Lows n Highs!!

Wish u all a very belated Happy Republic Day. Many of u might have read posts ranging frm ppl not sending mssgs (like they do on any other days) to ppl dumping paper flags after using it just for the day. Tht is shameful indeed but I felt worse when Pune Newsline published some excerpts of interviews they conducted across various sections in the society ‘bout Republic Day. 70% of the junta (mind u they were literate) didn’t know the importance of it. Won’t get much into the debate of culture influence n stuff like tht but it feels really sad when the young generation doesn’t know or doesn’t -care- to know the reason why we all r living happily today.

My Republic Day started the same way as it is going on for last 5-6 yrs. Went to JPP (a school.. not the one I studied in) for the flag hoisting ceremony. It is getting damn cold here since past 3-4 days. Infact Friday was the coldest day in January since last 12 yrs. Pune is known for it’s pleasant climate but right now it is BRRRR!!! So went to the ceremony almost shivering in the morning. After the flag hoisting, there is usually a speech by somebody (mostly a teacher). Slept peacefully thro’ it .. over the yrs I have improved this skill, but was suddenly woken up when the speaker’s voice caught enthu (almost at the end of his speech). His voice n style reminded me of PuLa Deshpande’s Asami Asami part when a political leader is addressing a rally:
Kashmir te Kanyakumari paryant… ekaaaaaach aawaz… ekaaaaach dhyas… ha hindu rashtra ek aahe
In the afternoon had some family frnds for lunch. I don’t have a sweet tooth but had 2 bowls of amrakhand tht day. The evening was spent hanging out. So frankly speaking I too didn’t do anything gr8 .. just the same holiday approach for the Republic Day.

Saw Rang De Basanti yesterday. Basanti is the saffron colour, symbolizes the blood our martyrs sacrificed during the freedom struggle. The storyline is not tht new… but the way it is portrayed is awesome. The story of today’s youth n drawing a parallel betn the extremists during the struggle against British forces is something which makes it a must watch. Not only it shows some historical significant events but brings forth some of today’s vital issues like the MIG plane crashes n the corruption involved in the defence ministry.

A group of frnds is making a documentary on the freedom struggle in it’s violent stage. One of their close frnd (a fighter pilot) dies in a crash n the defence minister (to save his skin) blames the pilot himself for the same. This ires the group and they seek revenge by killing the minister. Now this sounds a run-of-the-mill story, but all actors have infused life in their characters. After seeing the promos I had thought tht the movie will be only revolving around Amir Khan’s character, but it is totally opposite. Amir does stand a class apart but other actors leave their mark too. Direction is gr8, music is just superb. The whistles frm the crowd just don’t cease when the songs r played n Amir’s dance moves look funny yet cool. I don’t remember the names of the not-so-frequently seen faces, but Atul Kulkarni does a cool job n really looks like a leader of PPS or ABVS. This reminds me of Atul’s interview on Radio Mirchi. This seems to be getting long… will post it sometime ltrz. A definitely must see movie…

P.S.: Sonia Gandhi can use Sue’s Hindi teacher :p