Gangubai Kathiawadi- Film Review

 I was not impressed. The narration drags, in spite of a potentially interesting tale. Some good editing may have been able to spruce it up, maybe.

The story itself has a great conceptual base. That of prostitutes being treated as outcastes, in spite of them satisfying a demand created by the rest of society. If there is no demand, a product does not sell. That part of the logic is flawless. Also, it's not called the oldest profession for nothing. Maybe those who cannot get a partner for some reason can visit a prostitute to satisfy their urge. 

The sequences towards the end when a sympathetic journalist visits and tries to bring the issue into limelight are quite interesting, and lift the movie up from being a complete drag. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's obsession with using a single set for most of the film also is a reason for the repetitive visual feel. 

All in all, a 2.5 on 5. View it if you are a fan of Alia Bhat.

Business Conclave by NMIMS Bangalore

 The student team of NMIMS Bangalore hosted an annual flagship event yesterday, called the Business Conclave. Very interesting set of speakers, debating the theme of Co-opetition, or Competitive Synergy. Some screenshots from the event that I took.. 

Placecom Yearend Party

 At NMIMS Bangalore, it is a tradition that we host a party for the senior placement committee members at the conclusion of the placement process of their batch. Since I joined, this is the second one, and this year was a record in terms of early completion of the process for 2022 MBA graduates.

Some pics from the outing, posed and candid. Ayesha, Divya Anand, Sreelekha, Mehul, Reshma, Sneha, Vasu, Rishika were some of the members

With Ekalavya in the centre.

Some of the goodies- fondue etc., that added to the fun!

Crying Wolf

 This story from my childhood is quite pertinent. In world affairs too. Not the romantic ones, but war-like situations. 

When Putin decides to invade some neighbouring country, others cry wolf. But what about Iraq? Afghanistan? Or earlier, Vietnam? They were not even neighbouring countries, for invaders.

The tendency is to view themselves as holier-than-thou, and this has little to do with religion. The Napoleon-Alexander mentality still shows up from time to time, among global wannabe policemen of every ilk. Amusing, but also tragic for people in the crossfire.

Being peaceful is so much easier, and better!

The Old Normal

 The new normal has shown us what a blessing the old normal was. Just to be able to go out, to work, or to school, or to eat, to travel. We used to take these for granted, so God (or nature) decided to teach us a lesson, I suppose.

Now, hopefully, with enough firepower of vaccines and capability to develop more, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. There could be a few scares, but the worst is over. Yet, it did snatch almost 2 years of our lives, with consequences for some. The disruptions are behind us, and we must get back on track quickly. 

There are valuable things we missed, like meeting each other-friends or family- and we can try and make up for lost time. Cheers to the possibilities. Zoom out of Zoom, and zoom into the old!

Favourite Foods From Around India

 I am not a food blogger, but have noticed that my Facebook posts related to food produce interesting reactions. Therefore, I am making one more attempt to list a few of my favourite foods from around the country.

Amritsar- I had Makke di roti with sarson da saag once at an authentic place there. It was yummy!

Indore- street food, including corn shavings (bhutte ka kees) and dahiwada, and of course, poha.

Tamilnadu- what I like best is the vegetarian thali, served on a banana leaf. Of late, Chettinad chicken too.

Kerala - Fish Moily used to be my favourite while in Calicut. Seafood in general, appams and stew too.

Lucknow- the kababs, especially Tunde kababs, biryani, and chats

Delhi- Chhole bhature, and Mutton curry at Nizam's in C.P.

Nagpur- Savji food was a favourite- makes you perspire.

Andhra- Mirchi bajji is a favourite.

Rajasthan- Laal maas.

Orissa- Dahi maachh.

Kolkata- the rolls are very good, unlike any others.

Hyderabad- Irani chai and biryani, any day.

Bangalore- Simple dosa, rava dosa, idli or Bisibele bath, filter kaapi

Mumbai- depends on the company. :) Maybe pav bhaji.

Pune- Sabudana wada, Bhave supari (made in Satara)- a mouth freshener, Bakarwadi

Valentine's Day Thoughts

 It is popularly seen as a romantic day or day for romancing. But if you expand the meaning to a larger one, maybe we could view it as a day to celebrate universal love and brother/sisterhood.

Why we need such days more frequently, is that wars, coups, persecution and grief are the order of the day in large parts of the world-many for no good reason. Hoping that these will reduce through the next few years. But certainly, expressing good feelings towards everyone, including significant others, is always a welcome idea. Celebrate parents, children, friends and in my case, students too.

Happy Valentine's Day, in advance!

Growing Old

 Why there are positives to growing old.

1. You can legitimately claim you didn't hear what someone said.

2. You can also claim you cannot see very well, and without your glasses, not at all.

These two alone give you major ways to avoid hearing/ seeing stuff that you didn't want to.

3. You can call anyone Young man or Young woman, with an air of superiority.

What will happen when somebody finds out you CAN hear very well?

Well, no idea, nobody's found out in my case yet.

Blast From The Past

 Yet another pleasant one came yesterday in the form of former PES student Pooja Varun, a very accomplished young lady who is entrepreneurial, and sensible. Not only is she aware of many facts of Indian rural life, but tries to do something useful in the direction of improving the visibility of farmers who live there and adding value to what they produce. As I said, not many of us are aware of issues related to those who live in non-urban settings. What is commendable is that she also manages two Food Parks in Karnataka state, in a JV with the state govt. And wants to do much more! I had a long conversation with her about some of these plans. Nice catching up, Pooja.

Pooja Varun and me, at Milkshake pe Charcha ..