April Blogging Challenge

April Blogging Challenge - 20

T is for Thank You

Despite all its ups and downs, life is beautiful. I have my own set of blessings despite some of the curses that surround me; blessings in form of people, places, things and most importantly the feeling of being blessed. No wonder there are many things in life I am thankful for as of now.

I am thankful for ~

A job that pays me decently.
A chance to prove myself and take one step towards my long cherished dream.
A handful of loved ones and friends who believe in me and love me unconditionally despite all the flaws I have.
A healthy life. (Touchwood!!!)
Some wonderful people who read all that I write and encourage me to continue doing so in the form of lovely comments.
The dreams in my eyes for when everything else seems unclear they show the way ahead under their shining light.
The ability to make a difference in few lives by nothing except loving and caring.
Though 2012 did not end on a high with me underachieving some of my targets, this year does seem promising ahead with things improving with every passing day.
The hope that is eternally present in my heart for things to get better and better and better and better.
I am able to chase my passion wholeheartedly. (Though sometimes it chases me if I avoid it for a long time ;) )

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.

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