madhouse musings!

Since the time I picked up Order of the Phoenix to read, I’ve wanted to watch it as a movie. The itch to watch the motion picture is higher, especially when I have read the book.

With this 5th Harry Potter book, perhaps the thickest book so far, things take on a different color… Harry and his friends have grown up, so to say. The dark lord strengthens. It’s more like, the characters are gaining more vivid characteristics.

Also, when a book is more descriptive, it leaves so much more for imagination. I am a very visual person. I remember things in images. I make visual story boards out of things I read, listen to or what I have to remember. And so, in a case where the book is descriptive and has a lot of events and characters, I freak out making my own world around that book and its characters. When I am reading such a book, it’s more like I am in that world and I take breaks to come to this ‘real’ world to do mundane personal stuff.

If it’s a shorter book, its easy, since I finish it off pretty fast and the story world may linger for an extra day, but with a book like Order of the Phoenix – the world stretches with you till you finish the book and sometimes fights for its space and dominance.

Anyways, coming back to the book versus the motion picture; I happened to watch the movie finally on Thursday night. I went with my partner with much fan fare. Booked tickets online, reached there just 20 minutes early. Picked the tickets at the counter, had a marathon dinner… bought extra popcorn and coke… all in anticipation to a Harry Potter treat!

Once the movie started, it ended, of course obvious. We contemplated walking out mid-movie, but I can be a hopeless optimist at the wrong times. Scene after scene, we moaned and groaned with unhappiness. About, how a particular episode in the book could have been translated into the script.

I felt that I had watched trailers / promos of the Order of the Phoenix, the movie and the actually movie was yet to come. When we walked out of the theatre, we dint even feel like we’d watched a movie, sadly. The images from my world of Order of the Phoenix were so vivid that I thought the movie was an utter injustice to the book and the series.

After all this disappointment, I am sure I will go and watch the Half- blood prince when it releases and the rest of the Potter movies…. But, I really wish more movies were made that did justice to the book. Yeah, I know this is an argument that swings both ways – as much as I’d say that a movie did justice to the book; I also account to the fact that opinions are subjective. Therefore, this is my subjective point of view 

Final Verdict: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – bad movie! Good Book!

This is an incident that happened to us recently. My partner lost his phone in the middle of a rainy night in front of our office, sometime mid-July. We went back scanning the streets, but couldn’t find it. We called the number, it was unreachable. I messaged the number asking anyone who finds it to call back my number with a received receipt.

Though this phone was a very basic CDMA handset, it was important we get it back as it had a whole lot of important contacts in it.

I sent a few SMSs with delivery acknowledgement with the following text: Please call this number back to return the phone. Caller will be rewarded Rs. 500. Please return the phone. We waited for a few days and gave up since I got no delivery acknowledgement, nor did we hear from anyone. And so life went on… it used to get a little sore when we couldn’t find a number to call handy or when you had some work and we knew that One number in the phone book would help us. But, life went on nonetheless….

One afternoon, I was busy with work. The phone rang and I engrossed in work said a rather mundane “hello” and I was startled to complete consciousness when I heard a young girl on the other end speak with me in Kannada. Then I realized that I had seen my partner’s name flashing on the screen … I was confused, my mind filled with questions and curiosity….

The girl on the other end flooded me with questions too: “Who are you?” “Where are “Where are you?” “Is this your phone, you’ve lost?” and So on…. I answered a few of her questions, but my curiosity took over soon. When I started questioning her… like a typical filmy suspense, the phone line dropped. I tried calling a few times, but she did not lift the phone. Now, my mind was pacing fast figuring who it could be, what did that kid want, so on… Finally after a few attempts, the girl answered the call. Now I flooded her with my questions – she asked me to contact her father and gave me his number.

I immediately called the father. Srinivas answered the call. I introduced myself and spoke to him of the lost phone. On hearing this, Srinivas’ tone changed to the one with concern and worry. He said, I have been trying hard to contact you, but haven’t been. “Your phone did not have any charge and none of us at home use this handset. So I borrowed a charger from a friend yesterday and charged the battery last evening.”

When I asked him where he got the phone, he said, “I am a driver with a travels near Igate office, that night when it was raining, I happen to get the airport to gandhi bazaar route. I hardly do that route. When I had dropped the person and coming back I saw something shining in the middle of the road. I stopped my car, got off to check what it is. It was your phone; it had opened up in 3 pieces on the road. There was no one on the street for me to check with, so I picked it up, put it together to find out and call someone, but I never started. The battery was dead. So I got it home, and ever since I have been looking to contact you.”

I was over-whelmed and jumping with happiness by now. Srinivas, further continued saying, “I have a phone and I don’t want a phone. What would I do with your phone. Moreover, I am sure you will have numbers that are important stored in this which will help you, not me.” Hearing this I died a thousand times!

We fixed up a time when we could go and pick the phone up and a colleague of ours (Sunder) dearly helped us pick the phone up from Srinivas. When Sunder took the phone and gave him Rs. 500. Srinivas after initial refusals accepted it and said that he’d use it to buy his daughter a phone!

In a day and time, as this – it is difficult to believe anyone or take them at face value, how much ever you’d want to. Unfortunate as it may seem, life has become such – selfish and non trust worthy. This incident, for me, personally has led me to believe that I need to reconsider my judgments about people. There are many such people in this world who still are honest, value their self respect and are humane in its true sense!

I’ve made a list of few things people have told me and actions of people that has made an impact. I am classifying them as Winners and Losers… Here goes!

Lets split the sandwich (where both us were equally hungry and broke) – Winner!
That was the last piece I had, Sorry (when you are famished and the person eats the remaining of the food too!) – Loser!

Makes sure to split the bill or pay alternatively – Winner!
Makes sure you pay all the time – Loser!

What car do you have at home? (As a criteria to make friends!) – Loser!
Never ask a question about what car, how big a house, father’s position! –Winner!

I need an excuse to drive, let me drop you (even if the distance is over 10 kms, in the middle of the night) – WINNER, WINNER!
Oh! We have just enough room for one person in the car, if one of you can come, please do (when its 4 people in the car, two of us who want a ride) – LOSER!

Offer hot coffee on a rainy, cold day, when you visit someone on work – Winner!
Make you stand at the door, as you are wet and chat with you for an hour – Loser!

Pick up conversations and make connections from where you’d left the last time around (even if you are meeting after ages!) – Winner!
Act funny and throw attitude when you meet after a long time – Loser!

Respects your experiences and values what you have been thru’ over the years – Winner!
Acts as if they are the only who has experienced – experience, and all others wasted their time – Loser!

Ones who treat everyone as their sales guys, who need to be yelled at! Losers!
Ones who respects others! Winners

People who can be themselves with you and lets you be yourself…Winners!
People with a façade, pretence… Losers!

Disclaimer: Any resemblance to people living or dead or incidents are purely coincidental!

ChakDe! Is a good movie, when I say good, I mean it is gripping, well written and well shot. It was important that there was no established star cast as part of the hockey team, which it accomplished well; it also meant a very strong persona to put the entire act together, which also was accomplished. In all ChakDe gets super thumbs up!!!

Couple of things that ChakDe! did to me – It reminded of my days as a sports person, when winning meant everything. 100% effort, focus and dedication towards your immediate goal – to win, to be the one on the top, play as a team. Ironically, Indian sports scenario, especially on the women’s end, is rather hapless – be it hockey, cricket or basketball. Its not just organizational politics one has to deal with, but also with internal segmentation, politicking and influences. It’s very easy for players to get disillusioned. Amidst skepticism, I usher ChakDe! as a refresher, perhaps a prelude to the changing fate of sports in India, particularly women’s sport.

ChakDe! also reinforces my faith in the strength of India. The power we as a nation hold, the pride we can extend to win, win over hearts, nations, accolades and most of all immense respect! As a nation, we are immensely talented and perhaps a wee bit disillusioned and I pray a silent prayer that the disillusionment evaporate; and I believe strongly that it’s disappearing fast and a sense of pride is overwhelmingly filling the air.

ChakDe! as it may seem a simple, fun filled phrase, a Punjabi slang; in the context of the movie, it evokes a sense of pride, intense emotion of a want to prove, do something that makes the world take notice. And, as we near the 60^th celebrations of India’s Independence, I take immense pride in saluting all Indian’s who have made India what it is and scream in encouragement – Chak De India! ‘coz winning is everything!