Anopheles and I Discuss Corona

Not the beer, but the virus, also called COVID-19. Anopheles, as some of you know, is my female friend from the mosquito world. She and I have chatted before about many things that affect both our worlds.

Anopheles: Hello again!

I: Hi, long time no see..where have you been?

A: Nowhere in particular, just chilling and staying at home..

I: Hey, that's EXACTLY what we are supposed to do now, due to this Corona thing..

A: What Corona thing?

I: Haven't you been watching the news? Oh, sorry, you don't have TV channels..there's this virus. Called the Corona, and passed on by human contact.

A: Oh, so you can't blame it on us mosquitoes like you tend to all the time,..and what caused it to come around with such great force?

I: Trump thinks the Chinese did it while mixing up some exotic sauces.. but they think it was Budweiser trying to copy a Mexican brand of beer!

A: Hilarious! Sorry, I don't mean to be frivolous, but you mean He and Xi are still fighting?

I: (taking a different tack) Well, that's our lot, isn't it? Battle of the Sexes. Who would want to give up on their Superpower status without a fight? (I was now curious)..don't you have fights between Male and Female mosquitoes?

A: Not at all, the males we have are completely useless, and can't do anything well-not even fight. We do all the food-gathering, and educate our kids about what's good and bad!

She said bye at that, and I said, we would meet again, Corona willing.

Tanhaji- Film Review

Competently made historical with a few liberties taken from the story we heard as kids. Which is OK, cinema is a different medium, and exact replica of history may not make for a good visual depiction.

I was somehow a bit disappointed by the depiction of Shivaji, though I understand the pic is not really about him. His character in the film comes across as indecisive and weak, or rather, too dependent on others to decide on important issues. Maybe it would have helped if one of the characters had listed his immense contributions in a short speech or interaction. Not sure why Tanhaji is spelt with an 'h' too- the correct way to spell it would be without an h, as Tanaji, according to me (and Wiki).

But these small  quibbles apart, it is good to see one of the significant Maratha warriors, a right hand of Shivaji, getting his due. A couple of famous dialogues in Marathi add to the zing, such as 'Gad aala pan Sinh gela' (we got the fort, but lost a Lion in the process)- by Shivaji, referring to the death of Tanaji in the process of capturing Kondhana. The fort (near Pune) is now renamed as Sinhagad or the Lion's fort in Tanaji's honour.