RIFLE RANGE BOY

Right, I am a millennial and a proud one at it. This is how I look at my values. These decrees are updated periodically, validated and eventually cast in stone by my contemporaries via social media pages. The toolkit is broadcasted far and wide for all to bow in obedience, hoping to achieve a New World Order with all netizens thinking in one single unwavering frame of thought. Paradoxically, I am supposed to think of myself; but only about myself. It is only me that mattered.  The others are here to help me out. After all, what are people for if not to help the others around? Whether I will help others does not come into the equation, as I must first take care of myself. After all, I have only one life -me. I am not going to give this up for anything else. I have to explore the extent of my true capabilities. It is not my fault that I think I must not fail in my every endeavour. Do not blame me for that. You were the first to praise me in my childhood whenever I bungled up. You sti...

  Thithi ( ತಿಥಿ, Lunar day, Kannada; 2015) Our wants and needs vary as we grow older (and hopefully wiser). In the spring of our youth, we are brimming with raging hormones. Our biological needs somehow shut off our cognitive powers. The pudendal nerve and illusive higher centres control the more rational neuronal connexions. Unfortunately, the seeds and the ghosts of our action persist in haunting us in the later phase of our lives. Supposing we pass through youth unscathed, in the next phase of our lives, stuck with baggage of our past, we are expected to provide for our kin. Social hierarchy dictates we are responsible for the seeds that we sow. The emphasis of life is to provide for the living and to accumulate material wealth for an uncertain future. If we are 'cursed' with a long but unproductive life, we have to fend for ourselves. Conversely, a short affluent one will only benefit the dependants. After completing the deeds that we are assigned to do, to fulfil our karma...

Krishna and His Leela (Telugu, 2020) Netflix Even though this film has just been released, it has kicked up such a storm over the cyberworld. Hashtags like   #BoycottNetflix  and #KrishnaAndHisLeela are trending. People are calling @NetflixIndia  Hinduphobic, citing many of its latest productions apathetic to the Hindu sentiments. Films like Sacred Games, Bulbul, Ghoul, Delhi Crimes and Leila have allegedly denigrated the Hindu deities. In this offering, is it a merely by chance that the main character's name coincides with the protagonist of the epic Mahabharata? Krishna in the movie is an indecisive chap who conveniently two-times his two girlfriends whose names just happens to be Lord Krishna's two of His eight queen-consorts, Radha and Satya. There is a third girl whose name sounds similar to Rukmini. The fact that the protagonist pushed the boundary of public 'Indian' decency that ired viewers more. In most Indian movies, the story of a hero is only allowed ...

Friends (1994-2004; Season 1-10) People need role models to guide them through the uncertainties of life. Every living day is a new experience. Hence, newbies who step into different stages of their lives necessitate the presence of someone with authority to emulate. Parents and teachers are sparse representations of adulthood. Their paths are dull, unexciting and merely outdated. Juniors need to follow routes that are 'compelling' and approved by their contemporaries. They aspire for someone or some icon to tell them what normality is. For teenagers who peeled their inner eyes of awareness at the turn of the century, the Gen-Y's, the TV rom-com 'Friends' could have influenced their perception of what relationship is all about.  Come to think of it, a generation before them formed their opinions on more significant life issues from Oprah. Oprah Winfrey set the standards on women empowerment, relationship issues, and accepting body image issues. It was as thou...

My Generation (Documentary; 2017) This documentary is mainly about the rise and demise of the British Invasion generation. It was the time after World War 2. Euphoria was everywhere. Clement Attlee and his Labour Party gave a shot in the arm for the working class people. NHS made medical services accessible to the average Joe. Education became free. The divide between the aristocrat and the common man soon became blurred. The class demarcation became a thing of the past. Everyone has the opportunity to prosper. Clothing became democratised. The normal sombre tone of the garments became strikingly loud and short. Dressing-up was no longer to cover the bare essentials and to keep warm but became a statement of anti-establishment. As it became to generations to come, the generation before thought that the society was heading to a path of decadence and Armageddon was nay. Music became an annoyance to the elders. Rock and roll music could not be contained by the powers that be. The young...