RIFLE RANGE BOY

Sharp Objects (HBO, 8-part miniseries; 2018) They are there more than you think exist. How they smother you with love. They go out of their way to do things for you. Then they make you dependant on them. You think that they are indispensable. You cannot function without them by your side. You cannot make decisions. Simple decisions. They make you incapacitated. They make themselves valuable and liked.   In the eyes of the public, they are the exemplary guardian. They have the reputation of going that extra mile to fulfil their motherly duties. They are warm and fuzzy to the general public, but to you, they are toxic. They never give you breathing space. It is either their way or the highway; one way and no other way. With their power of quick thinking, wit and charm, they win arguments. You are helpless in their presence. They brought you up that way. Your knees buckle by the mere mention of their name. You are stunted. You like it. It makes things easy. You do not have to...

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)  Forget all the historical inaccuracies and that the filmmakers jumbled up the timeline to make their story larger than life than they already are. That is the artistic licence for you and me, the liberty to romanticise up the story to spice it up for the screen. 1985 Live Aid concert was not the parting short for Queen before Freddie Mercury withered into the sunset to deal with his illness. In reality, his diagnosis was only known to him in 1987. No, Mercury was not the villain who wanted to part ways for a solo career. Other band members also had their individual gigs before that. Nevertheless, the movie turned out to be quite an exciting depiction of a musical genius who had the trappings of wanting to bring out the best of rock music while living life to its fullest in his short lifespan and burning out before the legend in him ever did. Farrokh Bulsara - Romi Malek The take-home message that I took from this film t...

The Battle of Kurukshetra: Bhima killing the King of Kalinga,  from  1605 illustrated manuscript of the Razmnama, the Persian translation of the Mahabharata,  Birla Academy of Art & Culture,  Kolkata . Being a historian must be quite scary; seeing everyday events unfolding in front of his very eyes just as it happened many times before in history. From time immemorial, the issues are the same. Even the language used is eerily the same. The end point is the same; usurping of power, wealth and dominance being the intent. Modus operandi remains the same; coming as friends or liberators with goodies beyond compare. Little do the recipients realise that it is just a bait to fish bigger catches. Your enemy is my enemy, they say. They speak of new incomprehensible lingos, the marginalised, the minority, the downtrodden, the outcasts and they embrace you despite the wart and all.  The setting may be different. The tool may vary. It would happen a...

Hannah Arendt (German, English; 2012) Hannah Arendt, a political thinker, who is famous for her assessment of the Eichmann trial and the coining of the phrase 'banality of evil' is depicted here. The film depicts the time surrounding the trial and the controversies of Arendt's articles in the New Yorker and her subsequent book, 'Eichmann in Jerusalem' in 1963. First of all, the trial was considered an illegal exercise. Eichmann was charged in the Israeli Courts for cruelty against humanity as if Israel had jurisdiction over this; there was already the Nuremberg trial for that, and the International Courts would be the appropriate platform to try war crimes. Furthermore, the Israeli Secret Service, Mossad,  apprehended him in Argentina through clandestine methods. Prime Minister of Israel then, Ben Gurion, thought it was apt that the world should hear the plight of the Jews during the Second World War. It was an opportune time for the Jews to showcase to th...

Dhanvatari - God of Ayurveda. Note the Chakra, Sanghu, Leech and elixir. Bloodletting was an accepted way of treatment in ancient time. The pot holds the potion of health. Chakra to slice of tumours or maybe denoting pressure point, Sonic or ultrasonic waves to treat ailments? It used to be an almost non-event. It came at a time when major public examinations were scheduled. Forget about gearing up for Deepavali, we were oiling ourselves to run through the grinding mill of tests and the uncertainty of passing exams.  When we started working, some of us even had the misfortune of not having a day off. Work had to go on. Still, life went on, knowing jolly well that to serve humankind equals to showing  salutations  to the Almighty. So we missed many Deepavali and never felt short of anything. But then, now they tell us that the Deepavali celebrations must go on for five days. That reminds me of someone in our childhood who said that if one is healthy and ...

That is the danger of self-teaching oneself of philosophy. One tends to garble everything up and develop his own 'brand' of philosophy. It cannot be such a wrong thing, on the contrary, since no two philosophers can completely agree with each other. Whatsmore, even students and masters have parted ways upon minor disagreements. Think Plato and Aristotle, Freud and Jung, you know what I am talking about. Even with time, a particular interpretation can morph, perhaps as an afterthought or in keeping with the flavour of the era. The scope of the field of philosophy itself has evolved over time. If before it used to encompass everything under the sun and beyond, mathematics, grammar and sciences included, it is now agreed that it covers knowledge, life and existence. Since the journey of life does not come with a preset map, I guess that it could be sailed anyway we like as long as we live and let live. Let everybody navigate his own route.  I always thought Plato ...

The Americans (Seasons 1 - 6; 2013-18) The Russians and the Americans have had a love-hate relationship for a mighty long time. It probably dated back to a time before the 20th century when the Americans had the first taste of imperialism after the winning over the Spanish mighty naval army in the Spanish-American War and annexation of Texas as well as California. This gave them access to sea routes over the Pacific as well as the Atlantic Oceans; the only nation with such an enviable capability. The Russians claim that the Americans, through their Jewish proxies, had a hand in the fall of the Romanov Dynasty and the  plotting of the Bolshevik Revolution. Now t here are allegations that Leon Trotsky and the Marxist regime is an American construct! Trotsky was paid by Jewish-Americans to jumpstart workers' revolt. Under cover of humanitarian aid by the American Red Cross, financed the 1917 People's Revolution against the monarch.  The paranoia has traversed all throu...