Jodhaa Akbar and a broken door!

Tuesday, 26 February 2008

10:08:55 AM

A New book shelf and a grand table arrived from Karkala yesterday afternoon. I was quite happy to receive the same and was overwhelmed by the grand book shelf my will be in-laws have sent. I never in my dreams contemplated that it would be so solid and good looking. Arranged my books and CD’s in the shelf last night.

Last evening was fun. Swathi and I went to watch the movie Jodhaa Akbar at Movie Dome. The movie hall is a tiny DVD theatre as is the only other one at Manipal called the Movie Galaxy. Mostly cheap pirated versions of the newly released movies are shown at Manipal. Occasionally though we do get to watch a good quality screening.

This screening was of quite good quality, though not as good as the original print, I suppose. The movie though was very slow paced and too lengthy for my liking. The actors were not that well recognized except for the lead pair and some of the cast from Lagaan. Ashutosh Gowarikar the producer has done a good job with the costumes, though the sets leave a lot to be done. Computer graphics are not yet up to the mark when compared to the Hollywood movies that are freely available in the market. The scenes between the lead characters are filmed very beautifully and are the only captivating moments of the film. The songs are beautifully rendered though occasionally they carry on forever and could have been cut short. And I do not see any reason why the Governments are banning the movie. There is no way this movie will incite any communal incidents. In fact this movie shows why the various communities do need to get together. On the whole I would rate this movie a 2 ½ stars out of 5. Mainly it is so due to the length as well as the weak star cast.

Well that’s about the movie. We then went to have dinner at one of the small eateries here at Manipal. This one, called, ‘Hot and spicy’ is located on the end point road and they promise 24 hour delivery service to the residents of Manipal. We did not order a delivery but decided to Dine in. The food here is quite good, and we enjoyed it. Swathi though had consumed a lot of Peanuts and had lost her appetite at the movie.

The Mushroom soup we ordered was just about right for my taste buds and Swathi liked it too (which is quite a miracle in itself as she doesn’t like anything other than Sweet corn soups). Since Swathi did not want to have a heavy dinner, I ordered Ghee rice and Paneer Tikka Masala. The quantity supplied was quite huge and we couldn’t eat all of it. Taste wise hmmm… Let’s see… It was average stuff. The rice was good, but the Paneer was not as good. The bill was quite reasonable and at the end, I think I could give it a few more visits. Since I am a veggie, can’t say any thing about the other items.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Swathi tugged at the glass door at the entrance and the door of glass broke into two, right in the centre. She was shocked and so was I. Apparently the guys had not installed a door stopper or the stuff installed at the top which automatically slows down the door from violent movement. Swathi was very much worried that we would have to foot the bill for the door. Before she could say something, I paid the bill and gently shepherded her out the main door. She started bawling that she had only gently tugged at the door; I couldn’t help but laugh all the way back to her hostel. She was saying that she was Jodhaa (as strong as her) after the movie and so She was stuck with that name the rest of the way back from dinner.

Book Review of Eragon

Want a great book with loads of action and suspense to keep you at the edge of your seat? I thought this book was amazing from the beginning to the end, it leaves me wanting more!




Throughout the book there was suspense building up every step of the way. This fantasy book really was exciting; I always wanted to find out what would happen next. In my opinion, just about anyone who likes Fantasy books would enjoy this because it is a great book with suspense, action, and surprise.

The story starts off with a boy hunting for food. Unfortunately, he is unsuccessful and finds no food; however, he finds a mysterious stone in an area called The Spine. He tries to sell the stone to a man named Sloan; this man happens to hate his family and refuses to sell it to him. Roran, who is Eragon’s cousin, happens to be in love with Sloan’s daughter. Eventually Eragon gives up on trying selling the stone and saves it in case it would be useful for later. In a matter of time the stone starts to shake. Eragon is curious about this, and then he finds out that it is actually a dragon egg, and it has just hatched! Eragon first has trouble naming his dragon, until he asks, "Are you Saphira?" She looked at him with intelligent eyes. Deep in his mind he felt her satisfaction. This shows Eragon that his dragon is pleased with this name.


However, there is something very special about this dragon… It is the only one that has hatched since the evil king, Galbatorix. This evil king was once one of the Dragon Riders, which are those that are sworn to defend the world from evil; however he had lost his dragon. After the Dragon Riders had denied him another dragon, he was corrupted by madness, and had joined evil. Eragon makes it his destiny to become one of the Dragon Riders, and fights off many evil forces in which are allied with Galbatorix.


This book is quite different from many others of its genre in my opinion, this is because most Fantasy books have not enough suspense and you can usually tell what is going to happen. This book was different; it was very suspenseful and in some parts actually had me expecting the opposite of what actually happened. Of any book I have read, I would probably compare this to a book called “The Rage.” These books seem a lot different because in The Rage it is about a man who is sworn to slay dragons, however in this book, it is quite the opposite and the characters have deep relationships with dragons. The author used many techniques that help understand a character better in this book. For example, rather than always showing Eragon’s dialogue, it also shows many of his thoughts as well. Other than that, the author had many other techniques throughout the story, such as a flashback that told a story that went into much detail about the Galbatorix and the Dragon Riders.


I have greatly enjoyed this book, and I bet you will too. I’m not even into many Fantasy books, but I still liked this one! If you want a book that will keep you reading and wanting more, then you certainly won’t go wrong with reading Eragon!

The Fifth Mountain


For most of the 20th Century, Biblical fiction was “Christian fiction”. Biblical fiction gives a fictionalized, religious perspective of the people, places and times of the Bible. This book is an Inspirational biblical fiction. The story is set in the strife torn middle east of 870 B.C. with the chief protagonist being the 23 year old Elijah who is persecuted for following the theory of the Single God. This is a wonderful account of Elijah’s journey. I’m not sure of the biblical truth of Elijah but it makes me want to go and find out.

"God is all powerful. He can do anything, and nothing is forbidden to Him, for if it were, there would exist, someone more powerful than He, to prevent His doing certain things. In that case, I should prefer to worship and revere that more powerful someone."
- Elijah
The Fifth Mountain
Paulo Coelho



I am amazed at how all of a sudden I am being exposed to the books of Paulo Coelho. I had just finished with The Valkyries, and a few days later, a friend handed me The Fifth Mountain.I had felt let down by The Valkyries, so I picked this one with some trepidation. But my doubts disappeared after a few pages.

This is a moving and poignant tale of the Seer Elijah, his trials and tribulations, his love for the Duties given to him by god and above all a tale of how one man overcomes all his personal tragedies with faith and love. Elijah’s experience and particularly his idea that we should all name ourselves according to the meaning of our lives was most inspiring. Elijah discovers his true purpose in life and christens himself 'Liberation'. This simple thought inspires in us to choose what we want to be known for in the pages of history, what is the legacy we want to leave behind.

This is my third novel after The Alchemist and The Valkyries and I rate this next only to the first one I read. A must read for all those who are feeling troubled by their faith in god and the spiritual.

"Life is made of our attitudes. And there are certain things that the gods oblige us to live through. Their reasons for this does not matter, and there is no action we can take to make them pass us by. "
-The shepherd to Elijah
The Fifth Mountain
Paulo Coelho.

The Valkyries !

"Infatuation was a good thing. It gave spice to life, and added to its enjoyment.
But it was different from love. Love was worth everything, and couldn't be exchanged for anything"
-Paulo in The Valkyries
Paulo Coelho.


This is the second novel of Paulo Coelho that I have read, the first being The Alchemist. I had purchased The Alchemist off the road side in Belgaum where I was completing my undergraduate studies and its simplicity of thought and expression had simply amazed me. So when I got an opportunity to read this one, iI took the opportunity with both hands.

The Valkyries is not in the same class though. It is not so easy to understand as The Alchemist, and the expectations created by the former makes one feel that it is rambling, self-absorbed and way too full of itself. But once you get to understand it you realise that the story is beautiful, the message is beautiful, affecting, moving
The book is a mystical and spiritual journey of a man who heads into the Mojave desert with his wife in search of an answer - how does one talk to and see their gaurdian angel. I can't say that it has had any sort of lasting effect on me.

I will add this, the "The Valkyries" is a true story according to Paulo Coelho. He admits to adding two fictional details in his accounts, but overall it is a true story.

Read this book when you have nothing else to do!

Indian Cricket Fixation And Indian Cricket League

The news is that a panchayat in Haryana has decided to ban cricket not only due to our World Cup loss but also with the realisation that it has done more harm and that it is not our game.

An analysis may lead to the following conclusions. Indian fans get too emotional and launch personal attack on the cricketers’ families. This puts a lot of pressure on the players. Fear of fai ure overtakes the will to succeed.

The players are keen on building their brand image thanks to all the corporate and other sponsors. Overnight they become billionaires. Consequently, the players use cricket more for brand building than for winning matches. They tend to become too contented and shirk challenges.

The coaching has completely ignored the little processes that guarantee a win, such as sharp singles, running between the wickets, denying runs by outstanding inner ring fielding etc. We sent a Dad’s army and not even one soldier could be classified as a decent fielder!

On the HR front, someone forgot to tell our players that winning is not everything but it is the only thing! It is about time we attempt some radical solutions. Ban the active test players from giving any advertisements and making fortunes for the next five years.

Rewards should be earned only by performing on the field and nowhere else. Four to five tours in a calendar year, by our junior teams is essential for us to unearth talent. All test players must compulsorily be made to play in counties and other countries for four months in a year so that they fare better in overseas tours.

The BCCI should have only past test players of exceptional merit and the zonal representation should cease immediately. Selection should be based on current form and not on mega brand reputation.

The fans and the media should leave the players alone. They are entitled to their dignity.

There is no need to be sceptical about Zee TV chairman, Mr Subhash Chandra’s move to launch his own parallel cricket league at the domestic level in India. he Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) may feel surprised at the development, but it would be wrong to see it as an anti-BCCI platform. The fact is that organisationally the proposed cricket league cannot be a replacement for the BCCI. But yes, it would be a torch-bearer for the BCCI, lead the path and revolutionise the game in India.

Zee TV has a strong infrastructural base and obviously there is no harm if this is used for hunting newer and newer talents and uplifting the standards of cricket in the country. If the professional league of hockey could be organised to find new talents, the cricket league could do the same for cricket. It is encouraging that the group also has the plan of setting up cricket academies and had offered the BCCI to draw from the pool of talented players. The proposal to launch the Twenty20 format needs to be welcomed.

Instead of perceiving the efforts of Zee TV as a rival’s action, the BCCI must take it in a positive manner. No doubt the Zee TV and Mr Chandra have a long list of grievances against the BCCI, basically related to denying it of telecast rights, but to presume that this is a retaliatory step would certainly be doing the greatest disservice to the game of cricket. The League is trying to pick the thread from where the BCCI has left: Budding talent must be groomed at the grassroots level and given the experience to play on competitive pitches and not on placid tracks.


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