Bollywood Fest
Today I witnessed the Bollywood Fest of Oslo. This is the third consecutive year of the festival. Is it succesful? Yes, it indeed is. 3 movie halls are screening all latest bollywood flicks from Omkara, Yun Hota To Kya Hota, Krish, GolMaal and so on. All the movie halls have huge movie posters of the bollywood movies. The entrance resembles a movie set. The eateries are serving Punjabi Samosas and Chutney Sandwiches. Bollywood CDs and DVDs are on sale. They even have the bolywood style jazzy clothes and jwellery and people are buying it. There is a stall for Indian handicrafts too. Also bollywood dance workshops are run parallely. Sure, for Norwegians it is a colourful extavaganza.
This evening we went for Yun Hota To Kya Hota. Me and 3 of my Norwegian Bollywood fan friends. In fact it was their initiative and not mine. This one girl Mriam that I met this week-end just finished her exchange programme in India. She was in India for 1 year and had got an opportunity to be on the double decker bus of Bomabay on which Munna Bhai MBBS II was shot. She was one of the extras! She was feeling so excited when she narrated the experience. It was so cute to hear her telling us how the public was shouting and screeming at Sanjay Dutt as Baba Baba...She has arranged an exhibition of her photographs from the shooting and other photographs of India. Another guy Petter, whom also I met this week-end was rather disappointed with the movie because he was looking forward for those rather unrealisting but famed song and dance numbers in this movie and when I told him that 36 China Town is what he can look forward for..he is up for it!
The Indians and Pakistanis were there in large numbers but there were many Norwegians too. In fact Petter is unique. He has not been to India ever but loves everything about it. He is just 19 but he knows a lot more than me about Hinduism and Buddhism. He is a strict vegetarian. I liked the shoes he was wearing and on asking him where he got them and for how much he told me that the shoes were made of recycled rubber sole and fabric. They were also free from child labour and were a Fair Trade product. He did not mind spending 600 kroners for them! Quiet a guy!
India is everywhere.....did you know that one sixth of the world population is Indian?
Prasad
14 August 2006
Monday, August 14, 2006
Friday, August 11, 2006
House guest of Norway.
Am writing from a resort just outside Oslo. Because of its proximity to the international airport it is frequented by crew members of various airlines and transit passengers apart from the seminar and conference people like us. All in all a nice place to spend a week end.
The Norwegian Government agency who is the facilitator of the exchange programme decided to get all the participants present in Norway together for a week-end seminar where we will discuss issues such as UN Millennium Development Goals, poverty, child labour, unequal distribution of world resources and other such development issues. Based on the discussion we will come up with presentations and create lecture modules for students of age 14-16. We will Devide ourselves in groups of fours and tour across the country visiting various schools and delivering seminars during the fall. We will make it more interactive and fun filled and not dull and boring. We will make the students learn through games and interactions and not power point presentations!
Rich country that we are in, everything is lavish! I sometimes feel it is a criminal waste of money. Imagine just for making modules of the seminar we are here in a posh hotel for 2 nights. It is not far from the city centre the express train can get us here in 19 minutes but still the Government would like us to stay here in this resort! The actual work starts tomorrow but in a true Norwegian style we arrive here on the prior evening. Spend about 45 minutes knowing each other, introducing each other and discuss each other's expectations over a coffee or a choice of range of fancy softies and ice-creams! I am sure they must have paid for the conference room as well which we used just for merely 45 mins. This could have happened, first thing at the start of the actual day. It does not stop there. Then we have a silver service 3 course dinner with a choice of accompanying wines. This follows by drinks at the bar before we retire for the day.
And you know what happens tomorrow? from 10 till 12 we do a brain storming and from 12 till 1 we relish the lunch buffet. After the hard work we deserve a break so till 4 pm we go out for a walk and may be play some sport etc and from 4 till 6 we have a wrap up session! And on the last day we actually do a mock up of what we will present in the schools and post lunch leave for home.
Substantial work does happen, no doubt. Pampered youth of this country is made aware of various challenges that the developing couturiers are facing. Norway happens to be on the top of the list of countries that keep aside a large chunk of their budget to be given in aids and donations. But the lavish way of life is killing. It will take time for me to come to terms with the ways these people work.
Did you know that all employees in all sectors are entitled for 5 weeks of holiday at a stretch? The maternity leave I guess is 6 months and paternity leave is about 4 months. All paid leaves! And people enjoy them as their birth right. Jokingly, they say that the Norwegians need a break every 45 seconds! On a sunny summer day these people just vanish from their offices. It is hard to keep them in the office after 3pm on Fridays! In fact if it is nice and sunny people just walk out of the office during lunch our, strip themselves and sun bath on the lawns of the office premises..during office hour!!!! A recent survey reveals that
Asian workers spend more time on the job than the rest of the world, striving on average nearly 50 days more a year than their counterparts in Western Europe.
It is a nice group of exchange participants from many African and Asian countries apart from the Norwegians. I think together we are going to have an interesting week end.
I decided to stop thinking and just enjoy the hospitality of the Norwegian Government...but it is hard! Every time I am reminded of the millions of poor and less fortunate countrymen and I fail to enjoy the luxuries. I know people will feel I am going crazy but that's the way it is...
11 August 2006
Am writing from a resort just outside Oslo. Because of its proximity to the international airport it is frequented by crew members of various airlines and transit passengers apart from the seminar and conference people like us. All in all a nice place to spend a week end.
The Norwegian Government agency who is the facilitator of the exchange programme decided to get all the participants present in Norway together for a week-end seminar where we will discuss issues such as UN Millennium Development Goals, poverty, child labour, unequal distribution of world resources and other such development issues. Based on the discussion we will come up with presentations and create lecture modules for students of age 14-16. We will Devide ourselves in groups of fours and tour across the country visiting various schools and delivering seminars during the fall. We will make it more interactive and fun filled and not dull and boring. We will make the students learn through games and interactions and not power point presentations!
Rich country that we are in, everything is lavish! I sometimes feel it is a criminal waste of money. Imagine just for making modules of the seminar we are here in a posh hotel for 2 nights. It is not far from the city centre the express train can get us here in 19 minutes but still the Government would like us to stay here in this resort! The actual work starts tomorrow but in a true Norwegian style we arrive here on the prior evening. Spend about 45 minutes knowing each other, introducing each other and discuss each other's expectations over a coffee or a choice of range of fancy softies and ice-creams! I am sure they must have paid for the conference room as well which we used just for merely 45 mins. This could have happened, first thing at the start of the actual day. It does not stop there. Then we have a silver service 3 course dinner with a choice of accompanying wines. This follows by drinks at the bar before we retire for the day.
And you know what happens tomorrow? from 10 till 12 we do a brain storming and from 12 till 1 we relish the lunch buffet. After the hard work we deserve a break so till 4 pm we go out for a walk and may be play some sport etc and from 4 till 6 we have a wrap up session! And on the last day we actually do a mock up of what we will present in the schools and post lunch leave for home.
Substantial work does happen, no doubt. Pampered youth of this country is made aware of various challenges that the developing couturiers are facing. Norway happens to be on the top of the list of countries that keep aside a large chunk of their budget to be given in aids and donations. But the lavish way of life is killing. It will take time for me to come to terms with the ways these people work.
Did you know that all employees in all sectors are entitled for 5 weeks of holiday at a stretch? The maternity leave I guess is 6 months and paternity leave is about 4 months. All paid leaves! And people enjoy them as their birth right. Jokingly, they say that the Norwegians need a break every 45 seconds! On a sunny summer day these people just vanish from their offices. It is hard to keep them in the office after 3pm on Fridays! In fact if it is nice and sunny people just walk out of the office during lunch our, strip themselves and sun bath on the lawns of the office premises..during office hour!!!! A recent survey reveals that
Asian workers spend more time on the job than the rest of the world, striving on average nearly 50 days more a year than their counterparts in Western Europe.
It is a nice group of exchange participants from many African and Asian countries apart from the Norwegians. I think together we are going to have an interesting week end.
I decided to stop thinking and just enjoy the hospitality of the Norwegian Government...but it is hard! Every time I am reminded of the millions of poor and less fortunate countrymen and I fail to enjoy the luxuries. I know people will feel I am going crazy but that's the way it is...
11 August 2006
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Food for thought
It is then called a real success of the nation when the technology and science make the life of the common man easy. We can only say we are an advance country when the inventions touch the life of the ordinary citizens. Today, we are proud of our control over the software industry. But the development is lob sided. The gap between the haves and have nots is ever widening. Bangalore, Cyberabad, Pune and Mumbai coexist with Patna, Kanpur, and 1000s of such towns. The young BPO breed spends money lavishly in he city pubs on one hand and the farmers from Andhra and Maharashtra commit suicide on the other. 45 floored residential towers turn a blind eye at the slums at their own feet. Let me tell you why am I saying so. How did I go for the movie..
Just went to the website and searched where Omkara was being screened. Selected a theatre and visited a comprehensive portal of London's transport. Just like Oslo all you need to do is type in the post code of where you are and the post code of where you need to reach. A click away is you travel plan which includes a map from your house to closest bus stop/ tube station/ tram station; the next departure; a map from final bus/ tram/ tube station to your destination. It gives combination of routes as in take bus no A to tube station B, take tube C to D and again a bus or such combinations. What is the case with us in Mumbai? Western Railway fights with Central. Suburban Railway section has issues with the national railway. BEST has nothing to do with railways. Strangely apart from running the buses it has something to do with distribution of electricity! I never understood the relation. In case of Pune there is a total absence of strong public transport anyway. Whatever bus network is there is divided between PMT and PCMT and the talks on merger of the 2 are on since last 10 years minimum. Common, population is not an excuse if Mumbai has 18 million people London has 12 million, Tokyo has many more. Nothing is impossible. We have to make it happen. If you feel Central, Western and Harbour lines form a complex network hold your breath London Underground has 12 lines. All criss-crossing each other underneath the city.
We also can do a lot. All we need is think on those lines...it is our country and we need to make the difference...Kelyane Deshatan...go around see things and implement ideas....it is we the youth who will bring in the change...
1 August 2006
It is then called a real success of the nation when the technology and science make the life of the common man easy. We can only say we are an advance country when the inventions touch the life of the ordinary citizens. Today, we are proud of our control over the software industry. But the development is lob sided. The gap between the haves and have nots is ever widening. Bangalore, Cyberabad, Pune and Mumbai coexist with Patna, Kanpur, and 1000s of such towns. The young BPO breed spends money lavishly in he city pubs on one hand and the farmers from Andhra and Maharashtra commit suicide on the other. 45 floored residential towers turn a blind eye at the slums at their own feet. Let me tell you why am I saying so. How did I go for the movie..
Just went to the website and searched where Omkara was being screened. Selected a theatre and visited a comprehensive portal of London's transport. Just like Oslo all you need to do is type in the post code of where you are and the post code of where you need to reach. A click away is you travel plan which includes a map from your house to closest bus stop/ tube station/ tram station; the next departure; a map from final bus/ tram/ tube station to your destination. It gives combination of routes as in take bus no A to tube station B, take tube C to D and again a bus or such combinations. What is the case with us in Mumbai? Western Railway fights with Central. Suburban Railway section has issues with the national railway. BEST has nothing to do with railways. Strangely apart from running the buses it has something to do with distribution of electricity! I never understood the relation. In case of Pune there is a total absence of strong public transport anyway. Whatever bus network is there is divided between PMT and PCMT and the talks on merger of the 2 are on since last 10 years minimum. Common, population is not an excuse if Mumbai has 18 million people London has 12 million, Tokyo has many more. Nothing is impossible. We have to make it happen. If you feel Central, Western and Harbour lines form a complex network hold your breath London Underground has 12 lines. All criss-crossing each other underneath the city.
We also can do a lot. All we need is think on those lines...it is our country and we need to make the difference...Kelyane Deshatan...go around see things and implement ideas....it is we the youth who will bring in the change...
1 August 2006
Omkara and London
Today I watched Omkara. There are at least 10 multiplexes in London exclusively for Bollywood movies. Not so surprisingly there were not many people in the audience for such an offbeat film. I am sure same must be the case in India. It is truly a fantastic movie. Till date many movies have been made, both in Hollywood and Bollywood, based on Shakespear's Othello. Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted it extremely well in the context of rural north India. The Hindi is a bit difficult to follow but the subtitles helped. For once the subtitles made sense. They were not literal translation of words through some language software. All the actors have played their part very well. Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan will definitely snatch a few awards this year. Song and dance sequences have always been an integral part of bollywood, the addition is the item numbers, in that sense Bipashu Basu succeeds in sizzling the screen. But all in all an excellent effort. The movie theatre was very ordinary something on the lines of Eros. I guess our Imax adlabs at Wadala or the fast mushrooming INOXes and Cinemaxes are far superior to the theatre I went to.
Now you guys will feel I am exaggerating but no I am stating facts. The Upton Park area where I went for the movie too is full of Desis. If I thought Central London was full of Indians this place was much beyond that. I was counting and I saw about 10 white European faces and 22 Afrikan and 100s of desis on my way back from the movie hall to the tube station. I even spotted some Swami's Math. I was wondering where this familiar Aarti and Pooja sound is coming from and spotted the Math. The shop I entered to seek directions was mannd (or womaned? hehe) by a Panjabi lady. I mean it has reached to a level where I am slightly disappointed. I just have not got a truly British experience yet. My colleagues suggest that I travel outside London to see the real Britain. It is something like Mumbai. Mumbai is in Maharashtra but there is no Maharashtra in Mumbai..ditto..
1 August 2006
Today I watched Omkara. There are at least 10 multiplexes in London exclusively for Bollywood movies. Not so surprisingly there were not many people in the audience for such an offbeat film. I am sure same must be the case in India. It is truly a fantastic movie. Till date many movies have been made, both in Hollywood and Bollywood, based on Shakespear's Othello. Vishal Bharadwaj has adapted it extremely well in the context of rural north India. The Hindi is a bit difficult to follow but the subtitles helped. For once the subtitles made sense. They were not literal translation of words through some language software. All the actors have played their part very well. Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan will definitely snatch a few awards this year. Song and dance sequences have always been an integral part of bollywood, the addition is the item numbers, in that sense Bipashu Basu succeeds in sizzling the screen. But all in all an excellent effort. The movie theatre was very ordinary something on the lines of Eros. I guess our Imax adlabs at Wadala or the fast mushrooming INOXes and Cinemaxes are far superior to the theatre I went to.
Now you guys will feel I am exaggerating but no I am stating facts. The Upton Park area where I went for the movie too is full of Desis. If I thought Central London was full of Indians this place was much beyond that. I was counting and I saw about 10 white European faces and 22 Afrikan and 100s of desis on my way back from the movie hall to the tube station. I even spotted some Swami's Math. I was wondering where this familiar Aarti and Pooja sound is coming from and spotted the Math. The shop I entered to seek directions was mannd (or womaned? hehe) by a Panjabi lady. I mean it has reached to a level where I am slightly disappointed. I just have not got a truly British experience yet. My colleagues suggest that I travel outside London to see the real Britain. It is something like Mumbai. Mumbai is in Maharashtra but there is no Maharashtra in Mumbai..ditto..
1 August 2006
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