RIFLE RANGE BOY

Vijay 69 (Hindi, 2024) Director: Akshay Roy To be sure, there is another movie called Thalapathy 69. That is an untitled, yet-to-be-released 69th film by Tamil movie star Vijay. This 69th venture would be his last, as he has embarked on a full-time career in Tamil Nadu politics. This is a motivational movie aimed not only at senior citizens but also at the rest of society.  I vividly remember my father chatting with his friends when I was probably 15. Their common friend had died suddenly after an apparent heart attack. After the expected condolences and the sombre tone of the conversation, somebody cut in to say, "... but he is 54 and is due to retire next year!". It was then perfectly normal for someone past 50 to die. See how things have changed in 40-over years. Recently, a dear friend, aged 63, succumbed to a coronary event. This happened even when being under the keen watch of a cardiologist. His friends had this say, "63 is not the age to die. He went off too soo...

Living 202 2 Director: Oliver Hermanus You remember a time when you were looking at the world that passed on by. You see the stream of people all grown up, handsome, poised, brimming with confidence. You tell yourself that you want to be like them with lots of friends and be likeable. You just could not wait to grow up. In your inner circle, you have friends who think highly of you. You consider yourself the life and soul of a party. And poof! You find yourself to be an old fool. You are a party pooper, a bore, a high-strung individual and a killjoy. People shun you. The younger ones would rather stay away from you to have a good time. They look at you as Scrooge and find excuses to stay away with a six-foot pole. You wonder whatever happened to the bubbly youngster that you once were. Have you become that lone child in the playground with a perpetual sourpuss face who does not want to share his toys? We sometimes lock ourselves in a comfort zone. We think we are all mighty and immort...

My wife is on a donation drive. A small Hindu temple in our neighbourhood is on the verge of morphing into something big. Initially starting as zinc shed with a few deities, with ever-increasing congregating believers, its presence came to be felt by the surrounding occupants. They did not mind the occasional minor inconveniences caused by its presence as they thought the divine power that it represents would, in turn, protect them.   Soon the temple coffers grew bigger, and the pressure to flaunt their presence became necessary. Architects were summoned in, and a grand design was put forth. But then, if only they had a few hundred thousand ringgits more… That was when the drive started.   The general public was not so forthcoming to part with their hard-earned moolah. They have had enough of schemes that never got off the ground. And the number of holy men in sheep's clothing is just too numerous to be enumerated. They would like to see money spent on education and social cau...

At a time when tranquillity is a distant memory and race politics is rearing its ugly head, it is only appropriate that we re-evaluate our stand on what it is to be a Malaysian. Does it encompass only the majority of people of a particular ethnicity who dominate most fields, as determined by the country's social engineering policies? Does it refer to the earliest occupants of the country? Does being a Malaysian mean being a Muslim only? What happened to all the people who sacrificed their hearts and minds for the nation all this while? Their  “blood, toil, tears and sweat” mean nothing? To the pea-brained who insists that Malaysia is only for Malay-Muslims and the rest are most temporary occupants of the land who should be thankful for their temporary occupation, read this. The Dass legacy: Soldering on By Adrian David June 14, 2021, New Straits Times.   Flying Officer (Rtd) David Samuel Dass in his Royal Air Force uniform during War War I. - Pic courtesy of Brig-Gen Dr Alexan...

Historical Monument of Kalinga at Dhauli. The ferocious Emperor Asoka was moved by the crimson hue of the river water nearby. Only then did the realisation of his tyranny came fore. He became a pacifist, a Buddhist and built stupas and pillars to remind himself and his subjects on the value of life. They keep telling me that I am insignificant; that I am inconspicuous to the grander scheme of things around; that I am just passing through. My existence in time is less than a millimicrosecondth of the 13.8 billion years since the time Big Bang happened. They ask me to be humble, to bow to the forces of Nature and to remember that I am weak; all just flesh, blood and bone. I am so brittle, organic and living on borrowed time. At the bat of an eyelid, I may be down and out. I remain but just dust, a part of the galaxy. I am told to invoke the blessings of the celestial bodies that govern our every move and not to incur their wrath. This message of humility is apparentl...

Early this morning, Mr S, our local pious man, (vegetarian, bearded and forever donning a kurtha, a practical Indian wear) dropped at our gates to request for a place to host the Navarathri prayers at our house. I politely declined as it was a last minute request and the house was raging with exam fever! Since we started living in this Taman more than 10 years ago, a bhajan group comprising some adults but mostly school children equipped with musical instruments and percussions, under the auspices of S's father (Masterji, as he known as he taught sangeetham [classical Indian singing] and could speak Hindi, as well), went from selected house to house singing devotional song on the 9 days of Navarathri (the 9 auspicious days to worship the Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati). Coincidentally, the Chinese people have a similar 9-day celebration for Goddess Kwan Ying, the Goddess of Mercy! The reception for 'caroling' group used to be so overwhelming that the sessions us...