2021. Malayalam.
What a lovely superhero movie. Set in a small town in Kerala two normal chaps get struck by lightning and get super powers - one uses it for the good and one for the bad. But if you want to see how to show a villain's perspective sensitively, this is it!Watch!
Anjali is contesting for Head Girl. Here's her campaign literature!
Her symbol is a megaphone - to amplify student's voices!
Good luck A!
DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Kate Blanchett...you had to see this film. A plot that's as interesting as how our politicians and businessmen don't take their heads out of their petty agendas even when the earth is going to end (in this case its a comet heading to hit the earth) and you have proof and enough time to do something. Very real it looked!
Vinod and I decided to check out some of the old Irani cafes in Hyderabad this year and we started with Hotel Grand in Abids today. Apparently it was started in 1935 according to the man who ran the Grand Hotel paan shop. We would drop in there for a tea once in a while when we went second hand book shopping in Abids and once Vasu and I tried bun maska and tea which we liked but never a biryani.
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| Inside Grand |
So today we went for lunch, Vinod and I, and went to the dining hall upstairs which is quite spacious and has fine service. There was another section inside which was not open. I found that they had two separate hand wash places for gents and ladies. Quaint.
There were old pictures of Hyderabad of the past hung on the walls which were nice. A pi of Charminar and another of the famous 100 seater in Falaknuma Palace.
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| The One Inside |
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| Chicken Biryani! |
The kitchen I could glimpse when the door opened - huge and a lot of activity. We ordered chicken biryani which took its time in coming. It was a hell of a lot of biryani and we could barely eat about 50% of it and packed the rest. Nice, hot and Hyderabadi. Cost us some 230 bucks.
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| Know your Hyderabadi Bakery Items and Their Prices |
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| Chai |
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| I liked the two friends at the window looking out |
Weheaded down to get a chai and its all token system. We stood around and drank our chai. Then we decided to eat a pan and found this pan shop called Grand Hotel Pan shop.
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| Pan Shop - since 1935 |
There was also a lassi and falooda centre outside which I feel should be given a try sometime. The pan shop owners said it has been there since the hotel has been around - since 1935. He saw me eating the pan like a biscuit and advised me to eat it whole and I did. I like people who give me instructions like that.
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| Second hand books |
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| Abids - from GPO |
We headed back feeling very good with ourselves and checked out some books near GPO and headed back. Was a nice beginning to this series. We decided on Niagara next - never been there in my life!
83. Relived the 1983 experience all again. I loved it. Realised I had either played against or met all but 4 of them at some point in my life. Watch.
Brandon Stanton is the creator of the blog Humans of New York - over five years he interviewed and photographed thousands of people on the streets of NY. Considered one of the 30 most influential people on the Internet.
The story of a gay man and his friend who never came out of the closet and had an on and off relationship and when they were on a break his partner died and he did not know until four months later. The story of a man who was left by his mother and who went to school and college by himself and who says when he did something good there was no one cheering for him - just silence. Of a girl who came to meet an older man she met online - some kind of a BDSM relationship. Of an artist who feels he does not know how to get forward because he has no connections. Of a man who had everything and one day someone tried to kill him and he lost his sense of smell, hearing and keeps falling down and hruting himself. Some stories about long lasting marriages, of people who take care of others. Of want, of struggle, of just loneliness...and you wonder what's missing. An old Indian Sikh and his photograph of his hockey team - he was the goal keeper. It leaves a profound mark on you.
437 pages, hundreds of photos and quotes - homeless, drug users, peddlers, broken homes, happiness, children, waiting to die, sadness - its a crazy roller coaster ride and generally tends towards depressing with some stories. But its beautiful and shows life in all its shades.
Wonderful start. Thanks Abhinay!
The year in numbers
Books read - 55
Movies watched - 104
Publications
-Books - contributed to anthology 'I Adore Jai'
- Articles
- Columns - 36
-Blogs - 473
Travel - Pune, Nainital, Cochin, Naldurg, Bijapur, Srivardhan, Vetal Tekdi, Amar's Pensieve, Bopdeo ghat,
Events - ML Jaisimha Memorial Lecture
Talks - NISA, NMIMS, Osmosys
Panel Discussions - Moderated discussion on 'To fight Your Battles Stay Alive' - Anita Peter
Webinar - Tongue Tied on Communication
Workshops
- Done - Take Off - 10x Experience
-Attended - Ancestors, Expand your consciousness, Body Consciousness
Teaching - Art Management -University of Hyderabad
Coaching - Hari
Fitness - Continued walking and running (say 5 kms at 300 days would be 1500 kms)
Interviews
Gifts - Ram gifted me a car, Suresh gifted me the Nainital trip, George gifted me stay at Cochin, Abhinay gifted me books, Shobhs gifted me books, clothes, travel, Anjali gifted me books
YouTube Videos on Canteen Fundas - Sagar, Pallavi, Shobha and Abhinay helped in making YouTube videos
Writer's Meet - We had three writer's meets
Drama - Attended a play on Suravaram Pratap Reddy
Artists's Walk - Went to Buddha Purnima, Beauty Green, NTR Gardens, People's Plaza,
Much happened the last year - way more than I can capture in these numbers. I'll try to capture it all in more detail.
