RIFLE RANGE BOY

Roman Coins with Thali I remember observing my Amma's thali chain during my childhood days. I came to realise that one could determine many things about the wearer's background by just observing the chain that a married lady dons. It would tell us if she has recently tied the knot if it is just a bright yellow string. The actual thali would be tucked inside the upper garment. After a few days of wedded bliss, as part of the festivities and a means to flaunt to relatives, the thali would be transferred to a golden chain, and the sovereignty would scream bragging rights. The yellow string will stay put longer than it should if finances are down. If a married lady, often seen donning a golden thali chain, is suddenly downgraded to wearing yellow string, that would indicate hard times hitting the family. The family members have every right to feel embarrassed, and the outsiders have the right to form opinions. The head of the family will feel slighted for not providing enough for h...

Benzaiten, Japanese equivalent to the diety Saraswati. Saraswati Pooja used to be a vital feature in our household in childhood. The highlight of the whole event was placing our textbooks and getting the blessings of Goddess Saraswati. Thinking we would perform better in studies with Her blessings was naive. Amma did not fail to gently remind us that praying would not make us pass exams. We needed to put in the hours and concentration. There was no substitute for education; it was our key to happiness. Every Saraswati Pooja reminds me of my childhood of respecting books and learned individuals, irrespective of their teaching styles or content. Then I questioned myself: Can smut be given the same recognition if presented in book form? With all the ill effects that come out of the web but nullified by all the good things it spreads, does it still qualify as a learning tool? I soon realised that the spirit of Saraswati is the zest of reinforcing to immerse oneself into the ocean of knowle...

The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity (2005) Author: Amartya Sen It is not good to stereotype people. Everyone is an individual with his own traits, likes and dislikes. Since the late 1990s, Indians worldwide have earned the dubious honour of being painfully argumentative. Social media has been biased in depicting a confrontational image of an Indian person. It is always an Indian arguing over his vegetarian food, demanding to know why his flight is delayed or acting like a Karen. It is surprising that if Indians were really that cantankerous in voicing their opinions, how is it that a small battalion of British soldiers brought down repeated rebellions, looted and decimated a country which was earning 20 % of the world GDP to one which was the 13th poorest country in the world when they left. How did they subdue the argumentative Indian? I wonder if Gandhi's rhetoric of passive resistance and brotherly love for fellow mankind had anything to do...

We all know how much Christmas is commercialised in the modern world. Not to forget how the tunic of beard man Yuletide coincidentally shares the same colour with the most favourite drink, Coca Cola. There is this town in Finland, in Laplands over the Arctic Circle, named Rovaniemi. Besides being the spot to view the Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis), it is also said the official hometown of Santa Claus. After being flattened out in World War 2, the town promoted itself as a Christmas destination after Eleanor Roosevelt, American First Lady, popularised it. Rovaniemi welcomes about half a million visitors annually. If the rest of the world is contented with one stereotypical look of Santa, Slovenians can be incredibly proud of their three Santas. Each of their Santa reminds them of a different time in their country's history. Santa, Miklavž and Mraz First, there is the story of Saint Nicholas (or Sveti Miklavž in Slovene), a third-century bishop who is reputed to have saved a ...

Bait (2019) I heard a joke many years ago. A venture capitalist was out on vacation in a remote place in Mexico, and he was fascinated at a lagoon with he saw. He saw a sombrero-donning gentleman dozing off on a fishing rod with a half-burnt cigar half-dangling off his lips.  "Senõr," he said. "You fish here often?" The Senõr obviously irritated being disturbed from his short siesta replied, "Si, senõr!" "What if I change this place into a top marina with yachts that would bring in lots of money?" "So?" he replied nonchalantly. "So that you and your family can be rich. They would get good clothes, good education, a good life... And you can go for holidays in the Caribbeans." "Why should I go on holidays in the Caribbeans?" the local was annoyed at the unsolicited advice. The venture capitalist was not finished with his business pitch. "So you enjoy the sun, laze around, go fishing and chomp on your Cu...

The Farewell (2019) I first heard this story as being narrated by Lulu Wang in the podcast 'American Life'. It tells Lulu's story of how her family dealt with the news of her paternal grandmother's diagnosis of terminal lung cancer. It describes how Lulu's parents, together with her uncle's (father's brother) family in Japan, gathered in China, where the grandmother lives, to bid her farewell. The twist is that the whole family decided not to tell the patient, Nai Nai as she is affectionately referred to. The family, from three countries, descended upon Nai Nai's house under the pretext of celebrating Lulu's Japanese cousin's wedding. Lulu's role is portrayed as an early 30s Chinese American student who goes to China in a soul-searching journey to rediscover her Chinese identity. She learns to appreciate the traditional family values. As their old values dictate that the happy mind would give a healthy body, the family thought that not...

It is obviously innate in Man to indulge in violence and gore. Added with their past history from their time in the caves, what better way to show their domination than having an organised exhibition of Man against the beast. After all, the show of gladiators against each other had proved boring; too much of emotions involved. Their duel with the king of the jungle proved futile too. It seems that the King of the Jungle dominates us in the arena as well. Men were dying like, err... not flies but helpless sacrificial lambs. Maybe, the slaves and the piny Christians were too docile in the Roman era. They then ventured into bulls. The idea of raging bulls against a man provoking it with a provocative red flag suddenly became exciting. Who cares if bulls are colour blind? After all, they would be agitated by eyes glazed with paraffin and intoxications. After that, the slain meat would be sold off in the spirit of reverie. Hence started the practice of bullfighting; a lopsided staged duel ...

Uttama Villain (உத்தம வில்லன், 2015) Another self over glorifying movie about Kamalhaasan. Unlike Papanasam where Kamal was in a simple role telling a simple story, he is in his usual larger than life persona here. At the same time, I pick up the vibes of it being a satire of sorts, poking fun at the film industry. An actor is expected to be immortal donning the same role as he did from the start of his career, at the same time the age of the actresses remain the same. The apparent difference in age is comparable as father and daughter's! Manoranjan (Kamalhaasan) is a famous movie-star who has the world has his feet as he performs age defying dance moves with his heroines. In his private life, he is different. He has an intimate relationship with his doctor and has an illegitimate child from an old girlfriend. He has an disgruntled teenage son and a fast food chomping oversized wife at home. Everything takes a turn went Manoranjan is diagnosed with inoperable advanced brain t...