Meet Mangala Tai - Epitomising The True Spirit of Travel

Bhavana Apte (69) or Mangala tai as we know her, has been one of my inspirations when writing my second book ‘If You Love Someone’. She is someone who is constantly on the move doing several things at once - travelling across the globe whenever she can, working with an NGO that helps farmers in Thane district and generally carrying and distributing smiles and good wishes wherever she goes. I have known her for two decades now and what struck me always about her was her easy mobility, her positive attitude and a joyful energy. She brings with her a lot of energy and is soon immersed in doing a million things, one of those people who never sits quietly, yet is always at peace.

When I saw her first, perhaps in 1993 or so, her two daughters were married and she had grandchildren. Not much later, unfortunately her husband, Apte saab passed away at an early age. What I saw of Mangala tai after his demise was what inspired me. Jovial, action-oriented, open to life, articulate and a great student of life, Mangala tai, I felt knew and did a lot more than what she revealed. So when she was in Hyderabad last week, I took the opportunity to ask her how she went about her life and her travels of which I had heard so much.

‘I was always interested in travel,’ she said smiling broadly as she made herself comfortable on the divan. There is no hesitation as she begins. ‘My story starts in 1943 in Amalner where I was born. We moved to Indore later and travelled all across Madhya Pradesh where my father worked as Deputy Collector in the Revenue Department. I remember when he was posted in Bhanpura, a town on the Rajasthan border, we had to change four trains to reach Amalner. But every vacation we would all certainly make it to Amalner. Maybe that was my initiation into travel. Of course I was aided by many books that I devoured, and my great liking for travel increased for new places and new people.'

I asked her if she remembered anything else of her early years, the years when Indian became independent. She shook her head. 'I don’t remember too much of my early years, of the freedom struggle, except the time when Gandhiji was assassinated. Everyone went into shock at that news.’

‘My travel wings took flight in an uncharacteristic manner when we visited Bombay in 1961. Me and my sister, who was two years older to me were visiting Bombay for the first time and were quite excited. We were staying at a relative’s house and stepped out to buy vegetables one day. We saw one thing and another in the big city and soon we boarded a bus to the Gateway of India. Now this house was near Matunga and the bus took its own sweet time to get to the Gateway. We never realized how big Mumbai was and kept asking the conductor when Gateway would come to the point of irritating him. The moment we reached Gateway we were so scared we never saw it and just took the next bus back home. Of course everyone was worried that two young teenage girls had gone missing for over four hours. We were ashamed of ourselves.’ Ah, here's an incident that points to the spirit of the early traveler in her.

The host Mr. Sudha Shintre called the girls over and gave them a dressing down later. He told them that he would chart out their travel route so they could see some sights, told them to inquire from policemen if they got lost. From that day on the girls found their feet and went all over Bombay – Malabar Hill, Metro Cinema (where they saw a movie called ‘Pillow talk’.) Mangala tai was pleased with her first trip in Bombay.

Not much later Mangala tai married Apte saab and moved to Bombay. Apte saab was musically inclined, and was a creative director at a leading advertising agency as well. Their two daughters Aparna and Aboli were accomplished musicians who gave many performances all over India and abroad as well. ‘In 1981, my travel bug caught me and I took a long trip of 1 and a half months by myself and my two daughters by train. We travelled from Bombay to Baroda, then to Bhusawal, then to Hyderabad, and then to Kothagudem meeting friends and relatives before going back home.’

That is when the action started to heat up. Mangala tai had promised a friend of hers who was keen to go to the Himalayas but who was not getting female company (because her husband seemed to go off in all male groups) that she would join her the next time they planned a visit. Hardly a week passed after Mangala tai’s return to Bombay after her long trip when her friend called her and told her that a Himalayan expedition was happening in a week’s time and they should go.

‘I had promised her surely, but how could I ask my husband after just having returned from such a long trip. I pondered about it but then decided I must ask at least. So I softly put up the proposal wording it in such a way – Shall we go to the Himalaya trip I asked (and not, can I go with my friend?) Apte saab thought for a moment and to my great surprise, agreed.’

They decided to take their two daughters along and so they started off on their Himalayan expedition. The trip was to be made by train to Delhi and onwards to Haridwar, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Valley of Flowers, Hemkund and so on in a week. The ticket reservations were not easy those days as one had to stand in long queues, send telegrams for onward booking and suffer many such complicated procedures. They finally got everything done but just a week before their travel, the trains were cancelled due to heavy rains. They cancelled their tickets and took alternate trains with few confirmed reservations, made it to Delhi and moved onwards.

‘I was very excited at seeing the Himalayas. Though I suffered from mountain sickness early on I recovered and enjoyed the trip so much that I would take the extra parikramas around the lake at Valley of flowers. Crossing the icy glacier at the end of that lake was an experience and I almost thought I died. Somehow the eventful trip concluded with our family staying back and we visited a relative in Dehradun as well. I got hooked on to the Himalayas after that and to travel. That whole trip cost us Rs. 450 per head,’ she said triumphantly.

And that started an amazing journey for her. In 1984 she went on a trip to Jamnotri and Gangotri with her aunt and uncle a few friends. And in 1986, when her two young daughters Aparna and Aboli (sitar and sarod players of repute) were proficient enough to play on stage, the whole family decided to take up an invitation to play in the USA. The family went and gave shows in New York, Kansas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and ended up giving 19 programs where they were to give 5 programs. Mangala tai was the tour manager, and she did an efficient job of it.

‘We spent our life savings on that trip, something close to a lakh of rupees in those days, but it was great fun. Once I remember forgetting my bag in a car that dropped us to the train station and rushed back even as the train was about to go. Luckily the train master stopped it for a couple of minutes and allowed me to come back. The bag had everything, our documents, money etc.’

Things happened rapidly after that with both daughters getting married around 1987. Mangala tai was busy with part time work in a school. In 1994 Apte saab passed away suddenly, leaving Mangala tai to figure out the rest of her life by herself.

In 1995 she organized a tour to the Himalayas and was the tour guide. A motley group of friends and relatives joined the group. Being September, there were heavy rains in Delhi and all reservations were cancelled. ‘But from Delhi we took a taxi, a 10 seater, with a young sardar as our driver and drove off to see the Himalayas. It was a 10-12 day trip and we were a group of 8, 7 female and 1 male! We completed the tour successfully and returned. I guess in those days we spent something like Rs. 2000 per head.’

‘In 1996 we went to Nepal. Pasupathi, Everest, Sonauli were on our list of things to see. We went by road and had a tough time with a cranky taxi driver. He would leave us and take others for rides while we were sight seeing. One day when I took away the keys from him he got angry and we decided to terminate his services. But that trip was tough because emergency police squads would appear now and then and ask for bribes all along the way. Though we bought nothing in Nepal we ended up paying many bribes. It was sickening.’

‘When Chhaya, (a younger cousin who lives in Germany and who is featured elsewhere in this blog) got married in India I met her father in law, Mr. Kruger, a wonderful person who invited me to Germany. I took up that offer seriously and in 1997 planned a trip to London where my nephew was staying and onwards to Germany. I had also planned on visiting Scandinavia and Norway. As usual I had researched about these places extensively beforehand.’

‘In Germany I took the train to Berlin and saw the War museum and other sights during the day. I was also fortunate to see a Love Parade while I was there. I was surprised to find that the railway station had three floors when I took the return train! I saw the Black Forest on my return to Chhaya’s place. I remember Mr. Kruger had invited us for dinner and kept plying me with some fine wines which I used to water some plants as I did not want to appear rude! I then moved on to Denmark, Norway, Sweden. In Oslo I remember seeing the Humanity sculptures , in Stockholm the Vaza boat museum, in London the many museums there. It was lovely.’

‘Once in Tubingen Germany I remember a young Indian accosting me on the road and asking me if I was an Indian. When I said I was, he asked me if I knew how to cook pulao. When I said I do, he was very insistent that I go with him to his place and cook pulao. Of course I did not go with him but I gave him the recipe for pulao.’

In 1999 Mangala tai set off to Beijing for a month. Her plan to was visit China, Hong Kong and Bangkok. Her niece was in Beijing so it helped immensely. ‘I remember going to Tianenmen Square on the tenth anniversary of the Tianenmen square revolution. I enjoyed going around the place. One day two art students met me and asked me if I wanted to see their studio. I went with them and they took me deep into the city, into lanes and bylanes, to a studio where they showed me what they did. I had no money to buy anything but they gave me a couple of souveneirs. But now when I think of it, it appears so risky to just go off by myself with two strangers. But I trusted people and they repaid my trust.’

‘Another interesting experience was travelling by train in China. I went to the station and found no one there. There was no drinking water tap as well and I remember going out to a garden outside and filling my water bottle. In the station someone opened a locked gate and let me in, and locked the gate again. Not a soul on the platform. The train cabins were all locked from the outside. A collector came and opened a lock to my cabin, let me in, took my ticket and locked it up again. On the train I met a young Chinese boy who was returning after some studies in Hong Kong. He was very nice to me and we talked and shared our food. But the moment some people got on to the train in the next stop, he behaved like I was not known to him.’

In 2003 Mangala tai went to Malaysia, Bali, Singapore and Ausralia. First she stayed in Singapore with her niece. From there off she went to Jakarta, Jog Jakarta to see world Heritage temples by herself. In Bali she met some wonderful people including a very rich man who played host to them for a whole day in some of the finest places in Bali. She remembers how patient and warm the host and his wife were in entertaining guests for a whole day! Several adventures later she came back to Singapore and headed out to Australia and visited Sydney and Melbourne. She toured Australia for a month and visited Shubha another cousin.

In 2007, Mangala tai visited Taiwan and spent a month there with her niece. And in 2009 she was out again visiting Istanbul and Finland on a month long tour. A detail of her trip is written elsewhere – I will rustle it up. It is amazing how much she travels and how well she travels.

I asked her how she raised money for such long tours. She said she planned well in advance and planned her finances as well. Among the travel tips she shared were about saving well in advance for tours, being flexible about weather, about the stay and most importantly food. One cannot get too picky about food and must be willing to try different varieties and tastes which is an integral part of travelling she says. She packs carefully, carrying a bare minimum of clothes, 4 pairs she said. She looks up and books budget hotels on the net, plans her tickets in such a way that she gets good prices, plans her entire itinerary about all the things to see and how and when in advance. When abroad she looks to pick up city cards which come in handy for use in local travel, local sights etc. She hardly ever travels in taxis when abroad and always prefers public transportation. Shopping is minimal and whatever souveneirs she picks up are small and special gifts of that culture or country. Most times she carries her own ready to eat stuff to munch along and on day trips abroad carries her own sandwiches fruits and fruit juices. She advises that one is better off checking with people who have been there before so one gets more information.

While the travel bug is on, she also helps out with a NGO, Dr M.N. Dhawale Trust which runs a 100 bed hospital in Palghar, Thane district. The Trust also runs a 10 bed hospital in Bhopoli. Apart from the medical help, the Trust also involves itself in actively supporting farmers in the Palghar region by disseminating information about crop rotation and making their farming yield more so they stop migrating to the city. Concepts such as crop rotation, planting vegetables, and other advanced agricultural information is provided to about 25 farmers who constitute a core group in that area. The NGO work is more for her satisfaction as she probably ends up paying more than she earns there. It was with regard to a seminar on sustainable agriculture that she was here last month and we had a fine opportunity to catch up with her and share her experiences.

‘I would love to go and do the Narmada Parikrama,’ she says. I did not know that such a thing existed. ‘It takes a long time, many months. I did 10 days once. You have to walk along by the river side and survive on what you get as you go along.’ The next international foray? ‘I would like to go to Kenya and South Afrca,’ said she

Mangala Tai epitomizes to me, the true spirit of travel. She travels because she loves travelling, seeing new places, meeting new people, having new experiences. It is not about luxury, about knowing people, about the comfort of weather or food. Mangala tai claims she never faced problems because of language. ‘People seem to understand,’ she says. ‘I always trusted people and I never had a problem with them.’

Mangala tai is one of those people who seemed to have suddenly caught on a current that gave her a second life at a time when most people would have withdrawn from life and stopped participating in life. Instead, she gave full expression to herself, taking out into the world what she always had in her head – that the world is not a far off place – it is right here in my mind. Nothing seems to hold her back, she always has something or the other to give always, and most importantly she carries and spreads a joie de vivre wherever she goes. It is not so much her travels as her attitude to life that never ceases to amaze me. I think she is a great example for everyone who has excuses to feel limited. Mangala tai’s life seems to say one thing – that all limitations exist only in our heads. Thank you Mangala tai for sharing your experiences and making me richer by your experience. And may you travel farther and may you experience deeper joy and satisfaction in all the forays in your life!

The Winning Way - Anita & Harsha Bhogle

Read 'The Winning Way' (Westland, 195 pages, Rs. 200) by Anita and Harsha Bhogle, a book that brings learnings from sport for managers. It is a compilation of the rich experiences of the Bhogles, through their journey of 300 corporate workshops and more. The well-known cricket commentator and his wife Anita, an advertising and communications consultant, both from the IIM'A, bring tonnes of sporting analogy to

understand winning ways that can be replicated in corporate teams.

The book comprises of ten chapters. 'The Business of Winning' analyses winners - why they win, why they lose, how they take away hope and how their mind work. In the chapter on 'Goals', the authors discuss how goals must be out of sight but not out of reach, how they can stretch, but how they should not overwhelm. In the 'Winning Triangle' the importance of ability, attitude and passion are discussed. In the chapter on the 'Burden of Winning' managing success is analysed. Similarly 'Learning while losing' discusses symptoms of losing teams. 'Change' discusses how important it is to see the signs and move towards change, or be prepared for extinction. In 'Team Building' they discuss the Indian psyche of promoting oneself, qualities of great team players, how stars can affect teams. In 'Leadership' they discuss the qualities of good leaders, how good leaders are tested, how the best leaders may not be good leaders. The book ends with a chapter on 'Challenges in Today's World'. The foreword is by Mukesh Ambani and the Last Word by Rahul Dravid.

The book is replete with appropriate examples from cricket, football, basketball, golf, business and these fine examples drive home the points stressed upon. The book is written in an easy narrative style and one can almost hear Harsha's voice as one reads the book - the final draft was probably in his hands! There is much to learn from the book for the corporate manager, especially one who understands both sport and business. More so, someone who understands the space that Harsha and Anita are addressing - the perceptive manager for whom there is enough in the book to take home and become a great manager. For the one who is not, it is still a great read and may benefit at a later stage.

If anything must be said in criticism of the book it is that the many diverse examples sometimes distracted me from the original points sometimes. The authors must have been weighed down by a wealth of information that they have accumulated through their workshops and through Harsha's personal knowledge of great sportsmen, that putting it down in the short space of 195 pages might have been a challenge. One other thing that struck me was that they could well write one book for the manager and one book for the CEO - there seems to be so much material behind this book. But I am nitpicking.

As it stands, 'The Winning Way' is one book for all managers to learn and file away stories from and to use at the work place. It is possibly the first of its kind in Indian writing where it uses sports analogy extensively to apply for business situations. I am a keen advocate of the same. I would advise any corporate manager to take the stories and examples seriously and not brush it away as being from another arena - these lessons from the sports fields are too real, effective and impactful to ignore.

Purpose of Life - Things on the Shelf

It does appear that the purpose of life seems to be to stack up things to do and do them. I realised that most everyone has the same primary stack of things that take up most of our time. Things in this primary stack are stuff that do NOT appear in the cute to-do lists, the bucket lists, of many people - these are 'must do' lists so they are not cute. They are tough, hard work. So whether you like it or not the first stack is - educate yourself, find partner, find job, buy car, marry, have kids, build house, educate kids...and so on. Not very interesting if you see what I mean.

The next stack is made of the things you would like to do. Say the hobby list. Travel, reading, music, movies, writing, drinking, eating, mountaineering, people...and all other things that come under the like-to-do list. These get lost somewhere, get postponed somewhere in the hustle and bustle of daily life. They are fun, something you like to do, but you don't have time and inclination and money to do it now. Later. SO they get postponed.

Now if you can marry this hobby, this thing you love to do and really want to, with the first stack, then you have something where you can spend much of your time doing what you want. You will not be the first in the world who makes a living off something you love. And here you have an opportunity to create a body of work, feel good about it, think creatively, and find a market for it perhaps. (Like Obelix finds a market among the Romans for his menhirs, something which he crafts so lovingly!) This is the ideal situation where you really love doing what you do and do it - you can join the Federers, Tendulkars, U2s and others who do what they enjoy and make tonnes of money too. Or be in an obscure village like Obelix and still feel like a million bucks.

If you do not have it to dive into your ocean, fine. Step back and do what you have chosen to do in the first stack with a deep love, because you have chosen this stack consciously. (You can use your hobbies to liven up your life.) But start creating a body of work in this first stack by living it deeply - the education, the job, the partner, the kids - and not behave as if they stopped you from doing what you were meant to. Satisfaction is not a sip of water or a fleeting kiss, it is a deep, long, intense drink of water, a kiss of the same nature. One must let oneself go deeply into what one is doing and craft each moment with care and love, speed and precision.

There is a greater satisfaction in ticking off the list. And knowing that there is a lot more to do on the shelf. The purpose of life would seem to reach that state when you feel like you have had your long kiss, cool drink - and you look around and smile to yourself. Ah, it was worth it.

Midnight Cowboy - Movie Review

Another classic from Sagar's collection. 'Midnight Cowboy' is an academy award winning move that won three awards - best picture, best director, and best adaptation of a screenplay. The screenplay was adapted from a novel of the same name. 'Midnight cowboy' released in 1969 also had the distinction of being the only X rated movie to have won an Academy award!.

Starring a young John Voight as Joe Buck, the naive country stud who comes to the city with dreams of becoming a hustler who takes care of the needs of rich women for money, and Dustin Hoffman as the crippled conman Enrico Rizzo Salvatore famously known as Ratso for his extremely low low level con jobs, 'Midnight Cowboy' takes these two unlikely characters who come together in their search for survival in a big city. Joe Buck thinks that the best way to trap rich, bored ladies who prefer the services of a young stud like him is to dress like a cowboy and so he dresses up like that and goes out in the streets. He does trap one old lady who uses his services to please herself but then borrows 20 dollars from him! That's how naive the cowboy hustler is.

He gets kicked out of the hotel for non payment of bills, loses his stuff and only has his cowboy clothes he has on him. Meanwhile he meets Ratso who tells him that what he needs is management to get his hustler act right and offers to set him up with a management service. He takes 20 dollars for his service and sets him up with a religious fanatic from whom Joe escapes narrowly. To get by each day and night, Joe Buck, now penniless, has to compromise and lets himself go out on a date with a gay young man who after seeking his pleasure, confesses that he has no money. In such times of desperation, Joe sees Ratso again, and shakes him out of all he has - some loose change. Ratso, a lonely man with a bad cough, tells Joe that he can stay with him in his soon to be demolished apartment. It is a terrible place but it is shelter.

Ratso and Joe try to get some money by all the means they know - hustling, picking pockets, stealing. But nothing works really and they are just barely surviving in the cold. Ratso's cough is getting worse. Joe finally strikes gold when a pair of whackos invite him to a crazy party where Joe finds a rich woman. Ratso strikes a deal for 20 dollars again. Satisfied with the performance of her young stud she recommends him to her friends and Joe appears to be finally on his way.

But Ratso falls really sick, is not able to get up and walk, and wants to go to Miami where he always wanted to go. Joe's next assignment is a few days later, they have no money for the trip, so Joe agrees to go with an old man for the money, robs him and takes Ratso out to Miami on a bus. On the way Joe decides to give up his hustling ways and take up a regular job and they both dream of a decent life together - both having no one else in their lives. Just as they reach Miamu, Ratso quietly dies in his seat. Joe holds the dead friend in his arms, as the trees of Miami flash by, losing the third person her really loved in his life, his grandmother who died, the one love of his life Crazy Annie who is in a mental institution and now Ratso.

Midnight Cowboy is a tender story of loneliness, hope, compromise and man's need for company and love. It is a theme that is interesting - pitting the stud and the cripple together - and the friendship they have because they have the same needs. It is disturbing, but it is life.

A Fine Short Film 'Two Sat Under The Cuckoo's Nest' by Mallik Ram

Here is a link to a really fine short film 'Two Sat Under The Cuckoo's Nest' made by aspiring young director Mallik Ram. It was screened last evening at La Makaan which lends its space to all things cultural in the city. This screening itself was part of five short films screened by Scene 4. The film got a rousing applause and won many accolades from a packed crowd that was bursting at the seams (I was there), for the innovative way it was made. Here is the link to the film on you tube. You can share your comments on the movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSmlcz_bzlw

The film begins with an unhappy actor sitting on a bench in a park in Vizag. He is Pneumonia X2, a dying strain of disease who is depressed, unhappy, has no hope and has a world view that is totally lost. He would be - its his last day before he dies. After a while a happy-go-lucky, pleased-with-the-world person who is full of beans joins him - Diabetes 34MH24, who is full of hope and happiness. His happy entry makes the depressed one rather uncomfortable, he wants to wallow in his self-pity and not be affected by some upbeat person around. The two diseases talk of their contrasting views in life, their opinions, discussing movies, ideas (a short animation where they see person losing everything due to excessive greed), Fellini and finally land up discussing proverbs. They both laugh as they think of how contradicting proverbs can be and as they laugh while coming up with contradicting proverbs, their outlook to life changes into something upbeat. They end up feeling happy at being part of this beautiful life and feeling immense gratitude to life.

In Mallik's word the essence of the movie is 'to convey the thought that life is a paradox. One must take it the way it is and be grateful for what one has. When you love each moment of your life, it is beautiful.' Fine thought, well captured,

Mallik was one of the Assistant Directors who worked with my good friend

Mohana Krishna Indraganti on 'Golconda High School'. He always impressed me with his focus, commitment and willingness to learn. He would work late hours, never say no to work, always pushed the limit. He bought a great combination of being reliable and being creative, being passionate and being without ego - a rare attribute. One can also sense that there is much more substance beneath what he shows, some creative force he had bubbling inside. His choice of music, films and literature, in our fleeting conversations during shooting, also gave an insight to this young lost-in-thought lad.

Mallik is an architect from Andhra University, Vizag, a 28 year old who speaks a different language from the rest of the youngsters I have seen or met. After a short stint as an architect, working with various construction companies in Hyderabad where he moved for better job opportunities, he decided to back himself and his love for making films. He has made four short films so far apart from the latest one - 'Unsung', 'Bon Voyage', 'Luce', 'Between the Pain and the Plan'.

I asked Mallik what makes a young lad of 18 from Vizag, one with a normal family background, so intense and driven about movies. Mallik says he was the regular youngster who discussed movies, literature, music - listening to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin until something in his mind led him to want to express himself through making movies. Among the directors he has studied and watched are Fellini, Truffaut, Bergman, Woody Allen and Tarkowsky and he hopes to make movies like they do. More so, Woody Allen kind of movies with which he identifies a lot. Among Indian directors he likes Ray, Vishal Bharadwaj and Bapu. Among the writers of the world he finds Rohinton Mistry, Salman Rushdie and Arundhathi Roy deeply inspiring as he does Raja Rao, whose 'Great Indian Way' has greatly influenced him and taught him much about one of his great heroes, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Mallik says he would like to make Telugu movies of course. He plans on doing an adaptation of Mistry's 'A Fine Balance'. Great idea - I love the book! I ask him what kind of a movie he would like to make to start his career with. 'Romantic comedy,' he says. 'Something on the lines of Annie Hall, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset. But then I would make some of the movies I would like to, dark movies, apart from all other genres which i would like to explore.'. I ask him why he likes making movies and he says without any hesitation - 'I am happy making films. I think they are the best medium to express myself to the fullest, to the world. I think its pretty much the way its going to be - make movies for the rest of my life'.

What else, I prod. Mallik says he would like to write books as well. He backs himself on his writing skills. He is known for his dancing skills, his choreography and his sketching talent. One wall of his rented place is painted by him, a mural. And so, after a rambling discussion that lasted about an hour or more, the multi faceted, intense, creative, hardworking, focussed and intelligent young man moved on - caught up by another idea he was dying to put on paper.

Mallik, I do like your work and really enjoyed watching this short film TSUACN! I for one would certainly watch your movies. You do have the clarity to convey your thoughts, the intelligence to engage and the intensity to experiment. Here's wishing you luck for all that you wish to make and show, many successful and creatively fulfilling movies and a highly successful and accomplished career.

While with Mallik I was also fortunate enough to meet his friend and editor of TSUACN, Shashank. Now Shashank is a young software professional who also makes short films on the side and it was fascinating to see these youngsters discuss ideas and expressing themselves so well.

Shashank has made four short films so far - 'Verge' in 2009, 'What Kind are You?' and 'The Visit' earlier. All these films are on youtube. I have not seen them yet but I will soon enough. Here's a link to 'Verge'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxknLinC58w

And another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzv6K3VAHp0

Shashank is from Kakinada and has studied engineering from Maharaja College, Vishakhapatnam. He also wants to direct movies and is deeply inspired by the Coen Brothers. The kind of movies he would like to make would be like 'Snatch', 'Memento', 'Lock, Stock and Barrel'. He says he would like to prepare himself to direct a movie in about two years time.

I found it interesting to see two small town boys talk of making movies, talk of learning from the Masters, have a creative zeal to not merely talk but make short films and stand up to be critiqued. But this is the age of small town boys as we have witnessed in cricket, and I am already impressed with what I saw. They have the desire, the passion and the skill. Here's wishing you Shashank, luck on your journey as well. I will try and get some links to his movies as well and put them up here.

The Police Story - Part II

The police story got far more interesting than I thought it would. The next day the affected party went to meet the Circle Inspector to file a complaint. The CI was rather offensive to the guy who accompanied the aggrieved party to begin with, for god knows what reasons, and hinted at dark futures if he was seen around the police station. The choicest gaalis, inspired by Delhi Belly no doubt were given as usual. It did appear that the CI was also not too favorable to the idea of filing a case. After the person accompanying was sent off with a few more gaalis, the CI then took the aggrieved party inside for a chat.

During the chat he asked why this person was mentioning the weight of the jewellery, how he knew they weighed so much, whether there were any receipts for this jewellery - generally hinting that this jewellery was really not lost and that this was being made up. He asked if there could really be that much gold, whether it was not fake imitation jewellery, and why so much gold (a few necklaces) was lying at home. He also threatened in a veiled way that the police could file a case if the information was wrong, that God would not be happy as well. Finally after all the threats and insinuations were done with he suggested that the complaint only carry the number of chains lost and not their value and weight. The general idea is that this could be a very messy affair if you persist with this line of filing complaints etc. The CI, one would imagine, stopped one step short of arresting the victim for filing a complaint. Maybe the next step would be to arrest the victim and beat him up till he confesses.

Reminds me of a joke that was forwarded to me on how to catch a tiger. 1). Newton's law: Allow the tiger to catch you, then you catch the tiger. 2) Veerappan's law:Kidnap tiger's wife and threaten tiger to surrender. 3) Indian police method: Catch a cat and beat it until it agrees to be a tiger!

It is no wonder that the Police Stations are the last places one wants to visit. The only people who seem comfortable visiting the police stations are criminals or people who have something to cover up or hide. No normal self-respecting person would like to go to file a complaint because the entire set up seems to treat the victim like the perpetrator. Naturally with its warped sense of justice and law and order, the police would treat the perpetrators like the victims- just like in the movies!

Don't go until you know someone there, until someone can talk to someone there or until you have to make a deal with them seems to be the general perception. Is this how the protectors of law and order are meant to be, or am I missing something here? Is it normally this way worldwide? I heard someone tell me the other day that a senior police officer was lamenting that the police is not being respected. How does anyone respect anyone if this is the treatment you get for merely filing a complaint? Respect has to be earned, not got by fear or threat. It might surprise the police officer to know where the police force is ranked in terms of departments to be trusted and respected in the Indian society. Unless the police department does something to revamp its image, it is tough for them to earn any respect, any supporters at all. And like I said if there were a parallel force, outsourced and within the law certainly (unlike the mafia), it would be a very profitable venture surely. The police only reflect the state of administration - it is the first duty of the government to maintain law and order. If it fails here, it has no duty to be in any other business!

The Police Paradox

There was a robbery. The person whose house was robbed lives in the third floor of an apartment house in a place not too far from Hitech city. He was away for one night and there was a break in. Door forced open, steel almirah broken open and stuff stolen. Jewellery, cash, etc. Alright. Happens. But what is intriguing is what the police does. This is what happened.

The Sub Inspector came with his writer. He first admonished the watchman of the building and gave him some tips on how to stay awake past 1. 'Sleep till 1, and then wake up,' was his advice. The watchman was then dispensed off. To the aggrieved party the SI was very sympathetic. 'What's lost is lost,' said the philosopher cop. 'There is no point in filing a case. Lawyer will cost 5000 bucks and there could be court visits and all that. So better not file a case unless you think there is substantial damage.'

The aggrieved party was further aggrieved at this helpless police. 'Fingerprints?' asked the party hopefully. 'They could be there.' One look at the place, the almirah and the cop decided. 'No,' he said. 'No point. First check if there is anything the thieves have left behind.' The aggrieved party searched gingery, not wanting their finger prints on the scene of crime. 'Not to worry,' said cop. 'There are no fingerprints of the thieves.' He must have had really good eyesight.

To their gentle insinuations that maybe some investigation could bring some results, the cop answered. 'You should be careful when you go out of town,' he warned. 'We have put up a notice in our police station about what to do when you go out of town.' The aggrieved party now started to wonder if they had done something wrong by not visiting the police station every day like one does a temple to check out the latest notices. But the police seem to advise what the priests do in their temples, don't get attached to valuables, to material things.

I can imagine what will happen today. A visit to the police station again with a detailed inventory, wait for the big boss to come, listen to him talk on his cell phone for a long time, experience the same discomfort everyone feels when he looks at you like you are wasting precious time, listen to a lecture on how not to be careless and leave anything of value of home, go to writer saab and write out a full report and head home and have a bath. As for the stolen articles, anyone's guess is as good as mine. We can most certainly kiss them good bye. The time it appears is ripe for an outsourced police outfit like a Perry Mason kind of an agency here - someone who could recover stuff for sure and take a part of it as reward! It would be simpler to have these agencies deal with the cops and the robbers!