Taare Zameen Par

Ishaan and Nikumbh Sir make an awesome pair. We know the Guru since a long time and its a habit to see the characters played by him come alive. The student did his part well and for a long time he will be remembered as Ishaan rather than Darsheel - his real name.

There was not a moment in the movie where we couldn't relate to the characters or the situations. Some we have gone through ourselves and others we have seen around us.

The reactions of the child to his situation and the people around him touches our heart. Some are funny, some strange while some others outrageous....but isn't that how we would react in a similar situation?

There are quite a few moments to carry back home. Like the one in song "Maa", the scene where Nikumbh admonishes Ishaan's parents, when Ishaan turns to see Nikumbh's painting, Ishaan's reaction after receiving the prize, the closing scene, of course the flip book and the entire gamot of emotions it evokes. All of these and many more beautiful moments created by the debutant director Aamir Khan which will last in our memories for a long time.

Its a simple story with a strong message and is a wonderful narrative. The music and the lyrics add to the story and touches a chord in every heart.

I would like to Congratulate Aamir, Amol Gupte, Deepa Bhatia, Prasoon Joshi, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the entire team for giving to us such a soulful creation.

I just have one observation, in a class of forty the teacher wouldn't be calling each one by their full name at least not all the teachers of all the schools!

Dear Readers, this one is a MUST WATCH and that too a couple of times at least!!

After watching the movie last Monday night myself and hubby have just been talking about this one :)

This post is an entry to the Reel-Life Bloggers contest organized by wogma.com andreviewgang.com

Sleeper in the Bus

Last Wednesday night I boarded the bus to Bangalore.

You may ask, what’s so special in that? Why are you telling this to us?
Well here is the twist! This was no ordinary bus. This is some vehicle I had been wanting to travel in, for quite a few months now. Let me start the story from the beginning...
Couple of months back my uncle had come to visit Chennai among other places in the south of India. They were to travel to Bangalore from here. They chose to travel by bus – the sleeper bus! This was the first time I heard of the concept. I, however, could not visualise how it would be in reality. So had to wait till the day when they would board the bus.
“WOW”... that’s what I said after peeking into the bus. It was a very tempting thing. A never before idea! Immediately I wanted to travel in one of those and started pestering my hubby to plan a trip to Bangalore :)
And finally, last Wednesday it was the moment! We were travelling to Bangalore – and in a SLEEPER BUS :) I stepped in with a big grin pasted on my face.
These buses have two tiers of bed arranged as 2-1. We had the first two-seater on the upper bunk. Climbing up was a bit of adventure given my no-gym structure. But it was worth the effort. There were pillows tucked under the cover and also a soft warm blanket. The AC above could be adjusted to suit our needs and also there was a curtain to shut out the rest of the bus.
It was such a different feeling. Lying under the blanket I could see the whole city pass by. The same roads which I traversed hundred times a day for various work just moved by. I could see the lower portions of the flyover which otherwise go unnoticed; the top of the skyscrapers; the street lights; the billboards; the sky... It was like looking at the world from a different angle. Unfortunately it was very late in the night and not many vehicle or people were on the road. I’m sure that would also look different when seen from under.
The excitement kept me awake till there was nothing else to see outside other than the darkness....

Mera Bharat Mahan

With so much colour and customs all over, India comes across as an interesting place. I have had the opportunity to travel to a couple of corners of the county and observe the cultural nuances of the Hindus. Let me share some of them here.
Respect
In the east (Bengal) to show respect and to ask for blessings one touches the feet of elders, every time. In the north (Punjab/Delhi) and in the south (Tamil Nadu) this seems optional. I have seen people in the north just bend a bit and mostly with the left hand try and touch the knee :)
Religious tradition
It is a custom to cover the head when going to a temple in both east and north. However covering ones head is considered bad and against the religion in the south.
Marriage
In the east the groom gets to wear the ‘topor’ which is a type of hat and the bride has her head covered and a tiara like ‘mukut’ at the time of marriage – however the face remains visible. In the north the groom’s face is covered by a ‘sehra’ – string of flowers and a ‘pagadi’ turban on the head. The bride has her head and face covered with the ‘chunri’ – a decorated piece of clothing. Unlike these, in south both the bride and the groom are not required to cover their head or face.
Food
This is the most interesting section :)
East and south live on rice while north prefers chapati/roti. Then again in south I have seen people struggle with dry tomato rice or lemon rice with a dry side-dish an effort similar to the north or east where the chapati is eaten with dry side dish. Food at any marriage or similar function in south and part of north is essentially vegetarian while the east feasts on non-vegetarian food.