Now airing on PBS and streaming on their website, a new four-hour
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Showing posts with label Romantic. Show all posts
Why Chennai Express of Sha Rukh Khan is an amazing sine qua non for a course on world cinema
It is almost a year since Chennai
Express, a record breaking Indian blockbuster of the king of
Bollywood, Sha Rukh Khan, was released. This Indian
flick may have a few surprise lessons for students of the movie craft.
It is one of those rare events on
the silver screen, which provides a lot of insight to anyone seriously
considering to master the craft of cinema and how to press the right buttons to
enter the hearts of millions.
Bollywood films routinely become
blockbusters with record collections at the box office, thanks to a captive audience looking out for a pass-time and burdened with a deficit of IQ and excess of money in
their pockets both in India and abroad.
Chennai Express which got only
sub zero marks from film critics, but managed to add a record number of zeros
to its box office collection, however, is different and something of a a mystery of the Indian silver screen.
No one really knows how and when
the ‘rail cars’ of Chennai Express, with such complexity that
they could all have hardly come alive in a single brain, came together.
If Chennai Express was a typical director’s
film it might have been a Rohit Shetty film. It is actually a unique flick, with a lot more deeper and
serious facets to it than a film director’s work of entertainment. Many of those can be
attributed to its hero, the Indian movie star and entrepreneur, Sha Rukh Khan.
A rail car named desire.
It is clearly the enormous desire
of Sha Rukh Khan to make more money by investing wisely in a sure-fire formula
which compelled him to venture out to make a film with Rohit Shetty, who is a young Indian director with a string of blockbusters under his belt. Rohit had cracked what
the modern Indian audience wanted and was ready to to pour oil on any desire
which made good commercial sense. The result could hardly be anything but
explosive. Chennai Express, a deceptively dangerous theme, was the product of bold commercial vision of Khan, as
suicidal as it is genius.
A script no one will touch
With the fire of desire in its gut, the express train of Sha Rukh and Rohit Shetty could have gone in any direction, but it took a southern turn with its script writer Subhash, son of a veteran southern film director, connected with the leaders of linguistic strife in India before independence.
It was no surprise that his script came with a genesis of an impossible dream of unity and harmony between southern and northern India, which broke down with the departure of the British and was aggravated by the linguistic division of India after independence.
From Helen of Troy to Gone with the wind, regional human conflict had been the backdrop of great classics, depicted truthfully and presented to audiences who can discern life from entertainment.
However, it would be utterly irresponsible to ignore consequences of chauvinism, even if it is in mere movie entertainment, in the 21st century India more divided and ignitable than ever.
The script of Chennai express, dealing with the love of a
northern man to a southern belle was
explosive any day, novel yet fraught with danger of massive protests and
national grief if not a civil war, with the risk of negative stereotyping of south Indians. Though
the script has a strong message of the power of love to unite everyone, almost impossible to deliver today as it was
nearly a century back, the great Khan was audacious enough to grab it because
he saw a divine touch of great commercial success.
The divine touch
What actually created the spark
of creation of Chennai Express was a touch almost divine as the one in the
Creation of Adam of Michel Angelo. It was the final touch of Khan’s own
blockbuster Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge,
still running in Mumbai after two decades, as the longest running flick.
Khan has instantly recognised that
the feel of goodness where he left off in DDLJ is his ticket for Chennai Express which had the pulling power to drag millions of Indian hearts along with him in to it. It not only sealed the script
of the movie but also the soft corner he has managed to sneak in to in millions
of hearts worldwide.
The fault in the stars of Sasi Tharoor
As the story goes, Draupathi, wife of the Pandavas in the Indian epic of Mahabharata, asked a poignant question to Lord Krishna, who was about to embark on a peace mission to appease the Kauravas, the arch enemies of the Pandavas.
The latest controversy in the life of Sasi Tharoor, once a candidate for the post of the U N Secretary General, reminds of this episode and beacons the question what his deceased wife Sunanda Pushkar would be asking him if she was still alive. Sasi Tharoor and Sunanda Pushkar had a brief life together reminiscent of "The fault In Our Stars", the latest romantic flick enthralling film lovers of the world.
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| Sunanda Sasi - Photo by Indiatimes |
The Fault In Our Stars may not replace "Love Story" at least in the hearts of the baby boom generation, but will resonate with the story of romance, jealousy, sacrifice, union and tragedy the amazing short life of Sasi Tharoor with the beautiful Sunanda Pushkar in the hearts of a lot of younger Indians.
Draupathi, who was disrobed and humiliated in public by the Kauravas in front of her five powerful husbands, asked the lord if he forgot why her hair, which she had wowed to leave loose till the Kauravas were annihilated, was not plaited.
It is only natural that Sunanda, who was once called Rs 50 Crores girl friend of Tharoor by his political foe Narendra Modi, would have questioned Sasi Tharoor with no less vehemence and rage at the overture of her husband to the same man.
There are none so blind as those who won’t see. How can a person with the highest of education and international exposure miss the danger posed by the blind ambition of a person like Narendra Modi?
Narendra Modi has not apologised to Sunanda Pushkar before or after death which beacons the question what has made Sasi Tharoor to warm up to someone who has not only insulted him and his wife but even his government headed by Dr Man Mohan Singh by his snide and thoughtless remarks, especially when the ex Prime Minister had promptly asked for his resignation instead of defending a brilliant minister of his team.
Time to Experience the Great Joy of Liberation of Indian Music by a New Generation
It used to be called fusion, very often concocted in confused minds, mostly
an experience of frustration to those who enjoyed traditional Indian music.
With a new generation of
dedicated and serious musicians who seem to understand what they are playing
and work very very hard to perfect their skills, suddenly Indian music is being
liberated from their traditional limitations and scaling new heights.
There are several palpable facets
to this new, invigorating upheaval in the Indian musical entertainment, being
brought about by our youngsters through their ventures with exotic names like
Music Mojo, Kappa TV, Acoustika, Music Bowl
Rosebowl and bands like Staccato, Bennet’s Band etc.
First and foremost is the
liberation of the musical soul of the artist itself. A talented musician can
now experience that joy of his own god given talent, which was confined to the
bathroom and extremely private moments, in much more accepting, forgiving and
friendly environment.
From the nerve wracking and
competitive performances in schools and colleges, through the highly
pressurized competitions on TV and similar platforms to the demanding recording rooms of established
directors, the journey of a musician, in his quest for getting recognition and
fame is indeed gruelling.
It's Now Or Never to Rename Valentine’s Day as Elvis Day!
If you are someone who feel a tightness in your chest and tear drops swell in your eyes as you listen to any of Elvis songs, perhaps no one but Elvis can make your Valentine's Day! You are almost certainly a baby boomer and you owe this to Elvis before you go; it is time to rename Valentine's Day as Elvis day.
Valentine's Day is the ultimate celebration of love, the most precious of human feelings, personified by Elvis as no one else has. This is borne out by the titles he chose for his songs and their lyric, almost all of which had nothing but love to sing about. Why are we then waiting for the Kind Bishop St Valentine to abdicate to place the King himself on the throne of love?
What makes Elvis uniquely deserving is the emotional avalanche of each of his songs, delivered with powerful voice, intonation, timbre and mountains of emotion to someone in front of him, making you feel that someone was no one but you. Arguably even Luciano Pavarotti's superb delivery of the original "O Sole Mio" has never achieved the emotional turmoil of "Now or Never by Elvis" in listener's minds.
If 35 years after his death, in the age of social media, we still haven't done it, only the commercialism and short sightedness for immediate profits must be blamed.
As some one said "You can bet that Col Parker, Elvis' manager, would have been all over social media: for a price. It would cost money to click onto the official Elvis page, or even his website. If not that, you'd have to pay to use it, with a teaser front page leading to a pay for Elvis main section. Nobody got to see Elvis for free, the Colonel saw to that."
In reality, even without the Colonel around, the situation is exactly the same. Despite the social web being a free for all world on its own, nothing about Elvis is really free, which virtually destroy any chance of the legacy of Elvis being passed on to the future generations.
In today's competitive world of modern electronic media and entertainment, with different values and buckets of emotions of anger, hatred, lust, fame and glitterati, dominated by Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, the softer qualities of love, romance and angst of separation and loss, which endeared Elvis and his music to a generation, do not find much of chance to survive.
In the broken down social fabric of today, which is being dominated and reshaped by social media, where the Pope can tweet to his sheep and you can even find friends you can bang with just by a click, there is less and less people to listen to and experience the inexplicable emotional trips to fantasy worlds of joy and sorrow only Elvis songs can take you.
It is sad that whole new generations are really missing out on something which generations of parents and grant parents were granted to experience but have no real means of passing on, like lessons in text books or in curriculum. It is indeed a shame that future generations might not even know Elvis ever lived and graced the earth.
Numbers like "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Always on my mind", "Love me tender", "Are you lonesome tonight", "I will hold you in my heart" or "You don't have to say you love me" which are indeed immortal will be most probably forgotten.
When everyone is concerned about preserving and protecting our environment and a clean world for future generations and billions of dollars spent on efforts, there must be a ways to stop this being happening.
Releasing a royalty free album of memorable, evergreen Elvis songs as an ELVIS DAY album, free for all and downloadable on the net will be a good start.
Renaming Valentine's Day as Elvis day must certainly make awareness of his music and legacy for years to come.
With platforms like Facebook reaching over a billion memberships, with 6 billions more to join, the enormous power of the social web can definitely help to rekindle the dying memory of this great singer and human being among the younger generation.
For business minds in the know of the enormous power of the social web, that in itself must be ample reason for releasing at least part of the treasure on the web.
Sadly, the onus is on the baby boomers, who lived to experience the miracle in the voice and life of one of the sweetest of human beings, who gave us some of the greatest of music which could really touch heart and soul of humans, to make it immortal for the sake of future generations.
Let us show our love of Elvis, for a start, let us call this Valentine's Day as ElVIS day!
Valentine's Day is the ultimate celebration of love, the most precious of human feelings, personified by Elvis as no one else has. This is borne out by the titles he chose for his songs and their lyric, almost all of which had nothing but love to sing about. Why are we then waiting for the Kind Bishop St Valentine to abdicate to place the King himself on the throne of love?
What makes Elvis uniquely deserving is the emotional avalanche of each of his songs, delivered with powerful voice, intonation, timbre and mountains of emotion to someone in front of him, making you feel that someone was no one but you. Arguably even Luciano Pavarotti's superb delivery of the original "O Sole Mio" has never achieved the emotional turmoil of "Now or Never by Elvis" in listener's minds.
If 35 years after his death, in the age of social media, we still haven't done it, only the commercialism and short sightedness for immediate profits must be blamed.
As some one said "You can bet that Col Parker, Elvis' manager, would have been all over social media: for a price. It would cost money to click onto the official Elvis page, or even his website. If not that, you'd have to pay to use it, with a teaser front page leading to a pay for Elvis main section. Nobody got to see Elvis for free, the Colonel saw to that."
In reality, even without the Colonel around, the situation is exactly the same. Despite the social web being a free for all world on its own, nothing about Elvis is really free, which virtually destroy any chance of the legacy of Elvis being passed on to the future generations.
In today's competitive world of modern electronic media and entertainment, with different values and buckets of emotions of anger, hatred, lust, fame and glitterati, dominated by Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, the softer qualities of love, romance and angst of separation and loss, which endeared Elvis and his music to a generation, do not find much of chance to survive.
In the broken down social fabric of today, which is being dominated and reshaped by social media, where the Pope can tweet to his sheep and you can even find friends you can bang with just by a click, there is less and less people to listen to and experience the inexplicable emotional trips to fantasy worlds of joy and sorrow only Elvis songs can take you.
It is sad that whole new generations are really missing out on something which generations of parents and grant parents were granted to experience but have no real means of passing on, like lessons in text books or in curriculum. It is indeed a shame that future generations might not even know Elvis ever lived and graced the earth.
Numbers like "Can't Help Falling in Love", "Always on my mind", "Love me tender", "Are you lonesome tonight", "I will hold you in my heart" or "You don't have to say you love me" which are indeed immortal will be most probably forgotten.
When everyone is concerned about preserving and protecting our environment and a clean world for future generations and billions of dollars spent on efforts, there must be a ways to stop this being happening.
Releasing a royalty free album of memorable, evergreen Elvis songs as an ELVIS DAY album, free for all and downloadable on the net will be a good start.
Renaming Valentine's Day as Elvis day must certainly make awareness of his music and legacy for years to come.
With platforms like Facebook reaching over a billion memberships, with 6 billions more to join, the enormous power of the social web can definitely help to rekindle the dying memory of this great singer and human being among the younger generation.
For business minds in the know of the enormous power of the social web, that in itself must be ample reason for releasing at least part of the treasure on the web.
Sadly, the onus is on the baby boomers, who lived to experience the miracle in the voice and life of one of the sweetest of human beings, who gave us some of the greatest of music which could really touch heart and soul of humans, to make it immortal for the sake of future generations.
Let us show our love of Elvis, for a start, let us call this Valentine's Day as ElVIS day!
Could Romantic Elvis Presley Have Shaped the Social Web Differently from Daring Lady Gaga?
However, the role in the growth and evolution of social web, of pop stars and celebrities like Lady Gaga andJustin Bieber who have enhanced their fan base and interact with their fans through social web, is also undisputable.
But what about Elvis Presley, who sent millions around the world in a frenzy hardly ever stepping out of the US soil and just by singing I can't help falling in love with you, when no one had even heard of the social web? Could he have shaped the social web to be a totally different place from as we know it today?
There is no denying that without the Television neither Elvis Presley nor Lady Gaga would have reached the level of popularity they attained. So the integration of the social web with television by most recent technological advances like social streaming and social DVR, which allows for real time interaction over social media with time shift would have evolved naturally.
However, the popularity of Lady Lady Gaga, who is a singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and activist on the social web is largely based on her daring stage appearances and the issues like bullying and causes like lgbt which the artist actively support.
Her achievement like being invited to speak at Harvard is more of a reflection of her belief and support of the issues she has chosen to champion for. As a result, the technology she sought was some means to interact with her fans on the web on those issues, enhancing her presence among her fans, which created her famous back room chats with her fans and which rendered her role of counselling her fans possible.
But in the case of Elvis Presley it was his talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humour which endeared him to millions, as did the humility and human kindness he demonstrated throughout his life. Known the world over by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most important figures of twentieth century popular culture. He has been described as the sexiest man of his generation, so manly yet beautiful!
In the words of music historian John Robertson, Elvis was a flirtatious teenage idol with a heart of gold, a tempestuous, dangerous lover, a gutbucket blues singer, a sophisticated nightclub entertainer and raucous rocker.
Years after his death, fans continue to yearn for him with comments like "We will never have someone like him again... Elvis, unique, wonderful, our king forever!!!!"
Obviously, the persona of Elvis Presley, which had no need of a social web for the entire world to swoon for him, might have attracted the entire world to Facebook, if he were to have a fan page!
Given the wild passion and infatuation his fans felt for him as was evident from his concerts, It is conceivable that tactile technologies like the remote kissing devices would have found their place in Facebook much head of simple chat.
May be you could have enjoyed an on demand virtual concert by Elvis Presley singing I can't help falling in love with you, just for you.
Perhaps a new version of the Aloha from Hawaii music concert that was headlined by Elvis Presley, and broadcast live via satellite around the world on January 14, 1973, in which fans could rejoice by touching Elvis, using this invention, wherever they happened to be could have been broadcast through Facebook or whatever name the media would have been called.
There is of course many things one can imagine as was possible. The predominant factors would be the key elements which made Elvis irresistibly humane and accessible to millions. One thing is sure, whatever shape the social web would have assumed, it would have done more to bind people of the world in romance, love, passion and compassion, qualities which Elvis was graced with in abundance.
Romantic Destinations À La Mode
Marina Bay Sands
An Everlasting Kiss in Guanajuato Callejón del Beso
Once upon a time there two Mexican lovers, Carlos and Ana, who lived in a little town called Guanajuato. They were in love but were forbidden to see each other, as Ana was promised to an old, but rich gentleman. To see Ana, Carlos moved into the apartment across the tiny street where Ana’s balcony and his balcony were so close, they almost literally touched. At night they would reach over and steal kisses until Ana’s father discovered them. In rage, he stabbed his daughter with a knife, and Ana in her last moments crawled to the balcony to kiss Carlos one last time. The legend says, you must go with your beloved to the alley and kiss on the third step to ensure eternal love. Apart from the romance, the city is quite charming, famous for its colonial architecture.
Your fear of heights is probably best left at home when it comes to this pool on top of Hotel Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. The pool is 200 meters above the ground, on the 57th floor, with a fabulous view over the vibrant city. As the edge of the pool unites with the sky, you should almost feel like you are in heaven surrounded by palm trees cocktails in the arms of your loved one. Perhaps not the cheapest, but definitely one of the most exotic getaways on top of one of the largest and most modern cosmopolitan cities in the world!
An Afternoon Tea of Class in London
Prêt-à-Portea
Enjoy a fashionable Tea at the Berkley Hotel with your beloved. Each season, Prêt-à-Portea is served with cake shaped as the seasons collections, for instance from Jason Wu, or Stella McCartney. The tea is served in with love (lately on Paul Smith plates) at the Caramel Room between 13:00 - 18:00 o’clock. Of course a little shopping trip in London would probably be a perfect activity to end with a tea party. Drink to thee, with thine eyes, in style!
Palace Grill
The Scandinavian Palace Grill does not exactly sound, or looks like a classy gourmet restaurant, but it is. This little humble but precious pearl serves delicacies of the highest class. There are drinks at the bar, and the wooden and slightly vintage style radiates a warmth perfect for couples. Although reservations are not possible as there is only space for 23 guests, this trendy restaurant is definitely a one of a kind and intimate experience to share with your better half.
Bio: Xenia has a professional experience in the fashion industry and an interest in modern lifestyle and travel. Xenia has a background in Communication and Public Administration and she currently blogs about fashion and lifestyle at the Irish Passion For Fashion and UK Passion For Fashion blogs.
Three Scary Stories of Love and Romance In a Week Which Could Make You Lose Your Sleep.
At least half of India in fact is sleepless over three stories involving beautiful and successful women and powerful ministers. So if you are of a romantic kind and death is not something you like to think very much about, please don't read further, unless you want to lose some sleep.
Though the Olympics and the Wisconsin Gurudwara shooting dominated the world media, the Indian Media is abuzz with three intriguing and unsettling stories of tragedy involving, money, power and love which tragically took the lives of three beautiful, young ladies.
It is indeed very unsettling that all three have been found dead in apparent situations of suicide, yet leaving enough room for being cases of suspicious death which makes you sad but annoyingly inquisitive too. What is really unsettling is the fact that all three were highly educated with very promising careers making one on wonder what exactly in their private lives lead them to such horrible plight.
Interestingly, the social web, with its army of active participants who discuss everything and anything threadbare that appear in the media with immense imagination, make the stories much more intriguing. Very often, as in the case of these stories with very little factual information in the media and in public domain, such discussions end up in character assassination of the diseased, without any chance for the poor souls to defend themselves.
Looking at the number of comments posted on this article, I come to realise that India has a huge pool of talented writers who can create so many different reasons and scenarios for a case which neither our forensic experts nor our police department can envision or solve!!!!Neelima, a twenty-seven year old software engineer and lead, employed by the IT major INFOSYS at a site in Tampa, USA, was on holidays in India for three weeks. For mysterious reasons, she walked one night in to the high security campus of her employer in Hyderabad, where she used to work before, and jumped off from the tenth storey car park to her tragic death.
This is how some one among her tribe of Indian techies which dominate the comment threads on Indian News sites with all sorts of bizarre explanations, opinions and comments summarise the story.
The news is already all over Telugu channels: 1.Reason to come to Infosys campus was to email and call boyfriend from quiet place. 2. Reason to come so late in the night is because of time difference between India and USA. 3. Boyfriend is P.B. from Cognizant in Tampa, Florida. 4. She was more eager than boyfriend. Boyfriend did not want to marry as he was getting free milk, so why buy the cow? 5. After boyfriend said clear no, she wrote to him saying hope we will be together in next Janma and killed herself.In another tragic story, Fiza, a beautiful 39 year old lawyer and wife of an ex state minister, whose love affair and marriage became headline story in the Indian media a few years back, was found dead in a decomposed state in her own bed, apparently after several days after she died.
The love component of this story is so unbelievably strong. Fiza, and her husband Chandra Mohan the son of a powerful chief minister of the state of Haryana who was already married, both born Hindus, converted to Islam so that he could legally live with a second wife.
That was before the minister, who couldn't stand the separation from his first wife, went back to her leaving Fiza a Muslim and now dead. There is no clarity, in an ongoing investigation if Fiza was murdered.
In yet another ongoing story involving another Haryana minister Kanda and another beautiful young lady who recently committed suicide, Geetika, an airhostess has accused her lover of harassment in her suicide note.
What is really intriguing and makes you lose your sleep, just in case you are stoic for some reason and not emotionally disturbed by the tragedy of it all, is the question how well educated career women could end their lives like this.
In all three cases, it is mind boggling as to why the women couldn't stand up to the situations and seek appropriate help which is surely available in modern India.
The incidents are covered in mystery and ambiguity as there were no suicide notes found and made public at least in two cases. In the case of air hostess Geetika, it is the suicide note itself which is the bone of contention, as she has allegedly received material help from her lover in her education and career when she was alive, making her allegations of harassment questionable.
In any case it is the shoddy and unprofessional police work in India, with poor knowledge of the importance of collecting, preserving and using forensic evidence, which make these cases more mysterious than they actually are.
Can The Kiss Cam Make The Olympics 2012 Games in London More Romantic?
All of a sudden, the Kiss Cam has become the best idea to come out of the United States since Coca Cola. By sealing with a kiss for the first lady on the Kiss Cam in Washington D.C., President Obama has finally approved it for release to the world.
The Kiss Cam has become the romantic idea of the 21st century much like the Valentine's Day and the Mistletoe which have come to signify special moments of expression of love and romance in human life. These wonderful social concepts, adapted from centuries old traditions not only let people express their feelings freely and in public but also render such genuine human behaviour socially acceptable.
If no one outside the U S had ever heard of the Kiss Cam before, now the media is abuzz with the news and debate about the presidential Kiss projected on the giant jumbotron at the Verizon Center during a friendly Basketball match.
In an election year everything about the U S president and the presidential candidates can be under intense scrutiny. So the debate about the Presidential Kiss Cam Kiss has attracted intense media interest in the US and abroad. The event has also brought the American Kiss Cam form of entertainment to the world's attention. It is only a matter of time before the Kiss Cam gets the same enthusiastic attention around the world.
In fact the Presidential Kiss has even demonstrated the power of this new social phenomenon by expressing disapproval of the behaviour of even a U S president intuitively and openly by booing and persuading him to comply with common expectations of social and finer human values expected of a leader.
Since its introduction in the US way back in 1982, the Kiss Cam has evolved much with different stadiums and operators establishing their own norms and best operating practices to avoid hurting people. But in a country known for its dry sense of humour and sportsmanship, no one has seriously objected to the simple entertainment and joy of Kiss Cam which millions of people now take for granted.
As per a report in The Bladder in fact Kiss Cam is already going to the 'next level' in the U S.
"But Frederico de Mayo, head of the advertising agency that developed the concept, said this was just the start for 'Kiss Cam'.What about the right to privacy and violation of human rights by projecting unsuspecting spectators on the screen which implies them to engage in a kiss? According to experts:
"Everyone who has seen it knows how it works," he said. "Before the game we have 'Smile Cam', where we get people in the crowd to smile at each other for the cameras.
"At quarter time we look for people to hug ¬ that's 'Hug Cam'. At half time we look for people to kiss. Smile-Hug-Kiss. Pretty obviously there is a natural progression there.
"Three quarter time is a natural window there waiting to be filled. And we hope to fill it soon with 'Shag Cam'. That will really get the crowd going."
Mr de Mayo said their exhaustive research had shown that fans got easily bored before, during and after footy games, so they needed to be entertained, preferably as noisily as possible."
"You have to be careful when you do the Kiss Cam,", "it's kind of a dangerous feature."Apparently even President Obama and his wife were unaware of the Kiss Cam etiquette until they were appraised by their daughter who accompanied them to the game.
Will it be a feature of the Olympics 2012 games in London? Though well prepared with an array of high tech equipment and features to capture every moment of the games and project on giant screens, The BBC has not yet declared that the thousands of spectators will be offered the wonderful new fun of Kiss Cam. There is of course still time for them to take note and catch up with the new century.
Why The British Pubs Can Offer a More Romantic Experience Than the Olympics 2012 Games
If you ask me, the British country pubs can offer some of the best romantic experience of your life. Not theLondon pubs where you may have to jostle with a crowd for your pint of beer and then get in to a brawl with the barman over its head. Not even the Vic, where high drama of "EastEnders" plays out incessantly, not far from the Olympics venue.
If you are visiting the Olympics 2012 with the love of your heart, make sure to take some time out for a day or two to prom the British hinder land and stop by some of the numerous romantic pubs dotting its countryside. Who knows, you might even discover what love can truly feel like.
Imagine a sultry, wet and lingering afternoon in July in England when everywhere else the sun is shining. Hardly a time for romance. Yet if you walk in to a quiet country pub, you may be surprised how the ambience can be full of life and romance.
There is nothing unusual if you see a couple in their late forties or fifties enjoying the most loving of romantic moments, something you might have never seen in the best movies you can remember. The gentleman has turned his chair sideways and is sitting close to the lady, beholding her with the most ardent feelings of love he has ever felt. He is indeed oblivious of everything around him, even the glass of beer in his hand. The lady is quietly fondling his collar, ear or neck while still speaking some sweet nothing to him.
You may notice how the lady partner of a couple sitting across the table next to you, deep in some wild intimate conversation, ardently reach out to touch and affectionately fondle the forearm of her partner. You may feel yourself falling in to a romantic spell watching a younger couple on a corner sofa quietly stealing a smooch now and then in between gulps of their drinks. You may even be surprised how people in their eighties and nineties can still wear a lovelorn look.
Scenes, you might think, hardly ever to be seen outside the privacy of a living room. Scenes you won't certainly find in any American diner with their bus like seating style, often the background for famous movie episodes. Scenes far from the embarrassing and intimate sharing of 'huitre' and champagne in the crowded bistros of Paris, where you can find tourists who almost shout 'we don't care, we are on top of the world' while a female companion sucks out of an oyster shell held out by her lover.
It is difficult to say what makes the British country pubs so uniquely romantic. Perhaps it is the tradition of the pubs being managed by "land Lords" who also tend to play some pivotal role in the British social fabric. Often, the friendly and hospitable nature of the land lords and serving staff makes you feel at home, something which you definitely miss in the McDonald's or the restaurants of chain hotels attended by bearers in stiff uniforms.
The pub buildings themselves, most of which are preserved in original exteriors, in scenic settings, definitely help to build the ambience. But it is probably the interiors with their nooks and corners, and old style furnishing which break the monotonous ambience of large halls and offer some privacy, which must be appealing to most people. Though they weren't originally meant as meeting place for families, they are now the favourite places for a meal out with family and friends, especially with the gardens and play pens for children.
Quite a few of the country pubs also have acquired gastronomic and culinary status. In fact manye of the Michelin star restaurants in the UK are famous pubs.
In a land where Pubs are as much used as landmarks while giving directions as churches, they are part of the daily life without which life will seem almost impossible. But for visitors to Olympics 2012 games a visit to a old countryside pub can offer an experience they may not forget in life.
Is This the Most Romantic Window on the Earth ?
When it comes to the human body and its senses, there is no
one who understands more than the French.
The French are indomitable in satisfying the palette with food
prepared in the best quisine, vine, cheese and innumerable other things
including the French croissant. As for the smell, what smells better than a
French perfume? As for the eyes, from Mona Lisa to the high healed shoes of ValérieTrierweiler visual feast is the essence of French Haut Couture to modern
French architecture, exemplified by the Eiffel Tower. No wonder why Paris has
always attracted the most talented of artists, thinkers and philosophers and is
most sought after Romantic destination in the world.
But it is the human body itself the French has an exquisite
comprehension about, which is at the core of the Joie de vivre the French live
and die with and urge everyone else have in life. The French somehow have a
better notion of what the body is about like the Asians in general have an insight
in to the spiritual nature of life.
Perhaps this inane appreciation of human body is what has
produced the best designers, cooks and hoteliers from among the French. With all that appreciation of the French psyche,
however I was puzzled when I checked in to an ordinary hotel room, a few years back,
in a town in France where I had earlier lived and worked for years. I had never
seen anything like that!
A window on the inner
wall separating the bedroom from the attached bathroom. At first I was really
intrigued. But slowly, as I settled down arranging my wardrobe and setting up
my laptop on the table, the ingenuity of the interior designers and architects
slowly started to dawn on me. Of course,
I could have asked the receptionist about it, but chose not to in order to hide
my lack of culture. I wasn’t sure if the
feature was only for some rooms and I was specially offered one as an added
welcome gesture. Today, I don’t know if
the hotel still has those rooms rented out to guests.
I am sure a lot of people will have different ideas about
the purpose and utility of such a feature. But for someone who is looking
forward to spend an evening with someone with a ‘tete a tete’ with ‘huitre’ and
champagne and roses, the room with this romantic window should offer plenty of
extended pleasures one can imagine.
Years later, when France has elected a new President and
thinks nothing is abnormal or strange about his unmarried companion moving in
to the Elysee palace with him, it is a lot more easier to take in the sublime
imagination of the French designers who had conceived and incorporated this bizarre
feature which appeared to be unique.
Not sure if this is unique at all or there are many other
hotels with such exquisite add on facilities to make your stay more memorable
and perhaps offered as an incentive for you to come back. It will be good to
hear from others.
For anyone who has never come across this wonderful feature
and wants to check out, the hotel was a branch of Mercure Hotels in the town of
Evry, in the southern outskirts of Paris.
Article first published as What On Earth Is This Window For? on Technorati.
Article first published as What On Earth Is This Window For? on Technorati.
Did Whitney And The World Love ‘Whitney Houston Going Home.’?
‘Whitney Houston Going Home.’ Did
Whitney And The World Loved It?
Judging from the paltry coverage
of her funeral service by the world media at large, except by celebrity sites
like TMZ,
it looks like much has been already said and written
about the ‘Going Home’ ceremony of another of 20th century Icons, the
much loved pop singer Whitney
Houston. So what more is there to say?
There are many events and
occasions which have left indelible marks on human memory for the visuals and
voices they carried and in some cases for profound changes in world opinion and
attitude.
However, certain occasions like
the Kennedy assassination and the death of Princess Diana spring to mind as
events which left the world shocked out of wits and saddest at the time but
somehow despatched the real grief home only during the funerals, which were
grimmest of affairs in grandest of settings.
The funeral service of Whitney
Houston turned out be an ordinary affair in an ordinary church, yet caught the
attention of the world and evoked feelings of loss and bonding of a different
kind, which has made Whitney more endearing and human to millions of viewers
who have turned more sympathetic.
Like thousands of others, Whitney
Houston probably died of a quiet heart attack, after eating a ham burger with some
satisfaction. An ordinary event in the life of a celebrity, which shot out of
proportion and shocked the world thanks to the aura of negativity given by the
media and the instant technology at its disposal today.
The bottom line is, Whitney actually
belonged to a station in life which is home for a large majority of the people
in the world. Like in the case of Lady Diana, it was the special corner of love and sympathy Whitney
somehow managed to secure in the hearts of millions which sent the pain around
in huge dollops rather than the heights she could carry her music with her
wonderful melisma.
That is why, the ‘Going Home’
ceremony so affectionately and caringly organised by her mother and relatives
turned out to be something the world could watch and relate to and something
which would have made Whitney Houston enormously happy.
It was in fact a Home Coming
celebration for some one who completed a very successful journey in life which
Whitney Houston, accomplished diva and singer was denied by her untimely death.
It was entirely in order to give her a send off where everyone could have
thanked her and she could have thanked everyone who helped her along and the
right thing to do.
More than anything else, the
speeches and the songs sung in her praise by other famous performers like
by Kevin Costner and Stevie
wonder have put on some wonderful colour and shades to the caricature,
perhaps somewhat distorted, the world had in its mind. At the end of that entire protracted event, the
diva of Newark
Perhaps one of the biggest
rewards of living in the 20th century and carrying on in to the 21st
is the enormous shock, grief, despair, anger, excitement or joy one get to
share with the whole world simultaneously from events defining our times around
the world, which wouldn’t have been possible without the marvellous 20th
century inventions in communication.
Article first published as ‘Whitney
Houston Going Home.’ Did Whitney And The World Love It? on Technorati.
Did Whitney Houston Plan The Grandest Of Her Exits?
It may be too soon to speak
without being disrespectful to the departed, but whether the diva, famous for
her sensational concert exits often with her signature piece “I will always love you” wished it to be
or not, her death in reality has turned in to her grandest of exits!
“A
surreal scene unfolded at the hotel as the party continued while Miss Houston's
body remained in her room on the fourth floor, which was sealed off with yellow
police tape.”
No one in history, except Julius Caesar,
perhaps had his or her praise sung to the world and immortalised, while the soul
which was separated from the body must have been looking down on it and smiling
in greatest of joy at the fulfilment of the life just ended.
"Whitney
Houston, simply put, had the greatest voice in the world. She was a gift of
God. Hearing her sing was like listening to magic. If it wasn't for Clive Davis,
the world may not have known about this miracle voice," Combs
It must sound cruel and uncaring
to think of still holding a party
when an invited has just departed, especially if it happened in the next room.
But in the case of Whitney, who has been honoured with six Grammy awards, it
was not just a party she was supposed to attend that evening, it was her mentor
and music producer Clive Davis's customary pre-Grammy party, typically one of
the most fun-filled highlights of the week leading to the music industry's top awards
ceremony
For Whitney, it would have been a
party held by her mentor who made her the Whitney Houston the whole world pines
for, where she would have found herself the happiest. How could Whitney have
asked it to be stopped, if her soul could, it would have sung “I will always
love you” for all in the party hall to hear!
"Simply
put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we
carry on,"
Though some statements have been issued by the coroner about the cause
of Whitney’s tragic death, and we may never ever know exactly, one thing seems
to be true. Whitney Houston may not have asked for it but God has granted her
the best stage she could have wished for a final performance.
Article first published as Did
Whitney Houston Plan The Grandest Of Her Exits? on Technorati
King Khan Dances To The Beats Of Akon To Seduce Dubai!
It was an unusually chilly
evening in Dubai
Not only did Khan manage to
enthral the huge crowd but also get the shy and untrusting damsel heroines of
Kerala to warm up to his steps and gestures and forget themselves in his
charming and infectious dance movements. Sharukh Khan proved himself to be a
great maestro
of inspiration if not the art of dance itself.
The Joy Of Eco Love And Living Your Dream Is More Widespread Than You Think.
The Channe4 show, Grand Designs,
in which TV presenter Kevin McCloud
follows some of Britain's most ambitious self-building projects, as intrepid
individuals attempt to design and construct the home of their dreams, is
exciting as the episodes depict how the almost impossible dreams of people
somehow materialise. But one always wondered if the price in terms of the
financial, physical and psychological struggle was worth it.
That was why when one of my close
friends and colleague told me a few years back that he and his wife too were
excited and serious about living their eco
friendly dream and were relocating to France
While it's Raining Cats and Dogs in Chennai, it's Time to Visit Chennai Margazhi
A raging cyclone is crossing the Indian peninsula causing
havoc and rain but that is no reason to miss a visit to the world’s only city
with a season dedicated to music and dance. The Margazhi
festival of Chennai
in southern India India
Margazhi is a month in the Indian Tamil calendar covering
December and January. But it is getting to be more associated with the unique
carnatic music and dance festival being held in the city of Chennai
The best thing about the Margazhi festival is
that each day is filled with many musical and dance events
in several venues till late night most of which are absolute free with no
tickets or entrance fees. The festival aims to promote talent and give an
opportunity for the artists to perform in public attracting both professional
and amateur practitioners of the arts from around the world.
If you are after a relaxing and fulfilling holiday, it is
indeed great fun to hop in and listen to some invigorating music in the mid
morning, spend some time on the beach or enjoy some really ethnic food, do some
browsing or shopping for exotic jewellery or clothing in the afternoon and then
return for more enjoyment of some exhilarating dance in the evening. You can do
all of these in any order you like for several days non-stop if you wish.
The festival is in fact an amazing panorama of true Indian
culture you can only remotely sense in the hype of “Incredible India”. The
artistic intensity of vocal Carnatic and Hindustani music, exotic instruments
and solo performances, and riveting dance performances by lone exponents and
groups will leave indelible tracks on your memories to take home, unlike a
normal holiday you will soon forget about.
What makes it even more interesting is the availability of
really ethnic food at many venues during the season, which is normally served
only in private homely functions,
thanks to the month of Margazhi, considered inauspicious for
marriages and other functions. For connoisseurs, this wonderful treat for the
palette is an added attraction of the festival pampering all of your senses.
If you seriously want a rejuvenating break and don’t know
how to get that well deserved tranquilising change away from your world, then
Margazhi in Chennai may be what you may be looking for.
Article first published in Technorati as http://technorati.com/lifestyle/travel/article/while-its-raining-cats-and-dogs/
I Just Called To Say I Love You May Be What You Want To Hear This Christmas!
It is that time of the year when
you start looking for anything which makes you feel good and forget the misery
of the year gone by. It is the time when you search for and dust off the covers
of old audio and video cassettes, nuggets of nostalgia locked up in shelves and
boxes because whether you like it or not, strains of Christmas music everywhere
fondle the weakest corners of your heart and you slowly succumb to the euphoria
of the festive season. A PAIR OF GENIUS FROM GOD'S OWN COUNTRY
This blog post is to request you to visit and contribute to a special Facebook Fan page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Of-Sreeni-Satyan-Screen-Magic/244545765601562?sk=wall
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Of-Sreeni-Satyan-Screen-Magic/244545765601562?sk=wall
I hope it will bring out and introduce to the whole world, the genius of the great and inimitable Malayalam script writer and actor Sreenivasan and the secret of how his unforgettable scripts came alive and live for ever in the hearts of Malayalees through sheer screen magic of Satyan Anthicad, a great Malayalam film director.
Their work is such that there is no reason why it wouldn’t be recognised among the best of best in the world cinema had it been in English language! It is never too late to bring them such recognition and the onus is on none but the mallus themselves who are naturally bestowed with broad hearts.
The work of the pair will be remembered for the wonderfully natural characters it has produced on the screen with whom every malayalee can identify in some way.
This page is a place to share your unforgettable experience of that identity, the moments which made you laugh and cry and feel helpless in the state of affairs in God’s own land!
If the world should know, it has to be in English, even if it means your competence is at par with that of Sreemathi Teacher!
Satyan - Anthicad films with scripts by Sreenivasan
1986 T. P. Balagopalan M.A. Mohanlal, Shobana, Sreenivasan, Kuthiravattom Pappu Sreenivasan
1986 Gandhinagar 2nd Street Mohanlal, Karthika, Sreenivasan, Mammootty, Seema, Janardhanan, Thilakan, KPAC Lalitha Sreenivasan
1986 Sanmanassullavarkku Samadhanam (Peace for Good Minded) Mohanlal, Karthika, Sreenivasan, M.G. Soman, KPAC Lalitha, Thilakan Sreenivasan
1987 Sreedharante Onnam Thirumurivu(Sreedharan's First Blessed Wound) Mammootty, Sreenivasan, Neena Kurup, Innocent, Suresh Gopi, Sankaradi Sreenivasan
1987 Nadodikkattu (Nomadic Wind) Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Thilakan, Shobhana, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Captain Raju Sreenivasan
1988 Pattanapravesham (Coming to Town) Mohanlal, Sreenivasan, Karamana Janardanan Nair, Thilakan, Ambika, Innocent,KPAC Lalitha Sreenivasan
1988 Ponmuttayidunna Tharavu ( The Goose That Lays Golden Eggs) Sreenivasan, Jayaram, Urvashi, Innocent, Karamana Janardanan Nair, KPAC Lalitha,Parvathy Sreenivasan
1989 Varavelpu (Welcoming) Mohanlal, Revathi, Murali, Sreenivasan, Mamukkoya, Innocent, Jagadeesh, Oduvil Unnikrishnan Sreenivasan
1990 Thalayanamanthram (Pillow Talk) Sreenivasan, Jayaram, Urvashi, Parvathy, Innocent, Mamukkoya, KPAC Lalitha,Sukumari Sreenivasan
1991 Sandhesam (Message) Thilakan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma, Sreenivasan, Jayaram, Innocent, Mamukkoya, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Siddique Sreenivasan
1993 Samooham (Society) Suhasini, Suresh Gopi, Manoj K Jayan, Sreenivasan, Nedumudi Venu, Mamukkoya,Vineeth Sreenivasan
1993 Golanthara Vartha (Global News) Mammootty, Shobhana, Kanaka, Sreenivasan, Nedumudi Venu, Mamukkoya, Oduvil Unnikrishnan Sreenivasan
1994 Pingami (Successor) Mohanlal, Sukumaran, Kanaka, Jagathi Sreekumar, Innocent, Oduvil Unnikrishnan,Devan Raghunath Paleri
1994 Santhana Gopalam Balachandra Menon, Jagathi Sreekumar, jagadeesh, Thilakan, Kaviyoor Ponnamma
1997 Irattakuttikalude Achan (Father of Twins) Jayaram, Manju Warrier, Murali, Sreenivasan, Kavya Madhavan, Lalu Alex,Mamukkoya Sreenivasan
2001 Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (Of Jayakaanthan, Narendran's Son) Kunchacko Boban, Samyuktha Varma, Asin, Sreenivasan, Innocent, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, K. P. A. C. Lalitha, Parthiban Sreenivasan
2002 Yathrakarude Sradhakku (Passengers Attention Please) Jayaram, Soundarya, Sreenivasan, Innocent, Mamukkoya, Oduvil Unnikrishnan,Siddique, Nedumudi Venu Sreenivasan
Tag :
#lrose,
cinema,
Community,
God,
Malayalamn,
nostalgia,
Our World,
Romantic,
Satyan Anthicad,
Sreenivasan
Is it a Titantic moment for Canada?
The problem with Canada is that it didn't have an icon, at least until the Vancouver Riots happened.
Despite its stature as one of the elite G7 group of wealthy and developed nations, its wonderful people, its vast area of beautiful land with huge resources and many other enviable attributes, Canada is still young and has yet to etch something on the collective psyche of the humanity.
Kissing Couple: Scott Jones And Alex Thomas Say Vancouver Riot Embrace Was The Real Deal
Incidentally Canada is the only nation among the G7 without a distinctive iconic identity. Can you name a famous Canadian in two seconds? You know what I mean!
Tag :
Alexandra Thomas,
Canada,
Celine Dion,
Community,
G7,
Icon,
Lois Armstrong,
Romantic,
Scott Jones,
TITANIC,
Vancouver
Japanese Internet kissing machine is ready!
Years before, in the beginning days of the internet, when everyone was struggling with 28k and 56 k modem connections, I used to wonder when things will improve to make human contact experience possible. At last it has become a reality now. Well, almost!
This invention by the Japanese gives them a heads up for the next generation consumer electronics and perhaps new dimensions for social networking.Hopefully very soon people on Facebook should be able to share kissing experience with those on orkut!
This invention by the Japanese gives them a heads up for the next generation consumer electronics and perhaps new dimensions for social networking.Hopefully very soon people on Facebook should be able to share kissing experience with those on orkut!
Below is a report by CNN
| Japanese lab invents Internet kissing machine |
May 5, 2011 -- Updated 1103 GMT (1903 HKT) | Filed under:Innovation
Japanese lab invents Internet kissing machine
CNN) -- We admit to being sort of creeped out by this: A Japanese lab has created a device that may let let you "French kiss" someone over the Internet.
And by "kiss," we mean waggle your tongue on a plastic straw, thereby making another plastic straw waggle remotely on someone else's tongue.
Hot, huh?
Well, the folks at Tokyo's Kajimoto Laboratory say it's just the beginning of what could become a full-on person-to-person experience over the Internet.
The lab, part of The University of Electro-Communications, posted a video in which a researcher demonstrates the "Kiss Transmission Device." It's a motorized box that looks a little like a police Breathalyzer.
Watch the video of the "Kiss Transmission Device"
In the video, Nobuhiro Takahashi, a graduate student and researcher at the university, manipulates the plastic tube on one device with his tongue. A program stores the movements on a computer and then transmits them to another device, causing its tube to move -- presumably in someone else's mouth.
The idea is to help lovers -- in long-distance relationships, say -- by transmitting the tactile sensation of kissing from one person to another. The lab is running both devices on the same computer, but says a system could be set up to connect them via the Web.
"Kiss information" can be recorded and replayed, presumably meaning someone could save and share a "kiss" over and over.
"For example, if you have a popular entertainer use this device and record it, that could be hugely popular if you offer it to fans," Takahashi says. (Can you say, "Justin Bieber"?)
The researchers seem to realize that most people might not exactly find licking a plastic tube a suitable replacement for sucking face. But there are refinements on the way, they say.
"The elements of a kiss include the sense of taste, the manner of breathing and the moistness of the tongue," Takahashi said. "If we can re-create all of those, I think it will be a really powerful device."
Read more at edition.cnn.com
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