I have been on Wordpress since 2005. However I have found that it takes a lot of effort for a single person to update and maintain this highly acclaimed application. I have to take constant back-ups of my database/files/wordpress files and keep up with the current version as and when it has been released. It’s time consuming and stressful and sometimes puts me in a panic state of mind - what if the new upgrade doesn’t work for me.

Moreover to maintain the following of readers I am always under pressure to write frequently which given my crazy mood pangs and writing skills is not possible. I am always searching for bright ideas to keep the crowd entertained but it’s not easy sometimes. Besides my hectic schedule the motivation to to write something creative has been dwindling in the past few weeks. The website has lived it’s lifeline and served it’s purpose. It’s time to now move on to the next generations of apps.

Given the limited resources (creatively and technically) I have decided to shift to Twitter and Tumblr temporarily. I find using these social networking tools an efficient way to express my thoughts with less time and effort. I will continue to write for my website till the time I decide to replace it with something more useful but not frequently. I am heading for a change pretty soon.

This is because the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has framed what is called the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008 [Section (4) of the Cigarettes and other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003] for the benefit of protecting non-smokers. This came into effect from October 2, 2008 and prohibits smokers from lighting up in public spaces such as restaurants, hotels, discotheques, bars and pubs, auditoriums, work places both public and private, government institutions, public conveyances, airports, libraries, educational bodies, cinema halls, hospitals, amusement centres, court buildings, coffee houses and stadia. A violation of this act is a punishable offence with fine upto Rs. 200. About hotels and restaurants that can accommodate 30 or more guests, it can be allowed to have a smoking area but there are riders as stipulated in the rules:

(e)”smoking ares or space” mentioned in the proviso to Section 4 of the Act shall mean a separately ventilated smoking room that:
i) is physically separated and surrounded by full height walls on all four sides;
ii) has an entrance with an automatically closing door normally kept in close position;
iii) has an air flow system, as specified in schedule I,
iv) has negative air pressure in comparison with the remainder of the building.

Furthermore, to ensure that the owners do not blindly comply to the order asking for a “separate area”, Section 4 (2) of the Act states:

A smoking area or space shall be used only for the purpose of smoking and no other service(s) shall be allowed.

Signs that indicate smoking is prohibited in the public spaces must be displayed prominently at all the areas designated as “public space” from here on. Schedule II of the rule states:

1. The board shall be of a minimum size of 60 cm by 30 cm of white background.
2. It shall contain a circle of no less than 15 cm outer diameter with a red perimeter of no less than 3 cm wide with a picture, in the centre, of a cigarette or beedi with black smoke and crossed by a red band.
3. the width of the red band across the cigarette shall equal the width of the red perimeter.
4. The board shall contain the warning “No Smoking Area - Smoking Here is an Offence”, in English or one Indian language, as applicable.

This should be read along with Rule 3(b) which also speaks about the display of the board:

The board as specified in schedule II is displayed prominently at the entrance of the public place, in case there are more than one entrance at each such entrance and conspicuous place(s) inside. In case if there are more than one floor, at each floor including the staircase and entrance to the lift/s at each floor.

This could effectively put an end to smoking at public places which tends become a nuisance more often than not. You can visit the Union Ministry of Health website and download the Prohibition of Smoking in Public Places Rules, 2008 (PDF format) for your perusal if you’re a non-smoker wanting to join the revolution against smoking.

Technorati Tags: india, anti-smoking, law

Sajjanpur is an unheard hamlet tucked deep inside North India which has its residents comprising a mo-bike riding ex-sarpanch Ramsingh (Yashpal Sharma) with his henchman keen on getting his wife elected to the village council. A superstitious mausi (Ila Arun) and her amanglik daughter Vindhya (Divya Dutta) who cannot find a suitable match for herself. A flirtatious clinic assistant in the local health centre called Ramkumar (Ravi Kishen) wooing a widow called Shobha (Rajeshwari Sachdev) and numerous other characters. Ravi Jhankal as Munnibai, the eunuch who defeats her nearest rival in the election to become the sarpanch, is worth mentioning for his superb performance.

The educated and learned Madhav performs the job of writing mails for the unlettered blokes from under a banyan tree where he has set up his small office cum observatory - noting the movements of the locals. He’s smitten by Kamla (Amrita Rao) his school chum but now tied in matrimony with a man who has left for Mumbai; helping her to be in constant touch with him by penning her emotions down on a postcard. He swindles the innocent Kamla in an effort to win her loyalty but relents after finding the truth.

For the point, Benegal sticks to his style of bringing the realism through cinema like he has always done through classic movies like Bhumika, Nishant, Ankur, Manthan, etc. This time he prefers to depict societal and cultural problems faced by rural India satirically through comedy. Needless to say that Benegal excels in his storytelling ever so brilliantly. The trauma, the pain and the problems all coated in layers of laughter to bring out an ultimate entertainer that’s Madhav Ka Sajjanpur. Cheers to Shyam Benegal, UTV Spotboy a last request - Please get the original title back!

» Official Movie Website

Technorati Tags: shyam benegal, india, bollywood, utv, utvspotboy

I recollect the day when 7 blasts shook the city on July 11 2006. I was in the 6:14 local from Churchgate which was stranded between Lower Parel and Elphinstone Road stations. I was notified over the phone by a colleague about the ghastly happening and I instantly knew what I should do. Walking past the congestion, over the rail tracks I reached the main road junction of Elphinstone Road where I decided to take a cab to Borivali. No taxi was willing to hire me except for these 2 gentlemen boys who stopped and offered me a ride. It took me 6 hours to reach Borivali but I wasn’t complaining. I was angry and upset at Mumbai being asked to prove itself time and again. The politicians speak about the “never-say-die spirit” during crisis but do little when it comes to protecting the citizens of its commercial capital. Mumbai Meri Jaan (MMJ) refreshed my memories (or nightmares) from that dreadful day.

MMJ is a story of life’s turnaround in the aftermath of the tragedy. The film traverses the path of 5 characters through the millions who experienced the gruesome event. As a well-paid white collared patriotic and self-righteous man Nikhil Agarwal (Madhavan) has the ability to take a ride to the office but prefers the crowded First Class compartment of the local to the gas-guzzling vehicles. As luck would have it, on that fateful day he’s not traveling in his normal compartment where the blast occurs and he has a narrow escape. Sitting on the rails with dead and amputated body parts and blood strewn across the whole area, Nikhil gazes in disbelief at life’s sudden twist. His confidence completely shaken he ponders over a question that was bluntly put forward by his friend - “you pay 3 lakhs every year as taxes to the government. Have they even filled the pothole on the road outside your house?”. Point taken. On the other hand Suresh (Kay Kay Menon) is plagued with religious bias even refusing to do business with the Muslims. He finds the blasts as a good opportunity to take swipes at the minority population even at the cost of his own dignity. Wearing an angled Swastika emblem on his t-shirt (the nazi symbol), he defintely cannot be called a nationalist.

Rupali Joshi (Soha Ali Khan) is the quintessential Indian TV journalist. A representative of the industry that’s carved a name for creating sensationalism through biased reporting. She loses her fiancee in the incident and ironically events start taking a turn for her as she finds herself at the opposite end of the human story. Of course this time her personal life is packaged into a sensational story (the show is aptly titled Rupali bani Rudali) for the outside world. Thomas (Irrfan) has been a roadside tea vendor barely able to make his living finds a novel way to get even with the capitalists. Targeting the Mall culture that enshrines the idea of liberalism to prove a point to himself. And lastly the unforgettable cop Tukaram Patil (played wonderfully by Paresh Rawal), his philosophies bring true life to the movie through his observations about when Mumbai was Bombay.

As the movie comes to a close, the Rafi song - Aye dil hai mushkil Jeena yaha…Yeh hai Bombay Meri Jaan from C.I.D. is played during the credit titles. The song speaks about the vices in the city - Kahin satta, kahin patta kahin chori kahin res, Kahin daaka, kahin phaaka kahin thokar kahin thes. I wonder if the song was published in the 21st century the lyricist would have been tempted to add “bomb blasts” to the ever growing list problems for the citizens. This is a must-see movie for every Mumbaikar and otherwise.

» Official Movie Website

Technorati Tags: mumbai, bollywood, movies

The movie begins with a bank heist in the typical Hollywood fast-paced genre. Batman’s nemesis the Joker played by the late Heath Ledger makes an entry brutally bludgeoning his associates to keep all the money for himself. The superhero is introduced in a garage action sequence later where he undergoes some injuries that prompt him to demand strengthening his body suit. The new design of the body suit would come as a pleasant surprise for everyone. It’s more chiseled and downplays the yellow-black batman insignia which was so prominently displayed on the chest (even the logo itself has been modified now). To say the least it’s awesome and another proof of the director’s ingenuity towards resurrecting the comic book franchise. Morgan Freeman returns as Lucious Fox the wily CEO of Wayne Enterprise and the creator/inventor of the advanced equipment necessary to fight crime in the city. Michael Caine comes back as Alfred the butler that can be trusted as a father figure and a guide in crisis.

It’s a movie with edge-of-the-seat action every few seconds. The most exhilarating one is when Batman extradites (rather abducts) a Chinese mobster called Lau all the way from Hong Kong. He overpowers a gang of shooters armed with automatic weapons, then grabs the Chinese boss and latches onto a C130 transport aircraft with the help of a chute back to Gotham city where he delivers the culprit to Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman). It’s a proof that Batman is committed to fight the city warlords and can go to any length to bring the criminals to justice from any corner of the world. Heath Ledger with his erratic make-up and restless stance plays the antogonist Joker and he’s incredible in the role. I doubt whether the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presiding over the Oscars would recognize his talent in the film and grant him an award posthumously [Read More on CNN.com]. In my humble opinion, the film belongs to Ledger’s class act and the surrealistic execution of the character — and hence his picture at the end of the review. You could be excused for being completely impressed by his style and trying to be one like him from the movie. Here’s to a great actor Heath. R.I.P my friend. Katie Holmes who played Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins is replaced by Maggie Gyllenhaal who looks so much like her. I couldn’t make out the difference until I came home and read the character list (because I thought “Katie” was looking older?).

Of the few of his special carriages that Batman rides in his movies we have the “Tumbler” or the Batmobile in this one, a smart thinking vehicle that “intimidates” and even self destroys at the snap of the fingers. And the newly introduced “Batpod” or the motorcycle equipped with latest gizmos and weapons systems that zooms past the narrow lanes blasting obstructions of any kind in the path. The scintillating parts are when Batman crashes his Batmobile into an oncoming dumper truck making it to tumble around. And the portion where he drives his “Batpod” bike straight into a trailer and skids underneath it unscathed. All these portions are magnificiently shot and need no recommendations of any sort. Just as the character has evolved into a coexistent 21st century vigilante with Kevlar suit and modern weaponry so has his vehicles that look sporty and vivacious and technologically more advanced than the previous versions. Even the batcave has been refurbished to accomodate modern communications systems like Sonar in this instance. It no longer looks the typical cave as portrayed earlier. Unlike in the past where the storyline stuck to the original artworks, in this movie it can be seen that the director has taken tremendous amount of creative independence by marrying realism with stunning digital effects that makes the story more believable and entertaining. Some of the sequences have been shot using an IMAX camera for the first time that make the scenes more brighter, wider and more immersive. It’s Nolan’s film all the way to say the least. Don’t miss this one in the theatres.

An Appeal to the Parents
Indian parents must realise it may not be a good idea to accompany their young ones to the theater for this movie assuming its a comic book adaptation. Bear in mind that there are scenes of intense violence and blood in the film which are distasteful and kids may not relish them. In the midst of the violent and gruesome action, I was not surprised at all to find kids howling in the dark maybe signifying that they were frustrated and wanted to leave the dark ‘dungeon’ immediately. The parents had a tough time consoling them and it was disgusting to see their attitude frankly. They must understand that it’s a different matter watching a movie then reading a Batman comic. Subjecting a child to an audio/visual medium of such gruesome nature assures a high degree of attention and memory retention that may have a damaging impact on the child’s mindset (sometimes permanently). In India The Dark Knight has been granted a U/A certification by the CBFC for exhibition. Please practice restraint while taking your child below the age of 12 years to the theater.

Interesting Links:
» Warner Bros. The Dark Knight website
» A List of Batman movie series on Wikipedia
» Dark Knight director shuns Digital Effects for the real thing

Heath Ledger reprising the role of Joker in The Dark Knight

Technorati Tags: the dark knight, batman, dc comics, hollywood, heath ledger

In late 2003, five of my close buddies had wanted to do something worthwhile. We were at best designers with creative skills but worked out of home; some of them like me on a paltry sum. On the night of October 2nd, we launched a ‘designers only’ forum hiring some space on Buttclencher’s server. We decided to call it ‘SurfUnion’ or a group of surfing designers. The name took the imagination of all the admins as we liked to call ourselves and later we were joined by many. One of them was a geeky guy nicknamed Bane and was located in Colombo. Five of us - myself, Kreativea (Aadesh), Buttclencher (Raunaq), RanTen (Ranajit Tendolkar) and FlashKid (Isaac) operated from Mumbai. Thus we had a majority stake in the decision making process while LimeIce (Gursimran) located in Delhi and Ryche (Fahd) in Kolkata completed the admin lineup. The fabulous tagline of ‘We put the Desi in Design’ was suggested by Ryche in one of our online sessions. During our tenure, we arranged competitions and meetups that helped bring varied talents face-to-face.

At its peak when SU (as it was fondly called) was running, we had anywhere between 700-750 members, some of them from beyond India as well. In my role as the most active member, I am proud to have accumulated so many good friends that have remained with me even today. A sad gaffe on our part and a lag in attention forced us to shut down SU forever. The decision of not relaunching it was the most difficult and a tough one to take for the admins. It was an emotional setback for many of its union members who had made SU their second home. Graphic-Forums.com was the only successful community at that point in time and we decided to model SU on GF but make it the first Indian designers community. I am proud to say that we were successful in doing so.

Back in the early 2000s, social networking had not yet evolved like today. As technology progresses and social media acquires a new meaning, has the time come to start a new chapter for the union members? will a new look SurfUnion help promote design awareness, cater to the emerging technologies and look beyond just photoshop battles, to apply the knowledge in forging a stronger Indian design community? The answers beckon us and so does the fervor which has been glowing in my heart for a long time. It’s time to rise and think, all ye Union members!

Technorati Tags: surfunion, community, forums, designer, india

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He meets her on the Internet and very unusually they fall in “love” with each other after a brief chat session. Two “lovers” from diverse cultures and city are brought together by fate and technology. In truth by technology but the two strongly believed it was fate. They exchanged their cell numbers so they could share their happiness and sorrow. This meant endless hours of naughty “love” chirping and philosophical discussions 24/7. A special “happy” ring-tone was set especially for her so he could single her call out from the various others on his cell-phone. When verbal communication was unable to express itself satisfactorily, they would turn instantly to messaging. Wherever they went, their feelings followed just like that through the never-ending tender vocabulary. Tragically she was committed to someone and he was fully aware about it. Yet he believed there was the hand of god that drew them closer to each other everyday and each night. He was full of hope and positive and she thought there was nothing that could separate them. Despite her background she promised to be with him forever.

Mornings would not initiate unless he sent her a ‘good morning’ message and wished her a wonderful day. She would instantly reciprocate with kind words and start her day too. That would be followed by an hour long discussion over the phone on her way to the office. Then a series of few more messages filled the day between the breakfast and the snacks that included subjects like partner fantasies, love talk and lunch menus. A call again in the evening would suggest each one was homeward bound again. Night time discussions were special but restricted somewhat and could not continue beyond a certain period respecting the household elders. Each obeyed the others word on everything including following a set routine. When the call was disconnected, it was time for an entirely new series of messages while laying down on their cosy beds till each one drifted into slumber. The warmth of their adoration was being conveyed perfectly well despite being several thousand miles away from each other even though it was still unrefined and suggestive in nature. Images were also being exchanged so each would know how the other looked. That would help in coming closer to some extent.

He prayed to god so that she would become his love and life partner forever. He had hoped that his love would be freed from the burden of a blurry future. He had wished that things would just not remain implied and would come out in the open like pure sunshine. But she would always remain silent on the subject because she knew she was engaged to someone. Although the relationship was growing into the future uncertainty was also gathering pace over her relationship with the other guy. It was unnerving for him to think about her as a life partner having a soft corner for another person. She did not discuss her love life and was silent on the matter once again. They did not want this to come in the middle of their “happiness”. It did not affect them initially and “love” blossomed through chats and messaging while the seething issues were brushed under the carpet intentionally.

During their conversations, intimacy was the theme they’d rarely fail to explore. He would ask her what she was wearing in whispers and later appreciate by saying how beautiful she must be looking. He would want to cajole and caress her as she would blush on the other side. At other times she would patiently listen to his discourses on philosophy, love and life. She would talk about her family and inquire about his mother’s health and condition. This display of care and the feeling of emotional tender warmth was unbelievable for him. He felt he had found true “love”. In those days only tender and soothing love songs could be heard from his iPod.

It was close to a month now since they’d met. They were longing to be face-to-face with each other. Soon a date was fixed for the d-day and a flight was booked online that would take him closer to his beloved than ever. There was a palpable strain evident in the air regarding their friendly face-off. “What if?” and other such dreadful questions mingled in their minds. Answering them would have woken them up from their sequence. All they knew was they were friends for ever now. Everything was set in motion and he was happy. She had carefully prepared the itinerary herself so he could travel back on time. Upon landing at the destination he had promised to take her to the Ganesh temple first and seek the blessings of god who he thought had written an unimaginative love story ever. If this was a dream he said, he wanted to sleep a little longer. This was going to be the hour of reckoning for him. Will he propose marriage to her or won’t he? will this relationship that commenced in unusual circumstances work for both or otherwise? questions, questions and more questions. Reality requires human gumption to be challenged. No time for reality anyway now.

Then something happened quite unexpectedly that threatened to wake him up. That particular day, a week before the scheduled meeting, there was no word from her since morning. He had sent her a ‘good morning’ message which was not reciprocated. He sent her more worried messages which failed to evoke any response from her side. He began to call her frantically. She wasn’t answering the phone. There are no alternate numbers to try, there’s no postal address to write to. There’s only his dearest cell phone who could connect him with her. What had gone wrong? Was she hurt in an accident? is she all right? did he do something foolish? questions kept hitting his soul like needles. He was becoming restless and began to palpitate at such strange thoughts. If she was indeed in danger of her life, there is no way he could do anything about it but he needed to know the truth behind her disappearance. For whatever reason, he did not want to lose her just when things had begun to look good for both. “oh god please not again!” he prayed. He gathers his composure and pushes the redial button. A few rings later she answers the call this time. He skips a beat instantly.

There’s an uneasy silence at first before he begins to breathe some life into the conversation. There’s no time for random “hello” greetings. No time either for the daily weather forecast of their local cities. He comes straight to the point and asks her where she was and why she was inaccessible. She replies in a rather gloomy tone. He understands what has happened. The dream which he has nurtured for a month now is about to succumb. The devil called reality has managed to catch up with him again. Her past is beckoning her and so she has to make a choice. Her commitment is testing her, challenging her to accept defeat and she won’t budge. She has to choose now from the two that would most definitely destroy one man’s dreams. She’s sad but he understands her state of mind. He knows it’s going to make them both happy even if it makes him seem like a complete loser in the end. It’s a small price to pay for happiness and togetherness. He looks at her picture on the screen and disconnects the call. For the last time.

Five days have passed since he has received any communication from her. He’s longing for those discussions and intimacy and the warmth of her affection that he has grown so fond of. So habituated that he keeps checking his mobile for little vibrations and missed calls but there are none. He knows she will never return to him but he will miss her till the end of time. She would certainly be happy with her beloved, now that her mind is focused on her man. Even though the “happy” ring tone on his mobile device will never chime again to her call. She’s made the right choice and he has faith in her. So he won’t call her again now. He pushes a button on the screen to delete her contact details from his device. Being strangers again was not a strange thing after all. Reality had dawned on him as he wakes up slowly from his “sleep”.

Strangers in Love by Bhooshan Pandya is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at www.bhooshan.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://www.bhooshan.com.