My photography

Fight club by Chuck Palahniuk

I liked the movie, so started reading the book.

This book and Joker character in The Dark Knight have similar affect on me. Both propagate the idea is chaos.

An insomnia patient, develops a split personality. The newly born personality forms fight club where people come to fight with each other. Not to settle scores, but to feel good. As the club grows in to pan-America, the new personality launches " project mayhem" , which is aimed at creating chaos, to end this civilization so that mankind can start from scratch again. Our guy realizes that he has a second personality, which uses his body when he fell asleep. He wants to kill himself to save the world from his other personality but fails. And project mayhem continues.

It's been a very long time I have seen the movie. So I could spot the differences between movie and the book. According to me, it's not a must-read book, but it won't disappoint.

Storm of swords

It's the third book in the series " song of ice and fire".

The author maintained his style in killing the leading characters out of blue. Of course, that's what makes the book series interesting. We can't expect what would happen next.

The chaos which were started in the second book continued here. Everybody wants to be a king and everybody has their own plots. After reading it I started liking the stannis berathean character. He is one of the many who claims to be the king, but unlike others he gives more importance in protecting the realm against " king beyond the wall ", than get the throne. I support him in doing so, because being a king is more of a responsibility than right.

Anyway, little tired of chaos and magic, so shall finish some other book before I start the fourth.

Darkly dreaming Dexter

It's the first book I started after watching the tv show. It's also my first novel I listened instead of reading. Audio books are awesome.

The title character ( can't say hero or villain) , Dexter, is a master at convincing people that he can feel and he is normal. He works in forensic lab and has an annoying sister. I think the author thought of those two things to make readers to make connection between the novel Dexter and cartoon Dexter.

Anyway, our guy , Dexter, who considers himself as monster and refers to others as humans, has a strong urge to kill. He calls that urge " Dark passenger". His foster father who was a cop decides to use this psychological disorder for the benefit of society. So, our Dexter becomes an expert serial killer who kills other serial killers.

Things were going real smooth till a serial killer kind of sends Dexter an invitation to participate in a friendly game. While, Dexter was busy admiring the work of the bad guy and trying to figure out how to find him, the bad guys goes impatient and kidnaps Dexters foster sister.

Dexter finds him , only to realize that he was his brother and how both of them turned into monsters after horrible death of their mother. He tries to convince Dexter that he is his real family and Dexter need not act like other humans and both can kill people starting with Dexters foster sister. But Dexter refuses and saves her life. That's the end.

Writing style is good and I liked the way how the lead character thinks with out the usual nonsense people. Of course there is a huge difference the story line of book and tv show. I liked the tv show better than the book.

My photography

Being independent....

We admire a man who is independent. But independence is a nasty trait to have. I am not talking about financial independence.

Before discussing pros and cons of being independent , first we have to discuss how to be independent. The definition of independence clearly indicates that it's a trait which enables us to not to depend on others while making decisions. That is what our common understanding of the term teaches us. But the definition is incomplete at a subtle level.

Proving to others is one criteria a person wants to fulfill before he completely understands the definition of personal independence. Often independence is identified with the different things he does or follow. Why both are associated ? I think , the universal notion is , if you are no different than the neighbor ,then you are just following him. So just to prove myself as an individual with own taste , i have to differ with rest of the world.  So, i have to do things which i might not like just for the sake of being different. I should not accept a generalized thing told by someone, though its benign. And that becomes the primary influential force in making decisions. But indirectly  my decisions are based on decisions of others. I was in that trap when i was younger.

Another problem with that trait is, its a gullible one, its the glass construction around the house. The trait of independence gives us nothing but the self satisfaction that, i dont fall in the pit everybody falls, i shall fall in a different pit. And we have to pay huge price for that feeling, in terms of human relations, career, time, money etc etc. We need to protect it everytime, everywhere till we die. We have to procure the armor made up of nonchalance and weapons by melting knowledge and argumentative skills. Do they protect us from getting wounded? No. They only help us to sustain the attack.

The annoyance wont stop there. Sometimes a the thought of whats wrong in being like everybody else? Why  should not I accept things which are fine by others? irritates the guy behind ribs will start kicking inside.

I agree, being independent is difficult. But , there are some positive side affects once you extend the idea beyond decisions. If the person dont depend on opinion of others,then he has to to give lot of "Benefit of doubt" while judging.  As the person understands and digests the fact that each individual is different, he is less prone to generalize things .As he makes his  own opinions , he will have no prejudices and shall  get the trait of "Down-to-earth". Once he become practical, he would not talk loosely about others. Because, people talk in that manner to make others believe that they belong to a elite group, as he is independent and dont gravel for the acceptance of others,  the words which come out of him will be sensible enough to gain respect. Understanding that each one is different with different set of problems, might lead to the path of forgiveness. We develop grudge over mistakes of others, because, we assume that he didnt react but chose to behave like that.

As the person develops opinions based on his experience , he is less susceptible to the influence of religion or  racism which spread hatred. So the person will hate less, and shall have more peace than others.  Once these traits has gone deep down, he will be become skeptical of everything. He might ask for proofs for everything , leading to disbelief in god. It does not mean he is atheist , it only means he is skeptical about the existence of  God , which makes him an agnostic.

I am still trying to understand the side affects of individuality. If i found few more, i shall post them.

There is one personal experience i would like to share. My Uncle, who is a commoner, once told me that, a person should follow the path of others, because if there are any hurdles in that path, some one or other would think of the solution, so that we shall have solutions ready made. And thats why they are commoners. People dont remember them, worst, they have done nothing to feel proud of themselves.They cant be examples and they dont make a change in the world. They dont inspire.  If they look back in life, there is nothing but boredom , their trials for acceptance of others, and depression when someone didnt recognize them. And for us, there will be lot of memories, might be failures, but still worth remembering . Whenever you find a person like that, just read the this poem by Robert Frost.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. 

My photography

Clash of the kings

Second book in  "Song of ice and fire" by R.R. Martin. I found the first book interesting, and this one gripping. The war was initiated in the first and battles started in the second.

Personally I liked this book because, unlike other war stories, it didn't confine itself to strategies of war or how many got slyed etc etc. Author talked on how lords hated wars and how they tried to strike the peace. And how equations of society change in the time of war.

My favorite catcher , Tyrion Lannister, has bigger role than in the previous. I am happy for that. I really liked the way author portrayed the character of boy-king, for who ruling a kingdom is more of executing his wishes than looking after people.

The book has all the elements which made me to flip through pages. Love, betrayal, morals, magic , dragons and a story line which we can't predict. What else we need in a fantasy novel?

Ever since Shastri ...

One has to wonder politics from view point of general wisdom people get. For example, resignation of an official or a minister.

Whenever a terrible incident happens we naturally assume that it's because of the person in charge and removing from his will undo the bad. Since L.B.Shastri resigned taking responsibility for a train accident, the act of offering resignation became the proof to integrity of the person.

Ok , Shastri resigned and got personal glory as a man of integration. Now, let's talk facts. Was it because of his mistake the accident happened? Is it the job of railway minister to check if rails are joined properly and all nuts n bolts are tight? Was it not his job to do an enquiry , learn the lesson , and make sure that the employees who are responsible are punished? Or initiate a mechanism which reduces such accidents? His resignation added glory to him but added nothing to ministry of railway.

If every official resigned for the mistake of subordinates, in every office , the authority would change for every few days which leads to chaos.

" people elected me to take responsibility, not to run away from it" said Lalu Yadav when asked to follow the foot steps of Shastri after a train accident in his tenure. He might be corrupt, but he got it right. Imagine, every doctor leaving the profession after he failed to save a patient. Imagine every kid leaving education after he failed in the examination.

In the name of integrity, can we ask the army personnel to resign when we lose a war? What would have happened if every  independence fighter stopped fighting in the first battle he lose? Could India won the cricket world cup if Dhoni had resigned after losing a match?

Take the case of Nirbhaya gang rape, after which Delhi police mooted  policy to have women's wing in every police station and to have an emergency line for girls. Integrity is one factor administrators should have. But that's not all, they should be learners who refuse to do the same mistake twice and go-getters.

My photography

Economics of Ugadi.

Yesterday I.e on Ugadi, I started off to Rythubazar to get a mango which is not ripe for the preparation of ugadi chutney. There were many hawkers on the way selling mangoes and mango leaves.

I felt happy and went to them. To my surprise, I found neem flowers
for sale. I live in outskirts and there were many neem trees in our locality. Flowers of neem are available in plenty and there is no need for people to buy them. But people are buying them. So, I was wrong about availability of neem flowers in my area.Then I realized, my area is developed and trees were chopped. I knew it , but I never really cared.

Because of lack of trees, people were forced to buy things which are naturally available to them previously.  But the same so called development created business opportunity for the nearby villagers. They are getting profited. So, is development  a bad thing or a good thing?

Similar kind of scenario can be observed near industrial areas too. Govt gives land to an industry, like SEZ. Companies gather there, they recruit people. once people are coming to that area, the local business picks up. There will be tea shops, dhabas and  puncture shops. Soon the house rents go high, which helps the locals to get more money, real estate develops as people starts pouring in. Next, the area will be filled with labor huts, steel n cement shops. After completion of two or three apartments, there will be a Green Bawarchi, chicken centers, vegetable markets , mobile recharge shops, kirana and general stores, medical and pan shops.

With in two or three years, there will be schools, bars and restaurants , internet center, a nursing home, an auto stand. And all these small businesses are run mostly by locals who have nothing to do before the SEZ.

The problem is people inherently believe in zero-sum game. And we naturally tend to believe that if somebody is getting  profits means his neighbor is at loss.

My photography

Been experimenting on photography, since I got 8MP mobile. These are some  pics I liked.

Low budget films, Short movies & Plays.

Better than high budget movies, I am beginning to like artistic, offbeat low budget movies. Let me be very clear,  I am not talking about shakeela movies.

Recently I watched the "swamy ra ra", "Tere bin laden" , " The president is coming" and "pizza". I liked everyone of them. What's not to like?

Unlike in high budget movies, where , it's the stardom of the actors which pulls the audience to the theaters, where best movie is the one with highest budget and popularity of the movie is decided by number of theaters it was released.  I always believed that, unless the fans watch the many times it's impossible for any movie to stay in theaters for that long. So, to trick the fans into movies many times and producers choose the stars with high stardom. Sadly, in India, stardom can also be achieved by belonging to a particular cast or by being offspring of a star. OK, I think I am going off the topic here.

I started liking low budgets movies, plays and short movies on YouTube, because they are not shy of experimentation. Their producers are more art lovers than business men. It's the response of critics they seek, not news paper pieces thrown at the screen. They don't aim at 200 days , 150 theaters. Without so called macho nature of heroes with heavy dialogs, item songs or compulsory fights resembling Bruce Lee fights, dumb characterization of heroines and most of all , dedicated comedians, plays seems to be fine. At least I get to see different story lines.

Predictability always kills art. Short movies don't have to bother about it, nor plays. Some low budget movies like " pilla zameendar" have predictable climax, but screen play compensates that.

Anyway, once I have moved from main stream art, the whole world of art started parading before me. Before that I am not aware of " La makaan" at Hyderabad which encourages young artists, now , I am a regular visitor there. I am watching old Hollywood movies, dubbed movies on world movies, modern plays. In other words, now I am that boring guy who watches  art movies.  I am enjoying this new change.

The killing Truth !

Truth is like the fire which burns us to the core , says the telugu proverb.  For me the hard truth has two facets .

One is like a big boulder which pins us down. May be after some time, we learn to carry it and move forward, though it controls our pace. When the boulder is on the shoulder it's so hard to move and even a small elevation in the path or small hurdle might depress us. The stronger the man the faster he moves forward with it. If the person is weak, he is dead beneath it.

Another personality of hard truth is that of a spear. We knew the truth, but when it is explicitly stated by others, it becomes a spear which cuts through our body. The other person need not be the enemy even a stranger with knowledge of truth can slay us.

Unless, we have the shield of arrogance or acceptance of truth, it's tough to survive the spear attack.

Missing Orkut !

People might laugh at me, but I shall stand to my opinion. I actually miss Orkut. Not that scrap count, ratings etc etc, but I am missing communities.

I made few good friends through orkut communities. I think that's best way to make friends. Normally, we meet people , after a long chat we might find out their likes and dislikes. If we share common interests with them, then we get closr. Its time consuming.

In Orkut, we join  a community, so we meet people whose interests concur with us, so the probability finding the people with whom we can hang out is much more. And the discussions which happen in threads are so informative.  And the communities a person joins gives us an idea of his personality.

Seriously, I miss Orkut communities. I hope people ditch Facebook and participate more on
Communities of Google plus.

American history X

I always found prison movies interesting. A group of men , who came under one roof, for not following the rules of the society. And how those men will behave? Most of the actions of freemen are influenced by the fear of punishment by either God or court. But how those men behave, when they are punished.

But in most of the prison movies, the protagonist is either falsely accused or did the crime impulsively. So, the emotions of the hero would be " paddling against the bad luck" or  " regretting impulsive actions".

This movie didn't follow those. The lead character, full of ego, arrogance, racism and hatred
, did the crime, went to prison, learned lessons from fellow prisoners, returned home as a responsible man, tried to stop his brother from walking through the ugly path he took.

Well, I might have said it in a boring way, but the action of Edward Norton, the gripping screenplay and photography, will leave clear prints on mind. I became fan of Edward Norton after this movie. Playing the role of a arrogant man who can't hide hatred towards other race is no easy thing.

The protagonist lead life in an illusion that, white race is superior to others. He participates in neo Nazi movement and forms a gang and started hurting others. In the world he is living, white race can't be touched, in that arrogance he kills a black guy who tried to steal his vehicle. He felt like a judge while killing him and felt proud of what he did in front of his family. All those superficial feelings vanished, when police caught him, the coldness of handcuffs brought him to reality, that he is not a God.

He might be small town rowdy, but in prison, in the presence of all those criminals, he felt helpless, scared, and started looking for friends. When he found few others like him , felt safe but disgusted by them when gang leaders of every race cooperate each other. When he expressed his disapproval, he was humiliated by them and left alone. 

He was forced to accept the fact that, life is like a prison with every kind of person in it. To beat the prison  guards or God, we need to cooperate.

When he got back home, he surprises his family and friends with his cool nature and felt sad and angry when he realized that his little brother treats him like a hero for what he did and following his foot prints.

A must watch watch drama.

Django unchained

For a long time I was waiting for a good drama movie. Somebody suggested me that it's a drama, so I watched. The movie is above average. It's by some famous director, they said, I didn't really care about that. Presence of waltz and decaprio is good enough reason.

The story is all about the friendship between a German bounty hunter who doesn't believe in racism and an African-American , and their quest to search and rescue the wife of the Blackman. It's one of those which requires empathy , but as I belong to another nation and another time, I could not really get connected with those characters. Its less drama and more cowboy style of shooting movie. Anyway, the first meeting of KKK was hilarious.

According to me, this movie is neither avoidable nor a must-watch. Shared from Google Keep

Open letter to Justice Katju

Dear sir,

Just read you blog post which argues that actor Sanjay Dutt should be given mercy.

As a normal citizen of India, I could not accept with some of the reasons you have mentioned.

The mercy given by governor or president is left to their wisdom and is not a right of the criminal. Mercy should not given by comparison. Each individual case is different.

Just acting in a Gandhi movie doesn't make him a Gandhi.

Getting married and having kids don't make his crimes go vanish.

Mercy can't be given because parents of the criminal did something good for the society.

Sunjay Dutt procured an assault rifle, which is not a weapon of choice to defend life.

I was astonished to see such arguments from a renowned jurist like you.

Regards,
Ordinary citizen of India

Life of my maid !

First let me produce my argument in the form of case study.

When we moved to outskirts  i was a kid of 5 years old.  At that time, our area was filled with huts inhabiting construction workers.As the open land became colony, some of the construction workers changed their profession to auto drivers etc etc  and their wives become house maids. Our present maid is of my age, and started working when i was in 10th class. She has two younger sisters. My mom used to teach them elementary maths and how to read and write. Among the three sisters, the youngest one is bright. She made into SC/ST hostels of Govt , finished SSC and got into nursing profession. The other two got married and continue being maids. Last month, our maid, Jyothi, broke her wrist.

When i went with my mom to visit her, i was amazed to see that, their home is not a hut anymore but a cement house. Her husband is  an electrician. We knew each other on first name basis but never actually spoke to each other since the end of our childhood, she was a good runner then. The youngest sister, moved to some other town and started working.

Now the question is, why didnt parents of our maid , made all three sisters to go to school. If that had happened, life style of everyone of them would have been uplifted. I guess, it didnt happen because, the elder girls had to work to create the surplus money , which elevated the burden of last girl.

The thing, I understood from this case is that  the general argument of OC, to remove reservation to the backward caste is highly ridiculous. The reservation offered to the backward class does not force them to accept the reservation. Many might not use that reservation due to various reasons. Change does not happen  suddenly.  In our maids case, the reservation was used by only one member. The other two had to work , to support the family. If reservation system is abandoned, the children of jyoti might not get proper education. So, the reservation system, has to be there, may be till all SC/ST members of our society enter creamy layer.Change does not happen  suddenly.

Of course , in this post, my argument is against removing reservations for backward class. I have no objection against , poor OC people getting reservation. In indian culture, for centuries, the economic status of person is tied up with his caste. So, govt adopted caste based reservation. I support abolishing the present system of giving reservations based on caste and rewrite the system so that only and any economically backward person will enjoy the fruits of reservation.

 Its funny how many girls who enjoy 33% reservation are against the SC/ST reservation.

How we perceive Govt.

Like God, or a parent. I am not joking, thats how we see govt.

For most of us govt is so powerful that, it can do anything. It is so powerful it can produce gold and currency with a wish. But thats not reality, govt is just like head of a family who manages things, or the house wife who manages finances.

Probably we should start seeing govt as a company. You cant, expect a company to buy raw materials for higher price and sell the final product for lower price and still run with salaries duly paid. Similarly , we cant expect govt to give people subsidized food, oil , travel fare and run programs like NREGA, build projects, maintain roads , military , police, etc etc . The thing is govt cant produce money by just minting more currency. The oil we are using is bought by govt and it used to sell at lower price. The same with food grains. Once the oil subsidy is lifted , the fiscal deficit will go down and govt can build few other things like nuclear reactors.

Of course, we have an argument to counter that. Kill corruption and use that money. Is it? Look at YS Jagan case. When allegations were made on him, his newspaper started spreading false opinions and a section of people are buying and reading it. Though notorious for corruption Lalu Prasad Yadav got elected many times, Raju Bhayya of UP is a criminal but got elected. How could we explain that phenomenon?