The World Cup next year is to be played on the flat, placid Indian pitches. Yet, that does not guarantee success for the batting-heavy Indians in such a big tournament. The shorter versions of the game, though skewed in favour of the batsmen, have an irreplaceable spot for the smart, thinking, intelligent, hard-working bowlers. While we have done fairly well in the bilateral best-of-5, best-of-7 tournaments, our performance in the ICC events in the last 6-7 years, barring the surprise triumph in South Africa, has been dismal. This further strengthens the point that the batsmen alone can’t win you trophies. There’s still time and hope. With proper training and mentoring, we can prepare a pool of fast bowlers, who are physically and mentally fit, once the big moment arrives in February next year. With due respect, if we continue to rely on the two perennially unfit left-armers who represented our fast-bowling options in the Caribbean disaster recently, we may be heading towards another year of disappointment and unfulfilled promise.

Q-zically Urs – Part 1

The Quizzer inside me was dying for some action. So, here you go ! Some sitters to start the series. More to follow in the coming weeks !

 

1. John Stephard Barron could easily recall his old 6-digit military card no. However, his wife could not recall a no. with more than 4 digits. What did this eventually lead to?

 

2. Complete the series :-

     

 

                        

 

Hint : The names would have made it too easy ! Hence, the pics !

 

3. BBC has recently reported that the addition of X on Y has resulted in the loss of millions of hours of work time. With the help of a time-tracking software developed by a firm named Rescue Time, BBC has reported that the presence of X on Y has increased the average session time on Y from 11 seconds to 36 seconds, in order to justify its claims.

Identify X and Y.

 

4.  Connect the following pics :-

 

      

 

                      

 

5. Originally created and realized by the American Department of Defence, President Ronald Reagan issued a directive making it  freely available for civilian use, once it was sufficiently developed, as a common good, after the Korean Air Lines Flight 007, carrying 269 people, was shot down in 1983 after straying into the USSR's prohibited airspace,

6. Fill in the blank :-

San Antonio-based market research firm Pear Analytics analyzed 2,000 ________ (originating from the US and in English) over a 2-week period in August 2009 from 11:00a to 5:00p (CST) and separated them into six categories:

• Pointless babble – 41%
• Conversational – 38%
• Pass-along value – 9%
• Self-promotion – 6%
• Spam – 4%
• News – 4%

 

7.  Identify :-

         

 

8. What is the commonly known term for “Pityriasis simplex capillitii “?

 

9. Identify the person :-

 

             

 

10. Identify the book :-

 

           

 

Happy Quizzing !!!

2007 is a distant memory

September, 2007 : A bunch of young Indian men touched the shores of South Africa to explore the uncharted territories of T-20 cricket, the latest experiment with the Gentlemen’s Game. In a format, where the power hitters were supposed to bulldoze the hapless bowlers, an inexperienced team, playing without the trinity of Indian Cricket, under a new captain, was hardly a contender. Two weeks hence, they were the champions.

May, 2010 : The boys in blue are beaten black and blue, once again, and they crash out of the World Cup. As the team heads back home, questions are raised about the players’ commitment, technique, fitness levels and attitude. While the media is busy finding the culprits behind Team India’s unceremonious exit, it’s time to accept that the Cup is not coming back this year either.

Within a span of 30-odd months, we have transformed from being the hunters to the hunted. In 2007, we looked fresh and young; In 2009, we looked tired and jaded. In 2007, we looked hungry for success; In 2007, we could see our star cricketers trying to hide their potbellies. In 2007, the runs flowed, the ball spun and swung, the fielding sparkled; In 2009, we were a distant second in all departments of the game, irrespective of the opponent.

So, what went wrong? Well, let’s go back to 2007. T-20 cricket had just announced its arrival back then. Ignored by the purists, who labelled it as sheer entertainment and not sport, T-20 cricket was a new and different challenge for the modern-day cricketers, who were yet to understand the needs and nuances of the format. This worked to India’s advantage, since they started on a level footing with the rest of the world, despite playing with a young, inexperienced unit. And the young team ensured fresher, fitter, faster legs, many of whom were playing their first World Cup. There was a general feeling that this game belongs to the booming batsmen and the bowlers’ task was to prevent the flow of runs. As the tournament progressed, the Indian performances peaked, as the team focussed on basics, with an even contribution from the batsmen and the bowlers. In a puzzle, where most of the teams were struggling to fit in the right pieces, India got its combination right. And didn’t that work!

Suddenly, T-20 became the talk of every Indian town (and village, for that matter). The newest trophy offered by the ICC erased the bitter memories of the 50-Over World Cup played earlier in the year. T-20 was now viewed and discussed with greater respect and hailed as the Future of the Game. Cricket administrators in India were quick to notice the potential the game offered and hence emerged the Indian Paisa League. Soon. India became the biggest promoter of T-20 cricket.

While all this was going on, the other teams were slowly moving up the ladder; India’s winning streak came to an end when it was thrashed at the MCG by the Australians. Later, the kiwis defeated us 2-0 at their home. This was a phase, when we were doing exceedingly well in the longer versions of the game, and the dip in the T-20 did not catch anyone’s eye; Even if it did, it was seen as an aberration and not a trend.

We went to England in 2009 as firm favourites to retain the trophy. IPL, a brand name in itself by now, had apparently made us battle-ready. As it turned out, that was not the case. The most explosive batting line-up in the world crumbled under a barrage of short deliveries fired at them by their oppositions. The same batsmen who were churning sixes from their willows during IPL-2 (ironically staged in South Africa) seemed clueless when the ball zoomed past their noses and helmets. The age-old bouncer, which had been the bane of Indian batsmen back in the 80’s and 90’s, born and brought up on flat, low-bounce wickets, , was back to haunt them again. India had been caught unawares. And we paid the price for it.

It’s said that lightning never strikes twice at the same place. In India’s case, however, it did. The pattern of our downfall in the Caribbean was the same as that in England. And that’s what hurts. There were lessons to be learnt in England 2009, and we had enough time to learn them. But, we didn’t. The batsmen made the same mistakes, and lesser we talk about the bowling and fielding, the better. Since 2007, one can observe a stagnation that has creeped into the team, and that’s why we stand where we are today.

The tongues of the Indian Cricket fans are busy wagging. All over India, people are busy discussing the root cause of this disaster. The IPL (including the parties), that all of us enjoyed prior to the World Cup is now under scrutiny and facing severe criticism. A captain, who was the apple of everyone’s eye just a few weeks back, is now seen as arrogant, stubborn and unwanted. Being a primarily one-sport nation, where the game’s passion knows no boundaries, most of the reactions follow a predictable trend (Remember the burnt effigies or the blackened walls of the players’ homes?). While most of them are uncalled for and should be plainly ignored, it’s time we acknowledge we were just not good enough and the officials must address the concerns that Indian cricket is facing right now. We, the Indians, are an optimistic lot. Whatever be the mood of the nation right now, come 2011, an expectant nation would hold its breath and pray for the cricketing glory that has eluded us since 1983. Hopefully, we would be ready this time.

The middle class dilemma

I am sitting inside one of the jam-packed buses in New Delhi (The adjective is anyways inherent: Empty buses don’t exist in India). The bus is crawling its way through the ubiquitous traffic, halting every now and then, to accommodate more passengers, who somehow manage to make their way through the crowd, amidst curses and abuses, and soon become a part of the crowd themselves. The bus stops again; this time, thanks to the glowing red traffic light (These are the moments when I feel Mr. Sreedharan should be conferred the Bharat Ratna). I look outside the window, simply because there are a very few things I can do right now. I can see a family of four (Husband, Wife and 2 Kids – The Perfect advertisement for India’s family planning programme), balancing themselves on a Hero Honda Splendor (which makes me think whether my Boss, Mr. Tata, got the idea of a Rs. 1 Lakh family car at some traffic signal itself?), a couple with the guy showing off his Palika Bazaar sunglasses and the girl hiding her face from the dusty, polluted Delhi air (She has beautiful eyes though), Hawkers roaming around randomly selling magazines, flowers, toys and similar stuff, hoping to make some hay while the signal shines. And now, I see a few destitute kids knocking the windows of a shining new Honda City. I look further- 2 hunks and 2 chicks occupy the car, who seem least bothered by what’s happening outside the boundaries of their air-conditioned vehicle. Now, that’s not an unusual sight in India. Yet, it sends a chill down my spine right now. A set of contradictory thoughts overtakes my mind - I feel jealous and content at the same time. I wish to curse my fate for making me witness to the luxury and comfort I want to enjoy, but I don’t own; Instead, I murmur a silent prayer thanking the Almighty for giving me a happier, safer and brighter childhood than the one in front of my eyes right now. While I sulk at not being amongst the luckiest, I breathe a sigh of relief when I realize that I am not amongst the unluckiest ones either; For I, lie somewhere in between, trying to leap my way to greater heights, maintaining my distance from the ones, who lie a shade below me; For I belong to the fraternity that calls itself the Indian Middle Class.


Yes, the Indian Middle Class: The not-so-thin layer lying between the poor and the rich, which includes the normal 9-to-5 office going junta and small businessmen (and their immediate families). These are the people who have a home, perhaps one of those little family cars as well; Just that they pay an EMI to maintain the ownership of these entities. These are the people who can afford to be extravagant once-in-a-while, which invariably means the beginning of the month, when most of them receive their limited salaries. We are the people, who lead a plain, simple and calculated life, where we have to plan every new event just to ensure the calculations don’t go awry.


Of course, there is always a way out. And nobody prevents you from exploring them. But, growth is always accompanied by pain, with a certain amount of risk associated with it. And that’s where we fail. While the rich has enough to invest some part of it into risky ventures and the poor can play fearlessly with a nothing to lose attitude, the middle layer wants to play safe and hold on dearly to whatever it has and that’s what makes them a stagnant set of people. We tend to follow the tried and tested paths, not because they are the most rewarding ones, but for the fact that they usually do not lead to failure. The mind of a middle-class child is shaped and nurtured in such a way that he/she rarely looks beyond the obvious and joins the same rat race that his/her previous or immediate generations had followed. A middle-class Indian is expected to study hard, work harder and make his/her way up the financial ladder, following the educational model. National level entrance Examinations to prestigious courses and institutes are the ways suggested by our parents to grow in our lives; that may be a safe route, but the starry-eyed may not be satisfied by the return on investment and the growth rate. The corruption that exists at the lower and middle levels of management in the service industry is a consequence of dissatisfied individuals and unfulfilled dreams. To satisfy his/her own ego, the middle class Indian has defined sub-layers within the layer, namely the Upper middle class and Lower middle class, but that can’t hide the fact that the group, as a whole, hardly progresses financially in one’s lifetime.


Please note that I have no complaints against the system as such. Not everyone can be a billionaire and I completely understand that. But I would like to question the thought process of an average middle-class Indian. Why aren’t his /her children allowed to dream and follow their own destinies? Very few middle-class parents encourage their children to take up sport or entrepreneurship, despite the fact that some of the richest, respected and most successful people in India belong to the two mentioned domains. One may argue that for every Ambani or Tendulkar, there are hundreds of unsuccessful stories as well, which most of us don’t even know about. But why should we be so negative? Instead of looking at the failures, should we not look at the success stories that serve as an inspiration to one and all? As kids, when we made our progression from being crawling infants to toddlers, we would have fallen more than once. But, that didn’t stop us from trying again, did it? So, what stops us now? Thankfully, such questions are being asked these days. The surge in the number of young entrepreneurs in the recent past, coincided by the emergence of sportsmen from the smaller towns of India (and I am not just referring to Cricket here) reflects a slow, but evident change in the mindset of Youngistaan. Hopefully, the change is here to stay.


The bus has reached its destination, but I haven’t. In a few moments from now, I shall join another crowd, rubbing shoulders with the pedestrians, avoiding the honking cars and passing the odd beggar on the street. The journey of life continues. The question is: How am I going to complete the voyage? Will it be the creaky bus? Or will it be the dream car I mention in everyone’s slam book? For the time being, let the walk begin.

It’s been more than 12 hours and I have not yet recovered from the hangover suffered due to the cocktail named Love, Sex and Dhokha. Clarification: I am referring to the Dibakar Banerjee movie, just in case you thought otherwise. While in reality, I have only experienced two of the 3 mentioned aspects (and I would leave the guessing part to you!), Banerjee’s experiment made me feel a part of the gripping, topsy-turvy narration.

The last few years have witnessed a paradigm shift in the way stories are told in Bollywood. The run-of-the-mill stories have given way to out-of-the box ideas: The hero is no longer a Superhuman who can demolish dozens of men twice his size ( Let’s assume movies like Wanted don’t exist, for the time being); the snow-capped mountains of Switzerland have been replaced by the ghettos and crowded streets of some of the lesser-known areas within India; the songs have thankfully moved to the background and the dance sequences, if any, don’t seem out of place; Movies do not necessarily have a happy ending, where not everyone survives to live happily ever after. It is perhaps a sign of the growing vision and wisdom of the common man, who is not ready to keep his brain in the shelf when he/she goes to the theatre. True, Cinema still remains a source of entertainment and scriptless movies are still WELCOMEd by the Indian audiences; yet, there is space, scope and appreciation for a Mumbai Meri Jaan or a Gulaal as well. The Kashyaps and the Bharadwajs, along with the Abhay Deols and the KayKays, seem determined to change the course of Hindi Cinema. And after LSD, Dibakar Banerjee has forced his way into the list.

Not that his first two movies were NOT different. Khosla ka Ghosla was hilarious and satirical, and the characters, despite being realistic, were refreshingly funny. Oye Lucky… went a step ahead and introduced a darker side of Dibakar’s creative mind. But, with LSD, Dibakar breaks all barriers. While the images of Black Friday, Dev D and Kaminey are still fresh, LSD has to be the most daring movie made in the last decade or so. From honour killings to sex scandals to sting operations, Dibakar presents it all in a bold, brazen way that Indian audiences have never witnessed before. For example, he does not show splashes of blood to signify the death of the lovebirds in the movie; instead, he challenges you to be witness to their gruesome end. And at the same instance forces us to think about numerous such instances which take place in our country everyday, which we prefer to ignore. His take on Love and Sex are so brutally honest that you have no option but to take notice of the events as they unfold through the digital eye of the ubiquitous camera. In terms of sheer entertainment value, it is not the sort of movie you may like to watch with your family, yet you must watch it, for this may be one of the landmark movies in the history of Indian Cinema.

Do I sound like one of those movie critics who has been paid by the makers to write goodie-goodie things about the movie? Well, the fact is that watching this movie has made me poorer by Rs. 200 (Yes, I stay in Gurgaon, village of the rich) and I have spent my last 30 minutes typing aimlessly on my roomie’s laptop. But then, you do stupid things when you are high. And, being an IDIOT, I have been told, is in fashion these days.