From the dark to the dawn

Mulan is a live-action of a famous 1998-99 musical  Disney Toon movie with the same name. I have added the "original" Mulan to my watchlist after watching this one. There are few movies which give a double boost: entertainment and learning in one go. Mulan movie is an adapdation of a Chinese fictional folk warrior heroine, Mulan from Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century AD). Mulan is popular worldwide and many series and movies have been made before on her life. Disney live-action Mulan is the latest remake. I would not like to go into details about what Disney has missed like its other women-centric action movies just to lure the Chinese authorities to accept this movie to their theaters. I would also not talk about the boycott movement around this movie. This movie deserves a round of applause too. I am going to talk about it. To save her ailing father, a girl named Hua Mulan( Liu Yifei ) steals her father's sword and armor to join the Imperial Army ...

This movie was first premiered on 19, October 2019 at the 21st  Mumbai Film Festival organized by   MAMI   (Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image ), sponsored by  Jio . The movie has been released on Netflix on 9, September 2020. The film has been written and directed by Ms. Arati Kadav and brilliantly captures the vivid acting of Vikrant Massey (as Prahashta, a demon), Shweta Tripathi (as Yuvishka Shekhar, a demon), Nandu Madhav (as Nitigya, a demon) in lead roles.  Indian Cinema has been active in the genre of sci-fi cinema since its first release ' Kaadu ' (meaning - The Jungle) in 1952. Kaadu was a Tamil-American co-production. Most of the Indian audiences rely on Hollywood Sci-fi movies due to their impressive special effects and fresh storylines. Crago has been entirely produced in India. Ms. Kadav has done a great job by trying to relate mythology to science in her debut filmmaking. It brings freshness to the story of the movie. The story revolve...

Some time back, I brought Horlicks for my son, and with it came a free pack of "Avengers Infinity Wars- Super Hero cards'. I and my son loved playing the cards game. The cards looked like this: (Src: https://www.reddit.com/r/marvelstudios/comments/b6ijhm/my_infinity_war_not_so_limited_edition_trading/ ) Each playing card has certain characteristics. They are (in order): Height, Intelligence, Strength, Speed, Super-Power. A number was assigned in front of each attribute on each card.  Let us take a close look at one of the cards: This card game made my lockdown life a little easier as I could keep my child engaged for about an hour in a day. Thank you,  Horlicks  for rolling out these cards as without even watching any movie my child became an Avengers fan. Although this game is fun to play with,  it has made my child believe that Thanos is unbeatable . Here is the card: This is how  mind tricks  are played on the public by successful advertisers. The method...

"Money is the most universal and most efficient method of mutual trust ever devised." ~ Yuval Noah Harari (The Bestselling author of  'Sapiens -A Brief History of Humankind') (Src:  https://pixnio.com/ ) The vindication of humankind is money, a predominant, wondrous universal phenomenon that can turn the wheel towards the affluent.  It is the underlying of all civilizations, religions, globalization, and history. History and Evolution of Money: The evolution of money is as enticing as money itself: (Src:  https://www.evolutionira.com/evolution-of-money/  ) The  first regulated coins  were introduced around 640 BC by King Alyattes of Lydia in western Anatolia (present-day Turkey).  These coins made of the electrum (an alloy of gold and silver) had a standardized weight  and were imprinted with an identification mark. This mark testified two things:  Weight of the precious metal in the coin. The authority that issued the coin and gua...

When I end a book feeling good, I consider it worth reading. So far, I have recommended this book to my relatives, friends, and acquaintances who love reading fiction.  The cover page is mesmerizing and inviting for devouring. The story is set in a backwaters town, Barkley Coves (a fictional town) situated on the North Carolina Coast.  The plot is descriptive, enthralling, bewitching, and hopeful. The novel narrates the story of a girl, Kya (also known as the 'Marsh Girl') who was left alone to live, learn, and feed herself at the age of six at her deserted and falling shack, built away from the town.   Although her intimate confidant (along with marsh and gulls), loneliness, tweaked her. She yearned for the companionship, a connection that could satisfy her soul.  She let her heart set on two young men, Tate and Chase Andrews. The latter being the heartthrob of the town. Both of them loved her intensely. Tate was the one who helped her immensely in defining her beau...

The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine. ~Nikola Tesla If you want to know the drive of passion, then this is the book for you. Mr. Nikola Tesla neither cared about his powerful foes or meek friends. He did not care about the betrayal. He did not care about the negative media marketing for his inventions. All he cared about was his passion.  The author beautifully explains the '10,000 hours' rules given by Swedish psychologist Dr. K Andrews.  A total engrossed and a practicing mind is required for the activity you want to excel in. That can only come from true love and passion for the activity . The perfect blend of opportunities and practice gives the perfect taste of success.  This book gives a measured glimpse of Tesla's life. The waves of fame and defamation could not suppress his thrill of innovation.  His fervent ways to see the world differently through his powerful imagination. Sooner or later, when a person becomes famous, he ge...

इश्क करना इतना आसान भी नहीं, बह उठती है दर्द की सरिता चित्त मे कहीं।  ज़ुल्म तो देखिए इस प्रपंच का,  आंखों का पानी भी यहीं, होठों की मुस्कान भी यहीं। बेचैनी दी इस इश्क ने, नींद का सुकून भी यहीं । क्या बताये बात इस अनूठे की,  अनभिज्ञता और बुद्धिमत्ता का हमारी, अलंकार भी यहीं।  लगा था कि पाहुना है, इसका पर घरौंदा अब यहीं।  नजर की इसकी अब भेंट हम भी।

Today, while I was cleaning my terrace, my neighbor came out to ask about the current situation on protests prevailing in the USA. The conversation went this like this: She: Vasudha! I did read about the protests taking place in the USA? Do you know what this fuss is all about? I: Yes. An American policeman killed a 'colored' man. Due to which protests spread all over the country. She: Oh! Are we also colored for them? I: Yes. She: Oh! These mean whites. They killed an innocent 'colored' man. Color has been given by God. They should not distinguish between people due to color. They are giving an upper hand to 'racism'. I: Yes, just like we distinguish between our own people "created by God" based on caste and religion. She: But, this all has started in the term of USA President Donald Trump. I: This all is centuries old(1). Donald Trump has 'indirectly' pushed the agenda(2), just like our PM Narendra Modi has 'indirectly' pushed the age...

कुछ तो बात है माँ में,  माँ यूँही मशहूर नहीं , ज़ज्बात से अपने सजाती घर को, यूँही तुलना आपकी भगवान के बराबर नहीं। एक ही बात पे बात बार आखों में आंसू भर के तो देखो, साथ मे रोने वाला मिलेगा कोई और नहीं। सपने मेरे , दुआएं माँ की, हर चौखट पर मेरे लिए प्राथना करने वाला मिलेगा कोई और नहीं। अपनी खुशियों को मुझपर न्यौछावर करने वाला मिलेगा कोई और नहीं। मुझसे बेइंतहा मोहब्बत करने वाला मिलेगा कोई और नहीं। मैं khudgarz हूं कि मेरे पास आपके लिए पहले जैसा वक़्त नहीं, फिर भी खिल उठती हो मेरे एक फोन से, ऐसा निस्वार्थी मुझे मिलेगा कोई और नहीं। माँ आपको मेरा सलाम है।

Whenever I watch a Disney Princess Movie, my mood gets uplifted and my whole body fills with ecstasy, courage and tranquility.  There is something to them , something more than their aura,beauty and thoughtfulness. Something which makes them so popular and idiosyncratic. So, what makes them so unique? Is it luxury and status they are bestowed upon with since their birth? Is it the beauty they are gifted by Gods?  There is more which outdo their unconventional beauty and unshivering reputation. Some time back, I came across a game which in its result tells which princess you are? We feel quite merry when the outcome of the game matches with our favorite princess. The popularity of the game is the affirmation of our likeness towards the momentary sensation of a real princess. On closely observing the Disney princesses, I am assured that they all share some similarities in their character. Most important to me is that they stand for themselves even in the bleakest...

डर की क्या परिभाषा है , ये तो मन की सतत गाथा है। हम निर्बल असहाय हो जाते है , जब भी अपरिचित को पाते है।   अंधेरा हो वो चाहे फिर , या हो कोई जिनावर , फिर चाहे हो वो परिस्थिति कोई , या फिर हो  कोरोना।  डरते है जब हम सम्मुख आते है , अंजान अपने, अपनों के,परायो के, स्थितियों के, अस्वीकृति के।  डर की वजह का क्या हम अन्वेषण कर पाते है ? नारात्मक सोच का निष्कर्ष है क्या डर? आकांक्षाओं का उत्तर है क्या डर? अस्थिरता का नतीजा है क्या  डर ? आसक्ति का प्रतिवचन  है क्या डर? डर एक एहसास है, दो पहलू जिसके पास है।  डर एक संहारक भी है , डर एक पालक भी।  डर के साथ रह कर ,अपना लो इसे अगर, उम्मीदों का पुल बनाकर , दिखाता ये आगे जाने का रास्ता। 

ख्वाहिशें उड़ी तो बहुत,  मुझे कैद करना ही ना आया। ज़िन्दगी ने रियायत  दी तो बहुत,  मुझे पर पैढी गढ़ना ना आया। किसी ने कहा खिलखिलाती बहुत है,  किसी ने कहा कूकनी है ये। जो सबने कहा वो खुद को समझाया,  खुद से खुद को समझना मुझे कभी ना आया। जीवन का सार था कबीर - रहीम के दोहों में, भुला दिया उन्हें अपनी सहूलियत पे, उनके व्याख्यानों का आशय मुझे समझ ना आया। समझने की कोशिश में सबको अपना अस्तित्व गवाया, पर खुद की आकांक्षाओं पर कभी गौर ना फरमाया। आज जब अपने निराश प्रतिबिम्ब की ओर हाथ बढ़ाया,   तो आलिंगन में आया , गुम ख्वाइशों की एक खजाना । ख्वाइशों के कोष को अब यथार्थ के पर लगाना है, उन्हें फिर से उड़ना सिखाना है,  उन्हें फिर आसमान से मिलाना है।

Yesterday was 'Durga Ashtmi'. My mother prepare all kinds of mouth-watering dishes on this day and call nine young girls called 'kanjaks'(I n simple words, the girls who have not started menstruating ) and a boy. Some people celebrate it on navmi also. The tradition goes this way:- 9 girls and a young boy will enter the house, and get seated on pedestal, the lady of the house would wash their feet,apply tilak on their forehead, tie a moli(holy thread in India, red in color)around their wrist, serve them traditional dishes- Chana, puri, halwa.After they are finished eating, she would give them gifts and touch their feet and seek their blessings.(You can easily figure out the number of houses a young girl visits that day by counting her molis. Very busy day for them). Reason behind this tradition:- People across India(specially North India) celebrate this festival in the respect of Maa Durga and they call nine girls(preferably from different caste) to worship the...

आया था शहर ये सोचकर,  दे सकूंगा अपने बच्चो को दो वक़्त की रोटी मेहनत कर। रूखी सूखी जुगाड कर चला रहा था काम अपना, अब भटक रहा हूं दर बदर। बहुत दूर है गांव मेरा, पहुंचूं अब वहां क्या कर। चल तो पड़ा हूं परिवार लेकर, खाता हूं ठोकर पर मै दिन भर। छोटे छोटे पांव मेरे बच्चो के, दिन भर चल के थक जाते है। कंधे पर लेने लगु, हम ठीक है कह कर ना जाने इतनी हिम्मत कहां से लाते है। सुना है विदेश से एक वायरस आया, जिसने है हमारा भविष्य खाया। काम ख़त्म हो गया,  इससे पहले कुछ समझ आया। शहर का रहा , ना गांव का रहा, मालिक का रहा , ना सरकार का रहा। बच्चो को मेरे अब रोटी कैसे खिलाऊं, मैं अब घर कैसे जाऊं? वायरस का पता नहीं, पर भूखमरी मार देगी, अपने ही देश में ये बेकद्री मार देगी। दिया है वोट उम्मीदों से, सुन लो ए सरकार। मैं वही मजदूर हूं, जिसके घर कल तुम वादे ले कर आए थे, भूला दूंगा सब गिले शिकवे, आज बस दे दो रोटी, जाने दो घर।

Whenever in my hometown, I usually spend my evenings on terrace.  I am qualified to say that I live in a pretty busy area. Because it is near to one  of the premier coaching institutes of Kota. There are countless P.Gs. and hostels, several marts and hotels , many grocery stores and stationary shops, numerous eateries and restaurants and what not. Students, teachers, businessmen, busy and running, all thriving for more. Today was a different evening because of pertaining lock down in the country in lieu of the spread of COVID-19. Many people were on their terrace spending their evenings , the roads and parks were empty, life seemed slow paced around my locality.The sky was clearer(can't ignore the role of rain two days ago though!). I could see a little more stars(AW!). I was kind of relaxed and thrilled to see that. Relaxed because people are following home quarantine religiously in my neighborhood and I am proud of it. Thrilled because I suddenly realized ...