The Twelve Monkeys - Movie Review

This one drove me completely insane. James Cole (Bruce Willis) is in the future, circa 2035, after the entire human population on the face of the earth has been wiped out with a deadly virus planted by some terrorist organisation called the Army of the Twelve Monkeys. He is sent back to the past to find out who planted the virus and to get a sample if he could by a bunch of futuristic and equally mad scientists who seem to have no clue of what they are doing.

Not surprisingly they send him back to 1990 instead of 1997, the year of the plague, and ends up appropriately in a lunatic asylum where he meets certain important characters as far as the movie is concerned - an attractive psychiatrist (Madeleine Stowe) and a fellow madman (Brad Pitt), who also turns out to be the future head of the Army of Twelve Monkeys.

Running between correct and incorrect timelines, not knowing whether he is in real time or hallucinating, Cole ends up bashing a few people and understanding something of the plot. Stowe's biggest realisation is finding out that Cole is not mad. Brad Pitt is brilliant as the madman. Finally the bad guys get away, the good guys get shot, the past merges with the future, the kid is alive and the movie ends. The viewers get up dazed, wondering why they were subjected to what they just went through and decide against watching movies that have attractive star casts in them.

It was singularly the most boring movie I saw and I understood nothing of it. What they should be complimented on is in making movies like this and  getting top actors to act in them - maybe it could have turned out better if dealt with in another way. But seriously, this one suffocated me and drove me nuts.

Aura - Movie review

An epileptic taxidermist who fantasises about the perfect crime goes on a hunting trip with his friend. He shoots a man accidentally, the owner of the resort and a criminal who is indulging in robbing money from vans transporting the local casino's profits. With the man dead, and some clues to what he does, Mr. Taxidermist takes over the role of a criminal easily - instead of worrying about being caught for murder. For someone who speaks little and whose face conveys little it is easy - all the other criminals believe him, no one is bothered about the dead man rotting away, and the perfect crime is almost committed.

The story unfolds slowly, too slowly for my liking, and leaves certain important areas conveniently unexplained. Like how the dead man is never discovered, how no one suspects a newcomer who says nothing and who speaks in contradictions and whose only plus seems to be his photographic memory - which also fails him. Anyway, I got too bored by the time it ended to be bothered about what happened and why. Some linear stories please, where all the ends are tied up and are plausible. If you like slow, read as real slow movies, with long shots and minimal dialogue, unattractive protagonists, 'Aura' is the perfect movie for you. For me - nope, don't work.

Thought for the Day - The Link Between Love and Efficiency

Are we at our most efficient when we do things with love? I am inclined to believe that it is so. 

To get the best results with the least effort is what efficiency all about. Nothing can make work seem more effortless than doing it with love, nothing brings on the attention to detail, more enjoyment, more  perseverance, more care and compassion - to the job at hand - than doing it with love.

However cold, scientific and calculating the word efficiency may sound, it could well be that the big daddy of efficiency is actually that four letter word 'love'.

Father's Day at Daksha School

This time Daksha (Anjali's school) invited fathers to speak of what they do to the 1st and 2nd class children. I volunteered to do so on writing and sports. It was a learning experience for me.

The 1st class
The 1st class children, Anjali's class, were first and we decided to speak to them about cricket. After a brief introduction by Anita aunty, Kamakshi teacher and Chandana teacher the session took off. Do you want to ask Uncle anything? The children were vociferous in their response - with loud yells of Cricket, I like cricket, I am a batsman, Batter, Bowler, I have a bat, sixer, Dhoni, Sachin and some other words about skates and so on. They settled down a bit, having expressed themselves to their hearts' content and having informed me of their opinions.

I told them that I'd tell them a story. They instantly calmed down and listened.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy. He loved playing cricket. He played with whatever he could get his hands on - broken bats, sticks, broken balls, even cloth balls and small stones. He would play in the sun, rain and cold, even at night sometimes. When he became older he went for school selections with his friends and guess what, he was selected.

Why was he selected? I asked.

The response was loud and clear from the children. Practice, practice, because practice brings success, hard work etc etc said the children. All the wisdom of the world was all there. Very good, I said. Now let us say Harsh (Anjali's friend) is the successful cricketer in the story. But now someone else also wants to be selected. What should he do? Cry? No, said the children. He must practice, he must work hard. Will he get anything by crying? No, they yelled very sure that he must not cry and must practice.

Maybe they could also practice doing whatever they loved, I suggested. But first, I asked them, what it was that they liked doing. Each one of them began their list - cricket, painting, flowers, skating, football, movies, television, reading and so on.

I asked them to write a small story on the one thing they liked. In five minutes they all came up with some small stories - some clearly written and well formed sentences with clear storylines, some stories with a beginning but no end, some only pictorials, some stuff inspired by certain gorilla stories. They all wrote enthusiastically and showed me their stories. I suggested some improvements and they came back with those. Anjali wrote a fine story about a tulip that wilted because the gardener poured too much water, but then when the sun came up, the tulip rose again. Fine happy ending, drama, conflict, characters, everything in three lines. Jaisimha write a dramatic story about a tiger, a rabbit and a hunter, Harsh about a cricket match, Saket drew a picture of a bat and ball, Manasi wrote about a little gorilla and so on.  I thanked them all for listening and left. They gave me a lovely, heart shaped card thanking me for coming.

The 2nd class
Then the 2nd class children. Now these children were very organised and disciplined. Smita teacher was Anjali's teacher in a younger class and she was in charge along with another teacher. They started off well because a girl in the front row asked me - uncle how does one become famous? We went back on the same story again (this time without the story) but with the same responses from the children about practice and hard work. There were a lot of pointed questions about how to practice when parents do not allow etc. They also spoke about the things they loved doing - cycling, painting, stories, watching movies, drawing and so on. We discussed on how one must put effort, look for teachers who can guide them and teach them (what if my parents cannot find a good teacher?) and then learn and practice the right things. This class remembered that I had come to 'teach them cricket' last year - another small session we had done in the school thanks to Anita's initiative when all the younger children got an opportunity to bat and bowl a few balls. I thanked them all again and left but not before I got a lovely card from them too!

Good initiative Daksha. I realised that if I had prodded the children some more, I would have got more original information about how they viewed the world. The danger was that the topics may have got sidetracked in the limited time frame. Some other time perhaps. But still, there was much to learn, much to take away from for me and I hope it was so for the children too. It was a relief when Anjali came back from school and gave me the thumbs up - 'I liked your story,' she said. Ahhhh, worth it!

Thought for the Day - When Are Things Really Done?

This is a question that always bothered me. At what stage is something really done from my end?

For a long time I thought that doing things 'fully done' before giving them over to the boss, the editor etc was about keeping something in reserve. Knowing that someone else is going to go through it (and that the work might not get printed in its current avatar) allows me to sign off at 80% (or so I thought) and wait for the feedback.

But it's really done only if you are ready to see your work published or taken into public domain in its present shape. Only when you are ready to to seal it, bind it and package it and say - Hey, that's mine. As a gift or memento for someone you love.

Would you invest on putting the finishing touches, on packaging your work in its final shape? If you are ready to do that, you are done.

The next time you need to sign off on anything from your end, think about it. Would you package it in its current form and gift it to someone you love?

If there is something still to be done, hold on. Finish that and then, let it go.

Anjali - Interview with a Five (and Three Quarter) Year Old

Its been more than 6 months since the last interview so I coaxed Anjali to give me some time for an interview (for a fee this time). She has a busy schedule now and she thought about it and agreed to do it on the weekend. So yesterday I caught her when she walked into my room for some work and she patiently answered my questions (unlike earlier times when she ran off).

Q. How's life?
A. Good.

Q. What does "good" mean?
A. Nice. (I) Like life.

Q. What do you like about life?
A. My parents, my brothers, my sisters and relatives, teachers, friends, classmates and Principal Anita aunty.

Q. What else do you like?
A. Playing with my friends, jumping,...even if I get hurt I like playing...painting, dancing...I like ballet dancing.

Q. What are the things you don't like doing?
A. Eating vegetables, getting scolded, making Manasi upset...sometimes we make each other upset

Q. What are the things you like to eat?
A. Ice cream, vanilla cake, strawberry cake, chocolate cake, biryani, khichdi, lollipop, Dairy Milk, Ice pops

Q. What do you play with Manasi?
A. Treasure hunt, Ice water, Hide and seek,, School School, Mummy Daddy, Bowling, Cricket, Soccer..
(She explained Ice Water in great detail - it's a bit like Statue)

Q. What books do you like?
A. A mad, mad, week, Enid Blyton books, Blues Clues, Pepper, Panchatantra, Aesop's Fables...

Q. And cartoons?
A. Ninja Hattori, Doraemon...I am telling the shows not the characters...Chota Bheem and in Chota Bheem I like Chutki.

Q. And movies?
A. Student of the year, Chashme Buddoor, Lion King, Stuart Little...I like that the most

Q. Why?
A. The characters...like them that's all.

Q. You like crying or laughing?
A. Laughing, because I am a laugher.

Q. What are the things you'd like to have?
A. Good pants...because all my pants and jeans are getting holes...then....then...what else...I would like an alarm clock.

Q. Why an alarm clock?
A. Because these days school starts early...so if I have an alarm clock  I can get up early.

Q.What do you like about school?
A. I like studying, knowledge, maths, teachers, friends, classmates, I like Manasi.

Q. Why do you like knowledge?
A. Because if there was no knowledge on earth I would not know anything...(here she thought that she'd really have to explain the concept properly to me and went to great lengths to get her point across).. so I can grow, and learn, talk, how to end sentences...what I don't know.. I don't know somethings...I don't know science...I need to know science...I need knowledge to be a scientist, architect...(here she decided that I need it too) see you can't write books without knowledge...you can't do anything without knowledge. I love knowledge.

Q. What do you think of nanna (me)?
A. He's so tall, he's like a giant, he always likes to write, he always makes me write in my new books, always buys me whatever I want, always he does the same thing, again and again, everyday he spills my tonic, everyday he keeps looking at the computer, I don't understand why he goes to the computer.

Q. What about Mamma?
A. I don't have words...she's everything...she's a lion to me...everyday she goes rushing, rushing around the house and  gets me ready for school.

Q. What do you think about yourself?
A. I like my body. My love. Myself. My brains. My thoughts. My feelings. And my toys and things..this is what I like about myself.

Q. Who do you like?
A. Parents, teachers....god

Q. Who is god?
A. You don't know god?

Q. I never saw him.
A. You can't see him. You can feel him.

Q. Can you feel him?
A. I can feel him. He's inside my brain.  I can feel him.

Q. How does it feel?
A. (Here she got a bit hands on because she realised I needed some education.) First tell me who made us. god. Who gave me a nose, Manasi, heart, parents...see everything...god only. Who gave me water...see everything only god can do.

Q. God is good?
A.  Yeah. Yeah. Now you understood why he's inside me. He came inside me just to help me.

Q. Will he be inside me?
A. Yes daddy. God is inside everybody.. My favorite god is Ganesha.

Q. If you want to ask god for one thing what would it be?
A. I'll ask god to help me in my studies, in my races. In my tough games. I used to ask god only for toys, but now I ask for courage

Q. Why?
A. Only courage can help me win anything.

Q. How?
A. Courage is my partner. Whenever I have some difficulty only courage is my partner. Courage will help me in everything.

Q. What scares you?
A. Chimu anna comes and shouts or scares me suddenly.

Q. What do you think about money?
A. It helps us live. If we didn't have money we cannot eat. How can we buy in Ratnadeep (our supermarket)? We need lots of money.

Q. How can we get lots of money?
A. If we work.

Q. Are you earning money now?
A.Yes, I am earning money with hard work.

Q. What hard work?
A. Paintings and interviews (I promised her 50 bucks for the interview and 20 bucks for painting my t shirt)

Q. How much money do you have?
A. I have lots of money actually. I have too much. I have so much that I can buy anything.

Q. What will you do with it?
A.Buy things. Things I like....(became secretive)

Q. What;'s the happiest thing you remember?
A. Manasi.

Q. Who makes you laugh?
A. Baba, Choudary mama, Mythily atta, Ranjan maam, Mamma, myself....sometimes I only make jokes and laugh.

Q. What made you laugh the most?
A. Mamma's jokes. I remember Mythily atta's jokes. She told me old jokes. The joke is, once there was a man. He went to a shop. He bought a t shirt and got another free. The next day he went to his friend and told him to buy in that shop too. But when they met the next day, he asked his friend if he went to the shop and got two t shirts. But the friend said that he went to a shoe shop. The first one asked why did you go to the shoe shop? Because they give one shoe free with one shoe.

Q. What makes you sad?
A. Some people don't understand what makes me happy or sad. So sometimes they tell me things that make me sad. So that makes me sad.

Q. Did you like the interview?
A. Yup. I like interviews.

Q. You want to add anything?
A. My favorite story is 3 Billy Goats Gruff, Cinderella, Rapunzel.

Q. What do you think of the world?A. It is peaceful. And full of love. I feel that.

Q. What do you want to be when you grow up?
A. I wanted to be a nurse. Actually I wanted to become a writer also. But now I want to be the Prime Minister and tell people to stop cutting trees.

Thanks Anjali for a lovely, heartfelt and honest interview. It gave me some refreshing and reassuring perspectives on life. Nice to know what you feel about the world. Until next time then.

Sadhguru - More Than A Life - Arundhathi Subramaniam

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is a well-known mystic, known famously for his unconventional and contemporary approach to spiritualism. Arundhathi Subramaniam writes about Jaggi Vasudev's journey from a rebellious,wild and carefree young man into a revered sadhguru, the spiritual head of the Isha Foundation which has many centres worldwide and thousands of devotees.

Penguin, Rs.499, 242 p

It is a tale worth reading. Arundhathi Subramaniam is an accomplished writer, a poet who authored three books of poetry, and writes well and dispassionately. Jaggi Vasudev's life is stuff that most fiction writers cannot imagine. It's a potent combination. Born of Telugu speaking parents who had settled down in Mysore, Jaggi is one of the four children of Dr. Vasudev, an opthalmologist with the Railways, and Susheela. From his school days Jaggi was known to question everything and play truant (because he felt that the teachers were only spouting what they read and not what they experienced). Jaggi's first experience of meditation probably happened when he bunked classes at school and climbed up to the highest branches of a tree on the school compound, which swayed all through the day, until the final bell rang, upon which he would descend and go home. He had these ways with nature, with snakes (and that earned him money right form his childhood). His way with snakes is attributed to his past lives, coming down from Bilva, a tribal to a Telugu saint Sadhguru Sri Brahma.

Jaggi (Jagdish) completed his education, graduating in English Literature from Mysore University with distinction. He bought some land and did poultry farming and poetry writing, mostly built and tended to by himself, on the outskirts of Mysore. He entered the real estate business and made a successful business out of it. His dalliance with communism and Che Guevara, possibly led to his love for motorbikes and cross country road trips, right up to the Himalayas. Between snakes, motorbikes, a fast forward life, he also found the time to love and marry Vijji, with whom he embarked on many more adventures on the road and off it.

But Jaggi Vasudev's life underwent a change after a walk up into the Chamundi Hills in Mysore and he found his life purpose - the consecration of the Dhyana Linga, an unfulfilled dream of many lifetimes gone by.  The T short and jean clad yogi began taking his yoga classes and later on workshops which found acceptance in and around and soon his popularity spread. Jaggi followed his vision to set up the Isha commune outside Coimbatore and conducted the first 9 day Wholeness progam in tumultous weather.  From that base of disciples grew the Isha Foundation and spread far and wide. Meanwhile the co-conspirtors of Jaggi from his previous lifetimes also appeared, Bharathi for one, and the dream of consecrating the Dhyana Linga at Isha Foundation, Coimbatore grew bigger and bigger. How much the dream finally consumes is revealed in the book.

Your guru must ask you for your very life, says Jaggi. I like that. And so many more liberating and revolutionary thoughts.

Jaggi Vasudev, the mystic who enjoys his golf, his cricket, his motorcycle riding, his fast driving in cars, his unconventional but authentic brand of spiritualism is undoubtedly an incredible person. He is as spontaneous as anyone ever desires to be, lived his life on the edge and probably still does, is totally unpredictable, completely focussed and has the kindness, love and compassion to seal it all. He is definitely someone we'd all love to be. Having read the book I do wish to see the Dhyana Linga, the purpose of Sadhguru's life and the Isha Foundation someday soon. And perhaps if I am lucky, see the motorcycle riding mystic perhaps.