RIFLE RANGE BOY

Hunger Games (Based on Novel Trilogy by Suzanne Collins)  Film Series, 2012, 2013, 2014. 2015, 2023 There is a thin line between having hope and fear about things happening our way. To quote Baruch Spinoza, there is neither Hope without Fear nor Fear without Hope. This applies at an individual level when one wants to pull himself up with his bootstrap. He may tell himself not to fear the unknown but to hope for a better future. Hope is not a bad thing when things look hopeless. To hope and not strive is foolhardy. That must be the reason why 'hope' was one of the reasons it was found to be one of the contents still lingering in the Pandora Box when it opened. Perhaps it was the lesser of the evils, as all others had escaped.  To rule over a group of people, politicians create fear among their subjects. The goal is to create so much fear that the subjects will succumb to the pressures and submit to the demands of the oppressors. At the same time, to avert retaliation, the subje...

Monalisa No Longer Smiles (2022) An Anthology of Writings from Across the World Editor: Mitali Chakravarty My father had an uncanny ability to read faces. No, he does not identify people's medical risks, personality traits or even the prediction of their future. He could tell a person's origin, caste and creed. He was proud of his achievement and held steadfast to the idea that caste division is a necessary tool for society to progress.   He would choose where he ate and sometimes refuse invitations to people's homes or even functions of people with questionable status in the caste hierarchy.   My mother tried to knock some sense into him that the whole world had moved on and things had changed. But he was having none of it. She even reminded him about Periyar EV Ramasamy's speech when he visited Malaya, to leave all the bad discriminatory habits they acquired in India and move forward. But no! He was unmoved and reasonably contended with his way of pigeon-holing people...

Like a line of falling domino tiles, one by one, they all fall. Yet another one fell prey to the black dog. Even the outwardly strong minded ones with barrage of ammunition to shoot you down if you were to cross their paths, go into fetal position like a helpless infant when the final straw of hay broke their back. Like an epitome of patience, like a turtle she went on her duty on earth with diligence without complaining. Then came the challenges, one, another and another and poof she went all jello. Young and old alike, they seem to be swept by this epidermic. Coming mostly from humble backgrounds, one would have think that after enduring the uncertainties of life for a square meal and other comforts in life, enduring uncertainties by now would literally be a walk in the park. The general consensus is that one could not buy himself out of all troubles. Crying in a BMW, however, certainly looks less pathetic then crouching over a pavement but then the hopelessness are the same. It...

The Theory of Everything (2014) Professor Stephen Hawking is the living proof that life can never be hopeless. However bad life may seem to be, there is always something you can do and succeed. Patients with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) generally have short life spans. Their disease deteriorates fast, and they eventually succumb to their affliction within a short time. Hawking defied all odds and had lived with the illness since 1963, even though he was initially given only two years to live.  Using a speaking aid from the twitching of his buccal  muscles, he has gone to theorise ideas about space,  time and universe. In spite of his handicap, he has done so much in his life. In addition to his prolific research into quantum physics, he has authored many bestsellers. His critiques, however, chide him for not doing so much as to garner sympathy from the public towards the cause of helping his fellow sufferers of ALS and other neurological handicaps...

Thulabaram (Sacrifice, Tamil; 1968) I do not know why but I keep watching this movie over and over again over the years. Maybe because it draws me back to the time of RRF and the time that steamed with hopelessness and helplessness. At the same time, I do not agree with the melodrama and the self pity that is exhibited in full glory in this flick. So, psychoanalyse me! This was one of the first movies that Amma took me to watch back in the days. Perhaps, she needed to reminisce her trying times of early adulthood. Even after all these years, its songs, especially 'Kaathrinile Perum Kaathrinile' sang beautifully by K.J. Yesudass, still makes my hairs at the back of my neck stand. This movie skyrocketed in popularity in the South that remakes were made in Tamil, Telegu and Hindi using the same main actress, Sharadha. The original film was made in Malayalam based on stage show. Sharadha went on to receive the National Film Award for that year. Sharadha Coming from a s...

Just when you think, the world around you is on the verge of crumbling down on you, just view these snippets to convince yourself that there is hope. There always is, you just have to find it! Hope lies eternally in the human chest! http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/01/cnnheroes.krishnan.hunger/ http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/04/01/cnnheroes.krishnan.hunger/