Thought for TODAY: 5th September 2012

Today I did a guest post at a nice & interesting blog, very aptly titled - Luv, career and a lot. You can read it HERE. Wondering what has that got to with today's thought? Well this taught Me something today.

Sikha, who manages this blog, has just started a blogathon on her blog and I truly admire people who do that. As for Me, it is an unimaginable thing. She invited guest posts and I sent mine, without any second thoughts. What amazed Me was when I learnt how she feels about Me.

I felt most of times we just don't realise what difference do we make in someone's life. And sadly instead of being happy with these compliments we are more irritated with that one criticism we might have faced somewhere. That is wrong I think. I agree it is important to face your criticism and work on it; but that does not mean we ignore the compliments.

So today's lesson is: Learn to accept both brickbats and bouquets with equal elan!

Thanks so much Sikha for such wonderful words - I am touched! Though I would say you are being too kind. :o)

This one's for you- SIKHA - Thanks for inspiring Me to look beyond my imperfections and to love my perfections (however small they are!!)

Source: Google Images

Movie Review: If by Tathagata Ghosh – A Tender Portrait of Love, Loss, and Possibility

If , a 26-minute short film by acclaimed Bengali filmmaker Tathagata Ghosh, is a sensitive, evocative piece of storytelling that lingers long after the credits roll. Set against the everyday rhythm of life in Kolkata, the film delicately unpacks the story of a lesbian couple torn apart by the weight of societal expectations and dares to imagine a different future, one where a mother's love might just change everything. What struck me first was the film’s raw, grounded realism. The characters feel like people we know, middle-class families navigating a complex world with quiet resilience. The world of If is filled with silences, glances, and stills, rather than heavy dialogue. Ghosh masterfully uses these moments to speak volumes, allowing viewers to sit with discomfort, interpret the unspoken, and feel deeply.

Book Review: The Story of Eve: Selected Poems by Zehra Nigah

Few voices in Urdu poetry have carried the weight of history, resistance, and deep personal introspection quite like Zehra Nigah. One of the first women to break into the traditionally male-dominated world of Urdu poetry, Nigah’s work stands as a testament to the power of words to illuminate, question, and challenge. The Story of Eve: Selected Poems, translated by Rakshanda Jalil, brings together some of her most powerful nazms and ghazals, showcasing both her literary elegance and her unflinching gaze at the human condition, particularly through the lens of gender, social injustice, and political turmoil.

The Urban Gaze : Reimagining the Village in Contemporary Indian Cinema

Indian cinema has long been fascinated with the village. From the earthy, socialist realism of Do Bigha Zamin (1953) to the melodramatic lament of Mother India (1957), the village once stood as both heartland and hinterland — a space of moral clarity, rustic struggle, and often unyielding fate. But as the urban middle class began to dominate cinematic production and consumption, the depiction of the village increasingly came to reflect an urban gaze, that is, a perspective shaped by distance, nostalgia, condescension, or even outright fantasy. In recent years, this urban gaze has taken on new shades, evident in the way mainstream and indie filmmakers alike have re-engaged with rural India. While some have tried to explore the village as a site of resistance, authenticity, or even horror, others continue to reproduce sanitized or exaggerated versions of village life that serve urban sensibilities more than rural realities.

Reviews & Musings

Search This Blog