Practical Ramp Walk...

Now this is what I call the practical fashion show, the designs which can actually be used by commom people (as compared to the saree designs, for which I had given the link in my earlier post- Amazing styles). This is Istanbul's Islamic Fashion Fair, which showcased the clothes which the Muslim ladies can and mostly wear...

http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/apr/12/slide-show-1-glamour-glimpses-of-istanbuls-islamic-fashion-fair.htm#contentTop

15 seconds of Fame...

28th January 2010

Indian Tennis star (Sania Mirza) has called off her engagement with Sohrab Mirza, supposedly a close family friend, stating lack of compatibility as the reason.

29th March 2010

Sania Mirza to marry ex-Pakistani Cricket Captain Shoaib Malik on 15th April 2010.

Though none of the news make any difference to my life but the events which took place after 30th March annoyed me a bit. The media came into its Sherlock Holmes mode to investigate till the root why Sania mirza actually called off her engagement, was that to immediately marry Shoaib Malik, was her family earlier not ready for Shoaib, why have they agreed now, that Sania was adament on her decision to marry Shoaib only.... phew...

The Times of India quick summary of the events:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March 29

Sania Mirza’s family confirm that she is all set to marry Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik in April

March 30

Sania officially announces marriage, says will keep playing for India

March 31

Ayesha’s father Mohammed Ahmed Siddiqui threatens legal action against Malik

April 1

‘Sania will only be Malik’s second wife,’ says Ayesha’s father

April 2

Siddiqui family releases Shoaib’s ‘marriage’ certificate

April 3

I was cheated, never met Ayesha, Shoaib tells TOI April 4. Ayesha’s father files FIR, Shoaib charged  with cruelty, cheating. Ayesha says she had an “intimate relationship” with Shoaib & suffered a miscarriage

April 5

Cops grill Malik for 90 minutes at Sania’s residence, seize his passport and mobile phone. On same day, Shoaib, Sania address media together; Shoaib vows to clear name

April 6

Ayesha hands over wedding night clothes, said to contain Shoaib’s semen stains, to cops. Clothes sent to forensic lab

April 7

Malik accepts first wife Ayesha, divorces her; decks cleared for marriage with Sania

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Ayesha: The lady who claimed that Shoaib is already married to her and that she had a miscarriage with Shoaib's child.

On 31st March, btw, another news caught my eyes (thankfully, it was not blown up much by the media) :

Some Pakistani official commented that Sania should play for Pakistan post wedding...

Sania and Shoaib would settle down in Dubai after marriage...

 

On April 5th, Shoaib was questioned by the Hyderabad police for over 90 minutes and his passport and mobile were seized. That day Sania-Shoaib addressed media and Shoaib emphasized that "he had never seen Ayesha"...."I call her maha-aapa (elder sister)"... Just a small confusion Mr. Malik. Did I hear/understood it wrong or you actually said that you have never met her and if that is the case, whom are you referring to as Maha Aapa? (someone please clear my doubt about what he said).

 

On April 6th also, he stood firmly on what he said a day before that he is not married to Ayesha and there is no point of divorce since they were never married.

 

On April 6th only, the media threw up another mind-blowing question to public: Are Shoaib and Sania already married?? The facts supporting their question were- why is Shoaib staying at Sania's home before marriage (arre, because Sania's family has no issue then why should we have?) and the venue has been booked only for the reception and wedding is not mentioned.

 

And on April 7th, all of a sudden, Shoaib formally divorced Ayesha. Which means that Shoaib, in a way, accepts that he was married to Ayesha. Then what was all this fuss about earlier? Was that just for the Media attention? If you wanted to marry Sania and your relation with Ayesha was anyways not working out, why didn't you follow legal path at the first place itself of divorcing Ayesha and then annoucing your wedding with Sania? When Sania was standing firmly by Shoaib's side saying that I completely believe in him and that he is not married to any Ayesha, why didn't Sania reacted badly when Shoaib accepted that he was married to Ayesha or was Sania already aware of this fact and was just trying to shield him to escape hassles of divorce (alimony and the negative publicity of him being secretly married to a lady and that she had a miscarriage with his baby etc)? Did Shoaib accept his first marriage since he understood that he could get severe punishment if found guilty, which he actually was?

 

Why do people crave for 15 seconds of fame and annoy others?

A place called Wayanad...

After a long time we had a long weekend for which we (I, Nimit and mummy-papa) had been planning for long. Finally zeroed on to Wayanad, Kerala. It was not the right time to visit Wayanad (280 Kms from Bangalore), because it is beautiful during rainy season, but who cares.. Such long weekend is not going to come in rainy season.

DAY 1
Started from Bangalore by 6:45 a.m. and our first stop was at Kamat Hotel- very famous highway hotel and it was a mad rush there. We decided to take the buffet for breakfast of typical South Indian dishes- Idly (not the traditional round idlis but conical, wrapped in a leaf), dosa, sambhar etc. Crossed Ramanagaram, where Sholay was shot (as I had mentioned in my earlier post). Crossed Muthunga Wildlife sanctuary, where our eyes were desperately scanning deep forest hoping to spot any wild animal (TIGER specially). But all we saw were the monkeys, showcasing their acrobatic skills.

The moment we entered into the Kerala border, everything seemed green, as if the soil also knows the physical boundary between the two states- Karnataka and Kerala. Within Karnataka, some of the trees were green, rest were all dried up but in Kerala, all the trees were green. Since Wayanad is a hill station, the moment we entered into the Wayanad district, the roads were zig-zag and slopping up and down. Finally reached our resort- Wyndvalley Garden Resort at Kalpetta, by 2:30 p.m.

The resort was much smaller than my expectation but the rooms were clean and cosy. All the shops were closed due to Good Friday and major portion of the Kerala population are Christians. Decided to freshen up and head for the Pookote Lake (14 Kms from Kalpetta), after having lunch at the resort itself. This is when we realized that there is a major language barrier over there. We ordered something else, got something else. Tried to rectify it, only to increase the confusion. Somehow had lunch and reached lake, where the boating time was about to get over. So, clicked few pics and decided to take a walk on the path along the perimeter of the lake. Then went to Valley view point (2 kms from the lake), which was nothing but the view of the entire valley, but you have nothing else to do there, apart from clicking the pics and having ice-cream. Then went to the most happening tourist spot- The Chain Tree (1.5 kms from the lake). It was a tree by the roadside, with a very small, rather tiny, temple and a chain on the tree. 1 priest was doing some puja at some distance. There was a sign board saying: Do not touch the Chain. All of us, alongwith few other tourists were wondering for about 10 mins as to what is so special about this road side place. Even didn't find it interesting or worth enough to click its pics. Called off for the day, since nothing else can be seen. Decided not to repeat the lunch incident and had a dinner in a restaurant across the road, Woodlands.

DAY 2
After having breakfast at the resort, which was thankfully good enough, we headed for a dam, which our driver suggested, only to realize that its deserted (no tourist visits it) and not enough water is there. Then went to Edakkal caves (28 kms from Kalpetta). The way to Edakkal caves is very narrow and it is on height. Thanks to our adept driver, we reached there safely. But again had to walk for another kilometer to reach the spot from where the Jeep service would start. Waited for our number to board the jeep to reach the place from where the actual entry to the caves was still 900 meters ahead, and have to climb up the rocky and uneven terrain. Nimit helped mummy climb those difficult steps. On reaching at the entry gate, we realized that its over crowded and that mummy-papa won't be able to go inside, because they are much more difficult to climb up to. So, both of us took the tickets and started towards the caves, only to realize that its one-way and we would be stopped randomly to give way to the crowd climbing down the caves. I was enjoying this "rock-climbing" experience but it was way too annoying to keep on waiting and giving way, since no government official was there to control the traffic. So, decided to come back half way.
Next stop was the Suchchipara Waterfall (roughly 30-40 kms from caves and 20 kms from Kalpetta) (after having lunch at a local dhabba). By the time, we reached there, dark clouds had started hovering up. But again, it was a walk of almost 1 km and then further rocky uneven steps to take you down to the waterfall. So, again, mummy papa decided to sit before the steps while I and Nimit went down to the Waterfall. But after reaching there, it was extremely relaxing to see the fall and it started raining for a while, making the weather cool. Spent some time there and climbed up (somehow). After this tiring and sweaty day, had a nice bath and chinese dinner at the resort and slept early.

DAY 3
Woke up and started packing, since it was our last day. Had breakfast and checked out of the resort and headed towards the Bannasura Sagar Dam (12 Kms-20 mins from Kalpetta), supposedly Asia's 2nd Largest Earthen Dam. It was a hot day again and we found very less number of people there. Again was a walk of some 500 mtrs and 310 steps to climb. By the half way, we came to know that there is this Jeep service again to transport you directly to the top. Boarded a motor boat for a 15 mins ride but can't call it amazingly exciting. The area is under construction to be made a tourist spot. Finally we started on our way back to Bangalore and reached our home by 8 p.m.

As I said, the right time to visit Wayanad is rainy season, we thought to visit again during that time. But its just a thought. Let us see if we can materialize this. But Kerala is green anytime.

Half Century...

Yeeeeeee...!!!!!! Nothing special to write in this post, but just now realized that I had completed 49 posts of my blog, so thought to Congratulate myself on the First Half century. Thank you... Thank you...

Amazing styles

Again while aimlessly browsing through the Internet, landed up at this page.

http://getahead.rediff.com/slide-show/2010/mar/17/slide-show-1-glamour-the-new-semi-sari-love-it-or-hate-it.htm#contentTop

I wonder who will wear sarees in such style?? Why do these Fashion designers design such outfits which can be used only on the ramps, because I don't think that any person, who is not considered insane, will ever wear them and step out of his/her home (except Fashion designer's high-society friends). Just check out yourself.

Kitne Aadmi The...

No need to even ask you to make a guess of which movie this dialogue belongs to. Every Indian (until and unless you have a language problem for Hindi) has seen this movie- Sholay. Some of you might have just seen the movie but most of us are in love with Sholay, including myself.

Recently read the book, Sholay- the making of a classic by Anupama Chopra. She did not tell the story of Sholay in this book, rather tells about what all went in to make this epic. Sholay in a way was a movie which changed the way movies were made in Bollywood. The white dhoti-black kurta-black teeka clad dakus were transformed into paint-shirt wearing ugly daku, sand-dunes were replaced by big boulders as the adda of these dakus, 70 mm print was introduced for the first time, was the first film in the history of Indian cinema to celebrate a silver jubilee (25 weeks) at over a hundred theaters across India, first time even the writers- Salim-Javed, got their name printed along-with the star cast of the film, first Hindi (and possibly Indian) movie to have a stereophonic soundtrack... Such a huge star-cast, stunt directors from foreign, huge budget, the size of the crew and set... everything was BIG.

Every dialogue, the background music, the characters, the songs, they are immortalized. Gabbar, Thakur, Jai-Veeru, Radha, Basanti, even the mare- Dhanno, Imam saheb, Ahmed, Soorma Bhopali, Angrezo ke zamane ka jailor, Ramlal, Sambha, Kaalia, Mausi are still remembered, irrespective of the fact that many of them appear on the screen very briefly. Like, Soorma Bhopali had just one scene. Sambha, surprisingly, had just one line to say in the entire movie- "poore pachaas hazar" (when Gabbar enquires the prize money police had announced for catching him). The cassettes of Dialogues of the movie were sold off more than the cassettes of songs only. Not many people know that Danny was chosen for the role of Gabbar prior to Amjad Khan. Due to problems with his dates, Amjad stepped into his shoes and since the beginning till the release of the film, everyone, baring few, had doubts about him. But ironically, Gabbar's popularity surpassed every other character of the movie.

For every small scene, lot of thought process went in. A whole new village had been set up for Ramgarh, at Ramanagaram, near Bangalore. Amitabh-Jaya got married, Jaya delivered their first child during the making of the movie and was again pregnant with Abhishek by the time film was ready for release. How Sanjeev Kumar was famous for his drinking habits, how Dharmendra-Hema affair kicked off and Dharmendra used to bribe the spot boys to make any careless mistake for his romantic scenes with Hema so that there would be more re-takes, that Sachin had done more than 60 films by that time as compared to few films done by Amitabh and that Amitabh had started considering him his senior (eventhough he was much younger than Amitabh)....

Trivia:

1) The director's original choice for Jaidev (Jai) too was different. Shatrughan Sinha was almost  signed, when Dharmendra convinced the producers that Amitabh would be the right choice.

2) The producers wanted Danny Denzongpa to play the bandit chief, but he was committed to Feroz Khan's "Dharmatma". Amjad Khan was a second choice.

3) The scene in which Thakur's family is killed was cut by the censor board; the murder of a small child was deemed too horrific to show. Moreover, there was no child underneath that white sheet, since the child artist had his yearly exams at school and could not afford to miss them. Thats the reason that his sheet was not blown away by the wind.

4) The film showcased two real life romances. Amitabh married Jaya Bhaduri, who played the widowed daughter-in-law in 1973, 4 months before the filming started. Dharmendra married Hema Malini, his second marriage, in 1980, five years after the release of the film.

5) Amjad Khan prepared to play a bandit chief by reading a book titled Abhishapth Chambal, which told of the exploits of Chambal dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Bhaduri, who happened to be the father of Jaya Bhaduri.

6) The screenwriters, Salim-Javed, named Veeru and Jai after a couple of Salim's college friends.

7) The original ending of the movie had to be changed because of Censor Board, after much reluctance. In the original ending, Thakur crushes Gabbar after hitting him repeatedly with his nailed shoes and then breaks down and cries. But since it was "too voilent" and that the police (Thakur was a retired Police personnel) cannot take law in their hands.

8) Due to the length of the movie, a dhabba scene and Soorma Bhopali's scene were cut in few of the territories. But later Soorma Bhopali's scene was added back.

9) When the film released on 15th August, 1975, it was declared a commercial flop by the critics and the audience  but with the word-of-mouth, the movie clicked and became the highest grossing movie of all-time in the history of Indian Cinema. At Mumbai's Minerva theater, it was shown in regular shows for three continuous years, and then in matinee shows for two more years.

For the fans of Sholay and its insights, go ahead and read this book. I now want to again watch the movie...

THE Garland...

Just day before yesterday, we were watching the news and Mayawati appeared on the screen with some 4-5 men putting a huge garland on her. Thought, its just another wastage of so many flowers (some different kind of flowers) as had been done on several other occassions by the so-called followers of the most annoying politicians (sorry, but yes they are annoying, and these are my views. Anyone having counter-views can keep with themselves).

But later came to know that it was not a flower garland, it was the garland made out of currency notes of 1000 denomination and supposedly some 50,000 such notes were used to build up that huge garland. Which makes it worth Rs. 5 crore !!!!!!!!!

Imagine, what this 5 crore rupees would have done for the upliftment of any poor section of our society. It could have meant 2 meals per day for atleast a year for so many people. It could have meant 1 room decent house for atleast 1000 families. It could have meant basic education for hundreds of students who cannot afford to go to school. I wonder if her party workers in karnataka have so much of money, why dont they utilize it for something fruitful instead of showing their creativity in making a garland out of it and presenting it to Ms. Mayawati and getting themselves clicked? If the amount is later meant to be donated (which I seriously doubt), then they could have made a cheque or a draft and presented it to her and then let her donate to the respective needy organizations.

When are we going to get out of this cheap publicity and boot-licking by the local politicians and when will they actually start benefitting the needy people? Do they ever actually sit down and think how can they eradicate a social problem instead of thinking how to make their party leaders happy (even if this means, coming in front of their leader for nano-seconds, which their 'gurus" do not even acknowledge ever). Forget these local small time politicians, do these Party leaders ever sit and think for the country people? Opposition is busy in finding ways to oppose the ruling party and ruling party is busy in cancelling whatever projects/policies earlier ruling party had started/framed during their tenure. And then starts the blame game.

If Ms. Mayawati still have some shame (which she never has), she can still donate this money somewhere...