Serendipity

At a distance of about 220 km by road from Calcutta, lies the old city of Murshidabad on the southern banks of the river Bhagirathi, a tributary of the mighty Ganges. In the annals of the history of Bengal, and also of India, Murshidabad holds a place like none other. Dynasties and conquests, glory and prosperity, pomp and prestige, wealth and lucre, conspiracy and deceit - the history of this city is replete with such captivating tales. During the Mughal rule of India, Murshidabad was the capital of Bengal from 1717 to 1790. It particularly flourished during the reign of Nawab Shuja-ud-daula and Nawab Alivardi Khan when it reached the pinnacle of prosperity. However, ironically, the name Murshidabad today resonates mostly with one of the darkest chapters in the history of India, one which changed the fate of our nation for the next two centuries. The defeat of Nawab Siraj-ud-daula, the last independent ruler of Bengal, at the eponymous Battle of Plassey (the town of Plassey or Palas...

One of my earliest posts was dedicated to Disney's miniature masterpieces, the Silly Symphonies. Short, sweet, sensible, sensitive; not silly at all. In this post, I focus on animation shorts (and not just from the Disney-Pixar stables), another thrilling and stupendous expression of mind-blowing creativity. I list my favorite shorts here, and in no particular order as such. 1. La Luna  Like the inimitable Oscar Wilde said - Be yourself. Everyone else is taken. Our little hero just does that and makes a luminous discovery! IMDB:   La Luna YouTube: 2. Partly Cloudy High up somewhere in the clouds, your bundle of joy is being given life! But, hold on, there are plenty of sharp turns and twists ahead. IMDB:  Partly Cloudy YouTube: 3. The Blue Umbrella Romance on a rain-soaked evening just got elevated to a whole new level altogether! IMDB:  The Blue Umbrella YouTube:        ...

Let's get the fact straight : 'Highway' will probably never make 100 crores - a standard that has increasingly come to signify the pre-eminence of quantity over quality in the Hindi film industry. A quote from a Firstpost article states this fact subtly and so aptly - "Imtiaz Ali's best work till date might also be his least successful film." 'Highway'  lends ample credence to Anurag Kashyap's opinion about Imtiaz Ali. When asked on a popular chat show on telly, to pick a quality he feels Ali has which he doesn't - he (Kashyap) replied, "His Sufi romanticism." I could not agree more. There is an other-worldly quality about this film, as it becomes an ethereal painting, a moving poetry in silence, a riveting testament to human emotions and turmoil. 'Highway' has a visceral quality to it. It is gripping, not in the way of an 'edge-of-the-seat' thriller, but it takes control over your heart, it overwhelms and overpowe...

"Is anybody out there reading my blog?", this question has been on my mind for quite some time now. Though I write chiefly for my own pleasure and contentment, it does feel wonderful to have my words read by others, and maybe, appreciated as well! It serves as a great confidence booster, a big motivating factor, gives the urge to go on; it is indeed the greatest reward. Just today, when I have been happily receiving and answering new year wishes, messages from two dear friends touched the heart and brought a smile to my face - Please write more, they said. Whenever I check the 'Audience Stats' section of my blog, it shows me page-views from across the globe. Till date, I have had readers from India, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, Finland, China, Indonesia, Spain, Romania, Belarus, Canada, Netherlands, Thailand, Russia, Malaysia, Poland and a few others I cannot recall. It is a surreal feeling to have my words reach places where I dream of ...

iGoogle was effectively the first platform for personalized themes and apps. Google sunset it on November 1st, 2013. One of the most interesting stuff I found on iGoogle were motivational posters. I had, in fact, downloaded the lot and saved for my collection. After many months I chanced upon them today. Sharing them here - evocative pictures, inspirational words!                                                                                                           ...