Stanley ka Dabba- A movie review.

Stanley ka Dabba.

To say that this movie was entertaining would be an understatement. This movie was rocking. Stanley's life is not a life of an average 4th grader. It is beyond that.

On the surface this movie has friendship and relations as its base. Stanley is a kid full of spark and the situations which he and his friends face can be related by anyone who has ever had a good group of friends.  Stanley faces Khadoos. (Amol Gupte) who brings out the jerk qualities in his character so well that one feels absolute hatred for him.  The duality in his personality - as in the difference in what he preaches and what he does himself- was so well portrayed.

The movie is funny while not trying to be one. The jokes are not forced. The climax of this movie is crucial and is handled really well.

Technically too this movie is brilliant. The camera work and use of music /sound is measured and really effective. If you want to watch one movie which is entertaining as well as has its heart in the right place, this would be it. I would say that this is a must watch movie.

A word of caution though.- Dont watch this movie on an empty stomach. It has a lot of food visuals and you will struggle through it. 


By Ninad Tatke

Pune Watch - watch out for the signs

I am in Pune for a short while. And already Pune has shown me a couple of interested sign boards. Now to understand what I mean my that, just check out http://www.busybeescorp.com/puneripatya/pati.asp?id={B57A82E6-0F95-4898-999E-BB55B368EB5D}

The city has this tendency to spell out what it wants to say. Other cities may think twice before putting up such signs but no not pune. No pune will surge ahead and tell exactly what it wants to say.

I love Pune but could some one stop these sign posts. A small example -

Kite runner. A poet's tale (Part 2)

Sannie had worked hard in the last 2 years to come out with her book. Now as she approached various publishers, she found out that since it was her first book, no one wanted to publish it. They wanted to play it safe.

Why people fear
to give a young person a chance
May be the person may go wrong
But may be the task can also enhance

Fresh blood, fresh perspective
Leaping beyond the scope of traditions so restrictive
World sometimes is unfair
Cause wisdom and age is all that it cares

But Talent is not bound
And it will keep on screaming till people notice its sound

For all said and done
My talent wont lie down - it wont be  - youth is wasted on young.

Eventually as things did work out and she herself a publish her book. It was printed with limited numbers and the book sold out. The marketing and word of mouth ensured that even the second set of book was well received.


So Sannie was a popular now. But still there was unhappiness somewhere.

(To be continued in Kite Runner 3)

Kite runner. A poet's tale (Part 1)

(All poems used in this story are original works except for the first poem)

I think about the reason why
The sun and moon are in the sky
And how the tears drip from my eye
And how a kite can fly so high.

I think about the reason for
The seeds inside an apple core
And how the waves get to the shore
And how a lion roars its roar.

Little miss Sannie wrote this and she rushed to her father. Her father Mr. Ajay Bhalerao  was a government employee. He read this and said - "Sandhya"

"Call me Sannie papa, I like Sannie"

"Sannie, stop wasting time in this junk. Study, get good grades. Get a government job like me. I want you to be successful and happy married someday".

Sannie did not budge. She was ten then. From that day, she wrote what she felt like and always hid her work from her father.

Then one day she when she was 15, she wrote,

All I need is a bit of love
A bit of touch and a bit of feel

A bit of shiver and little chill
A bit of humour and a bit of smile
A bit of adventure that lasts a mile

Some beauty and some pain
And All the love I can gain


In this time I say some things I don't want to say
And I am unable to say some things I really do want to say

And I wonder, is this love.

All I need is a bit of love
And I don't need anything else.


Then as years went by, she met great poets in books.

She read

Miles to go before I sleep

My love is like a red red rose

Say encore or never more



Then at the age of 20. She felt that love feeling again. This time she knew the boy well but was unable to tell him.

He stays around my breath
And he feels good
I want to have him
But he has been nice to me
And I respect that
Not many people have been nice to me.
And that's where I have this dilemma
I love him, but I know he does not love me.

I am sure.
And hence I crush my love for him
And let him be my friend
Cause I care for him

But I still feel sad
When the time is right to be glad
I sincerely do miss to touch him, hug him.
Does this mean, I am bad?

I do want him to be happy
...while I miss him
And I know being close to him
how far away I am really from him

I know every time I am near him
that he is far away
I know every time I see him smile
That its not for me.

And I let all these things happen.

Two years since that and at 22 life can be really busy. Sannie had no time for boys now, hell she did not even have time to even write poems now. She was cramming and studying hard for the government job entrance exams. It was what her father always wanted and she was not going to let down the Bhalerao tradition of acquiring comfortable government jobs.

She cleared the test. She had the government job in her hand. Her father's  dream had come true!

But inside she felt uneasy

Being inspired by Walt Whitman she wrote-

Song of Sannie

I the untamed
I the fearless

I the beginning and the end of the world

I am the road, I am the answer

I am answerable only to myself

And like uncle Walt - I too sound my barbaric yalp
Upon the roofs of the world

I will do what I want to do

Even if right now I don't have a clue!


Its been 3 years since - At 25 Sannie is coming out with her first book. But more on that later. Right now what we know is she is doing well and she is happy.

(All poems used in this story are original works except for the first poem)

By Ninad Tatke.

Beat yourself. To improve in a short time

When the going gets tough, the tough get going. This has been the age old saying. But what really matters is the fact that you are consistent in what you are doing and you are always improving.

So what are the things one should follow to improve in a short time.

1. Measure your performance. Keep its record. Critically analyze where it can be better.
2. Rate yourself.
3. Next time you are at the same task, try beating your own time/quality at it.
4. Repeat this every time

Also one needs to identify the time zones one is most productive in. Morning time, afternoon time evening time or night time and plan accordingly so that you get to do most of the work when you are in the best possible frame of mind to do so. 

If you are beating yourself (performance wise) consistently you are doing something right. If you are not may be its time for a reboot.

By Ninad Tatke

Contagious Ideas . - A idea is changing your life.

We live in exponential times. Which simply means that we live in times where change is more and more rapid. In these times an idea can be promoted through conversation more than ever before.

How is this possible.

Ok if I tell you tomorrow that I went to a popular restaurant (Bade Miyan) . It was supposed to be good. That's what I had heard about it. But it turned out to be disappointing.

Now if you think that I am an sensible guy whose opinion should be considered, you may never try that restaurant willingly. But thats good old word of mouth. It was always there.

What is new in it. Well word of mouth was always there in history, but never before was it a word of written which could be stored and traced easily. I mean web has changed the ball game.

Its the conversations now which matter more than how they happen. I have personally never been to Comedy store in Mumbai but I am engaged and eventually when I do have both the time and resources, I am quite sure I would be checking it out.

But is it just the material or commercial things which are getting spread. I do not think so. Look at causes. The Idea campaign (that cell phone will bring literacy closer to rural India) may be creative Advertising at the moment but sometime soon it is bound to be reality.

Even the fast for corruption was more popular as the word spread rapidly.

But this change, this technology, all these smart phones and great gadgets have come with a price. The price we are paying now for development is changing environment.

Earth has always evolved. So this change seems part of it. But remember that we are the ruling animal right now on this planet and hence if we are causing environmental changes, we should help out in conserving the earth as well. There are many ways to do that. One of the ways is write for environment by writing what you believe in. This would spread the idea. There are these group of volunteers who are full time working professionals but they care for the environment. They are actually working right now. They call themselves Ek Titli. You can check these out

 http://www.ektitli.org/about-ek-titli/  
http://www.ektitli.org/category/conversations/

http://www.ektitli.org/category/interviews/

http://www.ektitli.org/category/green-facts/

 

 Of course the only real way an idea would work is action. But till you find the opportunity and courage to do so you can always pass it on.

By Ninad Tatke.

Concerned :A meeting with Guptaji. A short Story

I went to meet Mr. Gupta.
 It was a sales call. I had acquired this appointment after a long persistent follow up. As I searched his office, the sun soared higher making the day really unpleasant.

Still I was sure that the meeting would be not only pleasant but also fruitful. I asked for the street near the Crawford market and everybody gave me a different answer about its location. Eventually I found the office.

As I entered in a low lit office of my client, my only concern was how to convince him, yet I could not ignore the dirt and filth around me. A raggedly dressed man pointed out to a office on first floor. The steps of the staircase were high in height but narrow and I did get a mark of chuna on my shirt as I climbed. So I shifted my bag on to my left shoulder to hide the mark.
The office was well kept. I sat on the chair and we talked.

They are a trucking company and we (my company) was going to customize a product just for them.

So he started on the trucking business in India. How the roads are killing. How the cops are corrupt. How the margins are going down.

Half and hour slipped and yet we were nowhere close to the actually talk I wanted to do. Eventually the story began...


A truck driver from his company had hit and run last night. His (drivers) driving had resulted in death of 2 people and the cops had arrested him this morning after a chase. The family of the truck driver was in the office in the next room and wanted him back untouched.

Guptaji  stopped the chat with me after every few minutes and went in to have a work with them and make a bunch of phone calls - to a bunch of people. (Cops, MLAs, Other Business men). It was getting very clear to me that this meeting is a dead-end for me. I was not going to get anything and thus I changed tracks.

I now wanted to genuinely understand Guptaji as a person. So I asked him, about the incident. What was his take about the incident.

"Oh I think the driver needs a bit of leeway. These drivers have a hard life. Long months away from home. Long hours of driving. Bad roads. Cops who want money. And many others things. Naturally these drivers are drunk when they drive at night. And they usually still do the job well and in fact they actually make up time. "

I asked -" So you think the driver did nothing wrong"

Guptaji - "Oh The driver was wrong alright. Its wrong to be drunk and drive. But the roads are meant to be better. Cops are supposed to help people and not harass them. So what happened was a symptom of the disease and not the actual disease. "

"So you will help this guy get out scotch free"

Guptaji - "Oh absolutely, you cant punish the symptom for a disease can you. He was drunk because he was frustrated. I cant solve his problems but I can surely help him out"

I got out of the office later that afternoon with shaken thoughts. Is this leeway - a help him out ... (because of a bad system) or is it a start of another bad system!

By Ninad Tatke.