Animated Shorts Review

Gopher Broke

The animated short film ‘Gopher Broke’ is about a gopher living on the countryside who is shown trying hard to procure vegetable/fruits in the film to eat. It opens with the sign board which reads ‘Farmers house’ and then at the root of the board we see the gopher. It is in this way that the main character – the gopher is introduced.

The characterization of the gopher is very good. He has an innocent looking face and has two big frontal teeth which further show his gullibility and country fool characteristic. The naiveté and yet the clever tactics he applies to procure food reveal to us the interesting character that he is.

He is on a road where trucks are moving produce to market. He digs a pit on the road so that every time a truck passes it jumps up and fruits-vegetables fly into the sky. The fruits-vegetables are shown in slow motion for added effect, and the sparkle in his eyes when this happens is a very heartwarming moment. But he can never really enjoy the feast as the crows always get it before him.

The audience feels sorry for him, we connect with him because we have seen him try for food, get really close and then get disappointed. We too get disappointed with him.

The film has a comical ending, as this time around a truck carrying a cow passes and jumps up because of the same pit he had dug. The animal then flies out and lands on the poor gopher! Following this we see the truck go away with the cow in it and the gopher stuck on his behind! :D

A very cute short, with a simple storyline and basic human emotions we can connect too.

A Gentlemen's Duel

This animated short film opens like a typical princess in the castle or fairy tale. We see a beautiful pond, with two frogs trying to have the same butterfly. Then the frame expands and we see a very pretty lady looking out from the balcony to the left and there the title of the film is shown.

The film as the name suggests is about two men fighting for a girl. The girl like in all classical fairy tales is shown as a passive participant who has a pretty face. The characterisation of the two men is very interesting, one is very English and the other is very French in his appearance. So the classic rivalry between the English and the French is revived.

They fight verbally, bicker over the lunch, but the main fight happens with the men running huge robots. In this too fun is made of English traditions like the evening tea. In the middle of the fight, at a very decisive moment the servant comes and rings a tiny bell. All of a sudden the fighting stops and we see both the men and the lady at table sipping tea like civilized human beings!

Once it’s over, they return and resume from exactly where they had left. Finally after a lot of destruction, they realize the woman is missing and later see her boots under a boulder. Assuming that she is dead, they both run away. We see all the destruction they’ve caused and then see rustling in the nearby bush. We then see the lady naked in the bush smiling - we wonder who is she with and we soon see the servant pop out of the shrub too. So somewhere in the middle, the lady had gone out with the servant leaving both the men to fight! :) An unconventional end to a very predictable plotline. 

German Expressionism and Architecture in Cinema

Introduction

The Expressionist movement began in Germany around the 1900’s. Originally the idea was for the artist to produce a piece of work entirely from a subjective point of view. Popular examples are: The Scream by Edward Munch, and Starry Night by Van Gogh.

Expressionism in architecture also began in Germany around the early 1900’s. It refers to German, Dutch, Czech, Austrian and Danish Avante Gard from 1910-30. Architecture showing original, unique design was popular.  Research from Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung helped start the Expressionist movement. There was more focus on the psychological effects of form and space when designing. Socialist government was repressing towards art, it was a way to act out for the artists/architects. 

Characteristics:

• Distortion of the form to invoke emotion
• Striving to be new and original
• Heavy use of ‘Artisan Craftsmanship’
• The idea of architecture as a work of art

Some e.g. of buildings:

• Einsteins tower - This was built by Erich Mendelsohn and is the most iconic representation of expressionism in architecture.
• Goetheanum - This can be found in Dornach, Switzerland. It is the world centre for anthroposophical movement.  Designed by Rudolph Steiner, this building is basically a perfect definition of expressionist architecture.

Cinema and Architecture

Many critics see a direct tie between cinema and architecture of the time, stating that the sets and scene artwork of Expressionist films often reveal buildings of sharp angles, great heights, and crowded environments, such as the frequently shown Tower of Babel in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis.

This film movement paralleled Expressionist painting and theater in rejecting realism. The creators of the time sought to convey inner, subjective experience through external, objective means. Their films were characterized by highly stylized sets and acting; they used a new visual style which embodied high contrast and simple editing. The films were shot in studios where they could employ deliberately exaggerated and dramatic lighting and camera angles to emphasize some particular affect - fear, horror, pain.

So I discuss two films belonging to the early Expressionist phase (1920’s and 30’s): The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920), and Metropolis (1927). Films then were highly symbolic and deliberately surrealistic portrayals of filmed stories. The extreme non-realism of Expressionism was short-lived, and it faded away (along with Dadaism) after only a few years. However, the themes of Expressionism were integrated into later films of the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in an artistic control over the placement of scenery, light, and shadow to enhance the mood of a film. Therefore I discuss two recent films influenced by German Expressionism: Blade Runner (1982) and Batman Returns (1992) in my paper very briefly before I end.

 

The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1920)

With this movie, director Robert Wiene created a masterpiece.  Not only is the story interesting and engaging, but nearly every shot in the movie looks like an Expressionist painting.   The sets, designed by Hermann Warn along with to painters, Walter Rohrig and Walter Reinmann, are filled with strange angles, triangular doors, and crooked roofs.  Complex and intricate architecture, odd stairways, and bizarre props such as giant stools near enormously tall desks all serve to give the film a unique look. The entire production feels like the dream of a madman.

The characters too have been worked upon.  The heavy, exaggerated make-up with sharp angular lines painted across the characters faces and the triangular costumes serve to accent the sets and props.   No film has ever captured insanity so well. The lighting is very important in this film, and a key aspect to expressionist film.  The stark, harsh, shadow filled lighting gives all of the scenes a nightmarish quality.  The sets are painted with shadows which makes the movie even more eerie and otherworldly than it would have been otherwise.  In one of key and often imitated moments in the film, a murder is shown only as shadows on a wall. 

This scene demonstrates the effect created through the Expressionist technique of using angular structures to help represent a disjointed mood and a nightmarish atmosphere.

Cesare’s movements were stiff and robotic. His makeup was excessive and overdone. Some of the shadows in this scene were created by wall paintings to enhance contrast between light and dark. The “Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” employed the Expressionist technique of using dream sequences and flashbacks to twist reality and warp chronology.The unnatural and exaggerated character of Cesare carried out frightening acts during the dream sequences.

Designed by the Expressionist Bahaus School, the films’ sets were contorted and artificial. The distorted designs helped to develop the atmosphere of disorientation.

Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang's film Metropolis demonstrates a visually progressive 'Futurist' society dealing with relevant issues of 1920s Germany in relation to labour and society. It contains a lot of weird, futuristic elements that have stuck with science fiction ever since they first appeared in this movie, and the shots of the robot with electricity in circles around her has become quite iconic.

In keeping with Expressionist concepts, Lang portrayed women in the unnatural form of machines.

Huge sets that dwarf the actors is very well evidenced by the enormous power plant and glimpses of the massive yet pristine 'upper' city.

Lang accentuated the dark mood of the film by including lighting practices characteristic of Expressionist cinema.

Blade Runner (1982)

Many analysts believe that Expressionist media often contains an underlying and ambiguous social critique. In the science fiction movie, “Blade Runner”, directed by Ridley Scott, poetic speeches contained vague political themes and ideologies.

In the manner of Expressionism, Ridley Scott incorporated dark shadows, hazy lighting and odd camera movements into the film. In addition to the parallels to movie “Metropolis”, “Blade Runner” imitated sequences from other German Expressionist films. Bladerunner’s emphasis on the degraded, alienating city resembled that of many expressionist "street films" taken together. Some propose that “Bladerunner” was a remake of Lang's Metropolis. 

Similar to the earlier Expressionist film, “Metropolis” (above), “Bladerunner” portrayed a futuristic city as bleak and dark (below). 

Ridley Scott contrasted light and dark and used straight angles and silhouettes.

Batman Returns (1992)

Ambitious adaptations of the style are depicted throughout the contemporary filmography of director Tim Burton. His 1992 film Batman Returns is often cited as a modern attempt to capture the essence of German Expressionism. The angular building designs and severe-looking city squares of Gotham City evoke the loom and menace present in Lang’s Metropolis. The angular building designs and severe looking city squares of Gotham City bore resemblance to Lang’s futuristic city. The urban design of Gotham city resembled a dream or nightmare like landscape. A variety of architectural styles including Expressionism were borrowed from in the creation of the city.

Conclusion

I would conclude with the following quote which sums up Expressionist movement as a whole:

“The Expressionist does not see, he has visions”

-         German Expressionist writer, Kasimir Edschmid, (1919)

This holds true for expressionism everywhere, be it buildings, paintings, theatre or films. 

Shot by Shot breakup of ‘Derrida’

Given below is the Shot by Shot breakup of the Film ‘Derrida’ - only the first 10 minutes: 

Shot 1          00:00 to 02:00

The camera from a moving train captures the water outside, the water body over which the train is running. This shot taken from the train opens the film. Then as the train comes on land, we see the railway tracks, the bridge at a distance and then the cityscape. Starting with jerky movements, the camera now becomes more stable. We see a wall which completely blocks our view and the visual matches with the narrative voice running in the background which says “when I am completely unable to foresee their arrival”. The train then stops abruptly at a place, and we cannot see clearly as to where it is.

Shot 2          02:00 to 02:11

We see somebody’s house; an old man walks in, familiar homely environment. The old man walks up to the cupboard and hangs a coat in.

Shot 3          02:11 to 02:34

Then we see a clipping of a TV programme, where a woman with a bob cut is just about to introduce a very great philosopher, but before she can tell us the name the shot ends.

Shot 4          02:34 to 03:00

We are back to the house; the old man is shown closing the cupboard and wearing a coat. He then leaves the room after apologizing for not even saying hello.

Shot 5          03:00 to 03:16

A BBC clipping (the watermark tells us) where a voice introduces us to the great philosopher, as a black and white photograph of the old man is shown on the screen, and finally the name is revealed ‘Derrida’.

Shot 603:16 to 03:37

We are back at the house, which we now know belongs to the great philosopher Derrida. We see the old man coming into the house; he talks a bit and then picks his car keys and goes out. 

Shot 7                                                                                                         03:37 to 03:55

An old recording of an interview, where we again see only the introduction by the host of her guest - Derrida. The intermingling of shots that portray his image as a ‘great’ philosopher of his times are cleverly interspersed with his casual shots at home. The opening gives you both the images – how people perceive him and how he is in his normal surroundings, most importantly at home.

Shot 8                                                                                                       03:55 to 04:00

Right outside Derrida’s house, he gets into his car.

Shot 9                                                                                                       04:00 to 05:00

Outside scene, shots from the window of the car presumably. Shows us the route he takes, what all he is passing by. It is very similar to the opening shot, but from a longer angle this time as its shot from a car on road and not a train. Then the car goes in an underpass and it gets dark. Screen blacks out completely and we see ‘de’ written in white on the screen. Then ‘rrida’ appears right next to it in white, and simultaneously ‘de’ changes to grey in colour. Sound of ambulance comes and screen becomes grayish-white.

Shot 10                                                                                                     05:00 to 06:00

Screen is grayish-white; the camera zooms out to a pavement on top of which five people are walking. As they come close to the camera, we see one of them is Derrida. He is lighting a pipe. Once he reaches the camera, the cameraperson follows him while he crosses the road with his friends.

Shot 11                                                                                                      06:00 to 06:07

A lane where Derrida and three of his friends are walking with him and the camera person is moving with them (ahead of them).

Shot 12                                                                                                     06:07 to 06:22

Inside a building, Derrida is talking facing the camera as he waits for the lift with his friends. The lift door opens and he walks in still talking and the camera follows.

Shot 13                                                                                                     06:22 to 06:31

Derrida trying to talk and listen to a person right next to him. He is in focus, whereas two men in the foreground who frame him are out of focus. There backs are towards the camera.

Shot 14          06:31 to 07:42

Side profile of Derrida talking on the mic at the New York University (NYU) lecture. Cut to a person clicking his photograph (the press/ media) – Fraction of seconds. And then back to him. He is talking about Heidegger’s philosophy and his thoughts on biography.

Shot 15          07:42 to 08:17

Camera moving swiftly into a room and then following a lady in the alley walk down the steps and enter another room. Here we see Derrida, who goes to his cupboard and the lady follows him. Camera shows both of them; he shows her a coat and wears it on being asked.

Shot 16          08:17 to 09:06

Derrida speaking at the NYU lecture, shot from the front. He fills up the screen appropriately. He is talking about Heidegger’s philosophy.

Shot 17          09:06 to 11:00

Side shot of Derrida smoking his pipe as he walks past shops on a street. The camera-person is walking with him, coordinating footsteps. Once very briefly Derrida looks into the camera and then looks up and then continues looking ahead normally again – walking all this while, not stopping. The background voice gives us a glimpse into his pasts – childhood and growing up years, interesting facts. This is a very long and continuous shot, just like the opening of the film. He keeps walking and so does the camera-person beside him. Parked cars, telephone booth and people – they all come between them, but the shot goes on. Derrida looks towards the camera once again but as before looks away and keeps on walking. They close in on the face and end the shot. 

Sights and Sounds at Okhla Vegetable Market - Part II

Location: Okhla Vegetable Market

Time: 04:10 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.

20 sounds that I liked:

1. Namaz – coming from the tent put up for the auspicious Ramzan season.
2. The sound of stray dogs being kicked intentionally or unintentionally, in any crowded places is common.
3. ‘Aao! Aao!’ – Shopkeepers keep shouting this to lure customers.
4. ‘70 Rs. bahot ho gaya’ – the price may change but this is one dialogue you get to hear from both the customers and the shopkeepers.
5. As a vegetable market is a crowded place the commotion of people, the mixing of chatter, with the sound of walking and other activities creates a noise unique to the place.
6. ‘Hato!’ – Very commonly heard by the workers carrying big sacks or huge boxes on there backs when somebody is blocking there way.
7. A radio playing in the background is common to a lot of places, but a vegetable market is one place where in order to here it you would have to close your eyes and feel it.
8. ‘Papita!?’ – the item may change, they may know you are not there to shop, but a good vendor will never let an opportunity pass by to inquire if you need something.
9. ‘Puch ke laga cheezein’ – a shopkeeper instructing a worker under him, or a father teaching his son, this is very often heard in various forms.
10. Sound of the honking of cars from the road, and the trucks in the mandi are a constant sound effect in a vegetable market.
11. Thumping noises caused by beating of hand against the sides of a truck, signaling it to back or stop is common here. This avoids any mishaps and allows smooth movement in the market.
12. When vegetables like potatoes, onions, corncobs etc. are dumped, along comes a lot of dust and irritants which can cause coughing. So coughing is another common sound.
13. Sound of dumping of sacks, after they have been packed into the truck.
14. Taking off the big brown tapes that seal the fruit boxes is another frequently heard sound, especially near the fruit shops.
15. As the ‘Okhla Sabzi Mandi’ is near a railway stop, you can constantly hear the train’s horn whenever one passes by.
16. By the time we were leaving, it had started raining. And there was already a big puddle on one side. So whenever a truck would pass, it would make a splashing noise.
17. ‘Aye rickshaw!’ – used to call a rickshawala, grab his attention for some work.
18. ‘Kacha, Hara’ – sometimes the vendors use innovative words like these to grab the customers’ attention. He says ‘Kacha, Hara’ but doesn’t specify what he is selling. It could be anything dhaniya, chilly, banana, mango, beans, capsicum, bitter gourd, etc. so when you hear this, you tend to look for the shop and see what he is selling. Good marketing strategy!
19. As we were exiting, a man’s mobile started ringing in a funny Bollywood ring tone. It was funny and at the same time very symbolic of our visit. As that was the only moment when people around us actually silenced a bit, to see where it was coming from.
20. Whistling – I spotted these few people who were using whistling as some kind of codes to call out to each other and signal certain actions. It actually comes handy in a crowded and difficult to move around environment like a vegetable market. 

Mr. Lochan and his suspender pants

A chequered shirt, a freckled face

Yet a smooth overall appearance

Spectacles hanging from his neck

On a strand of thread

His hair black but mostly white

And off course, how could one miss

His ‘suspender pants’:P

The class all quite, all eyes on him

But are they interested, in awe or just scared of him

He modulates his voice,

Changes its texture,

Throws his hands around,

But do my friends really understand what he says,

Cause if they really did, why would they scared?

Sitting in the centre, of the circle we make around him

He says he doesn’t like people sitting at the back,

But if we someone’s at front, someone has to be behind,

And someone who’s been himself a backbencher all his life,

Should I really listen to him?

His suspender pants, just sum him up

It binds him,

So that he dosent go off the track

It controls him, so that he doesn’t lose count

It sizes him up, and off course they hold his pants in place

So that he can jump around in his thoughts.

I wonder how would he be, had it not been for them,

What a crazy person he would be!

I bought your freedom

I bought your freedom my soft toy,

My green bunny, my cuddly boy

For this day, I saved my cash

So I could buy things and make it match,

Our expenses were almost the same,

He spent a little more, but he earned as well

I am still in college, so you can tell

How hard it must have been for me

Right in front my break up, I could see!

I could see it clearly coming my way,

So I did the best I could to pay,

Him somehow the money for my cute little baby,

Cause I knew that is something I could never give up, maybe

A clever decision, I am proud of it now

Decluttering my life, getting space to grow.

I bought your freedom my soft toy,

My green bunny, my cuddly boy!

Today when removing all those memory triggers from my life,

I am glad I literally ‘bought’my bunny back!

Leaving him would’ve be even more painful than the actual breakup,

It was love at first sight,

It was love at first sight,

His bright green fur, lights up my life! :D

(I know the last two lines are hilarious, but I wrote this poem in jest and it suited the mood and the flow, I was happy writing it, so didn’t change anything)  :)
written while preparing for exams on 12^th may 2013 at 12:45 pm

Ups and Downs...

Ups and downs in life 
Come and go
I cry, I fell down
Back on my toes
Got a broken heart 
Put a band-aid, off I go
All said and done I know one thing for sure
I love my dad the most!

I wish to find someone like him,
But seeing people around, I drop my whim
My dad is creative, intelligent, a helping hand
But most of all he loves my mom so much
It shows in his eyes.
There love so strong, 
There love so sweet.
How could I ever find someone like him!?

Oh papa, I love you and my heart cries for another you,
Who could love me as much as you do,
Can I truly find another you?

Ups and downs in life 
Come and go
I cry, I fell down
Back on my toes
Got a broken heart 
Put a band-aid, off I go
All said and done I know one thing for sure,
I love my dad the most!

Written sometime in April 2013 :) 

Obsessed with words

You are obsessed with words,

More than enabling, they set limits,

You ask us to write a frame,

As if it’s a story.

Off course every photo has a tale,

But when we have ink, pen and our hands,

Why can’t we just draw it out?

Easier for us to get the message across,

Easier for you to understand,

More close to reality.

Why are you then so obsessed with word?

Words that set limits,

Words that are ultimately just words,

Not visuals to please the eyes.

Sir, in the end I have just one thing to say

Why stress the brain,

When you can soothe the eyes!

< I had written this for a professor who i find cute as a teddy, but didn't like him at all when he spoke about writing out "photographic' frames and explaining them :( when one could just draw them >

Written on 23^rd January 2013 at 12:13 pm 

The curious case of the girl with a 'Pink' backpack

When I had read Virginia Woolf’s essay ‘A Room of One's Own’ I had not really understood what the hue and cry was all about… after all what difference could one room really make! I didn’t like the essay and quickly forgot about it…only to be reminded of it years later. I didn’t really want to attend my mama’s wedding, had my parents not forced I wouldn’t have gone. I like my mama a lot but Ii feel that shaadi as a function is not so much about emotions as it is about show-shaw! So grudgingly when I packed my blue and orange traveling bag, I thought if I should carry a backpack along. As I would obviously go with the baraat and would not be carrying my traveling bag with me then, I decided I should carry my cute pink backpack.

So after reaching Kanpur (the venue for shaadi), I realised that we were the second family from our long list of relatives to arrive at the place where all the guests were supposed to stay. For the next three days and even later guests kept trickling in, people hugged each other like long lost brothers and why wouldn’t they? I had seen so many people again after years, some had changed so much I couldn’t recognize them, some I couldn’t remember, and those who I had expected to change still were the same. And with the growing number of people, increased the amount of chatter and along with that came petty fights, bruised egos, and random gossip which sooner or later lead to the formation of small groups, this vs. that. These groups could be based on something as frivolous as - the preference of rice over chapatti, or the likeness of one time over the other for breakfast/ lunch/dinner! =I

So in this atmosphere for a person who is very fond of her relatives and is very social at such extended family get together’s (sarcasm intended) ;) I decided if I stayed in that house bustling with people for long I would go mad with the tittle-tattle or get in a fight with someone who is conservative or a misogynist. I have a flair for getting into fights for someone completely uninvolved. I secretly want to be Dabbang or Singham (take your pick) and often end up in a clash of thoughts and ‘words’ with elders trying to protect somebody else’s idea who at times is not even present during the conversation. :P

So with my bright pink backpack which screams ‘I am a girl’ I would every morning, which would be 11-12 pm, go and walk around the place on foot and discover new things and places. I even got some really nice clicks. :D I hate wasting time and I utilized that time fruitfully thanks to my pink backpack. But for some people that bag become an irritant, why would that bag be constantly strapped on me? For some it was amusing, and for some it was just a part of funny banters and jokes. Some people in fact opened it and ransacked through it to see what was that ‘secret’ something that I couldn’t live without and carried everywhere with me. But being the cool girl I am, I happily showed it to them. Yet there were people, who didn’t even take permission and went through the contents, forgetting in the hurry to keep things back in the right order.

After the shaadi got over, and we got back from Kanpur, the memories which stuck to my head for the longest time were the one’s surrounding my pink backpack. It opened my eyes and gave me a whole new perspective on the essay by Virginia Woolf – it didn’t seem as outdated now, people in general seem to have a problem with anything that a girl owns privately, the society at large has a difficulty accepting a girl who can be on her own, and in fact likes to be alone. ‘A Room of One's Own’ wasn’t only about owning a room, it was about any private space, including a bag which a girl, a woman owns and carries with her almost all the time. Those who are intrigued, interested or even intimated by such a woman want a peek inside her bag, to check if she is carrying weapons for destroying patriarchy, which they love so much. In my case my bag only had – a notepad, a pen, a book and a camera.

Why you so scared?

Why are you so scared?

So shit scared of all?

I know you are new,

But give it some time,

A lot of times happiness grew,

Out of sadness my friend!

Accepting that you are afraid,

Afraid of the dark, strange faces and all.

Acceptance, will lead you to overcoming that fear,

Help you stand tall and never make you fall.

I will still be there always to catch you in my arms,

Would always love you for who you are.

Don’t be so scared,

So shit scared of all,

I know you are new,

But give it some time,

A lot of times happiness grew,

Out of sadness my friend!

I know you so well,

I know you inside out,

I know you my friend,

You pour your heart out.

I don’t want to shout,

I don’t want to scold,

I want you to learn,

Just help you break out!

Don’t be so scared,

So shit scared of all,

Just give it a chance,

Just give it a try.

[this poem is dedicated to a friend of mine... :) ]

Manmohan in a mess!!!! XD

I won the first prize in Inter College Cartoon Making Competition - Bazinga...here's my entry! :)
*
Topic: Sometimes even my lucky rocketship underpants won’t help!!!
Idea behind it: The cartoon focuses on Manmohan Singh and the sticky situation a few months ago he was in and still is. Anna Hazare and the anti corruption protest, the slew of scams and corruption scandals that were unearthed, the Food Bill and the newly revised BPL index, followed by Kapil Sibbal’s attempt  at monitoring all online content,  all these were responsible for making the situation worse for Mr. Singh. In short nothing can help our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from the ugly situation he is stuck in!

Five reasons why I like Anna :)

Lately I have been hearing a lot about Anna, but this time more criticism than praise, unlike before. My college just today organised today a talk in which the guest lecturers lay open the faults present in the Lokpal bill and presented their very own version of the same which they said would be more effective and useful for the people. This made me think over my stand, i was supporting Anna till now, do I still support him!?....I went over everything I think about him and that lead me in reinstating my faith in Anna. Below I list my top five reasons for liking Anna:

1. Yes I know hunger strikes are not the way to bring out reforms, but when was the last time, somebody had such mass appeal without being a celebrity, politician or any other public figure...i cant name anyone. He brought the issue of corruption to the forefront and made it the topic of hot debate, which we had been ignoring for good many years, rather generations.


2. I know the Lokpal bill has faults, but people who are now correcting it and bringing more correct versions of the same forget that Anna was the original inspiration.


3. For the first time one man is leading a campaign by his sheer mass appeal earned not by political tactics, mud slinging on others or other such unconstitutional means (in which our politicians are pro).  He is a living example of  'not asking what the nation has done for us, but what we have done for the nation'.


4. He truly lives for others, read his biography to know more. His contribution are so many they cannot be listed here. But for those who don't know at all about him, I would like tell them that he was awarded the Padma Bhushan—the third-highest civilian award—by the government of India in 1992 for his efforts in establishing Ralegan Siddhi as a model village. He lives in a small room attached to the Sant Yadavbaba temple in Ralegan Siddhi since 1975. He never visited his home though it is in same village. He owns 0.07 hectares of family land in Ralegan Siddhi which is being used by his brothers. Two other pieces of land donated to him by the Indian Army and by a villager have been donated by him for village use.


5. Name one other person like him if you can think of any in today's world, if you are able to I will change my stance and not support his cause. But I know its impossible to think of anybody else, and that sums up why I like Anna so much!

If somebody feels I am still wrong in supporting him, comment below and let me know why, I am open to criticism. Finally I would like to end this blog post by one chant - "Jai Anna"!! :)

Shopaholic guilt attack and Trend Forecast 2011

One thing that I will remember my summer vacations for this year would be shopping! One thing I never believed was that girls are shopaholic, but thanks to my last one month long shopping spree I admit that at least I am one. In the last one month I have been to all big markets of delhi flocked by girls like me: Janpath, Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Kamla Nagar, this year I even explored some new options like: Laxmi Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Moti Nagar, Kraol Bagh, and others. My prediction for this year college fashion according to my market research shows:

• Cloth bags are out, Leather, Rexine, Jute other materials are in.
• Tote bags are out, Sling bags are in.
• Identical shorts are out, Innovative jeggings are in.
• Heavy material is out, Sheer, Net material is in.
• Boring or top to toe coloured look is out, a pop of colour with your look is in.

But despite the lessons I have learnt about the latest inclothes and accesories, I still get guilt pangs of spending so much when my wardrobe is almost bursting! Just hope that I get over this feeling soon. And if you too are lusting after the new bag/shoe/cloth that you saw in a shop days back, just go and get it so that after the lust pangs are over your guilt pang begins...best of luck shopping!! ;)

Is this Delhi that I see?

While going through my college diary I stumbled upon this poem that I had written in the beginning of June 2010, when preparations for Commonwealth Games were in full swing. Here is the poem: 

Is this Delhi that I see?

No birds, no plants, no greenery

Beautification of the city they said

‘Men at work’ the signboards read

Bricks, mortar, cement, and stone

New structures have been grown

Colour, fragrance, liveliness

Nature spreading happiness

Sweet songs of birds and bees

Pure air and the cool breeze

Now replaced by oil and grease

Smoky air that makes you sneeze

Is this Delhi that I see?

No birds, no plants, no greenery.

2010 Commonwealth Games

It was the culprit to be blamed

But is it right and is it fair

Blame not one it should be shared

Wrong has been done, everyone’s to blame

It was not ‘them’ cause ‘we’ had claimed

Beautification by cutting down trees

Progress and growth that’s what we see

Isn’t it so foolish, isn’t it so lame

Putting natural beauty to artificial shame

Cement structures and stony lanes

Done all this for Commonwealth Games

Oh when will this attitude change?

‘Growth’ by cutting tress isn’t it strange

Not measured by the structures built

But by the trees that we have killed

Can’t change it now we’ve done it all

Letting buildings grow & trees to fall

We’ve done it all

We’ve done it all.

Is this Delhi that I see?

No birds, no plants, no greenery.