My musings...

Sita Sings the Blues

2012-02-17T11:56:00.002-07:00

Sita Sings the Blues had been on my list of must-watch movies ever since I happened to chance upon its trailer on YouTube sometime last year. Recently, when my brother mentioned it, backing it with his recommendation, I finally got down to watching this animated feature film., only to regret having not seen it earlier.

Employing the technique of shadow puppetry to narrate one of the oldest epics of all times, the Ramayana, in a very colloquial, conversational, and almost irreverent, discussion mode; using a host of colorful imagery, interspersed with classical jazz music pieces by Annette Hanshaw, interluded with a contemporary parallel drawn from the director's own life, in a movie that is available for free viewing (under the Creative Commons Atttribution-Share Alike license) - Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues is a path breaking experiment in cinema in more ways than one. Read more about it here.

The mythological tragic theme of Sita - the epitome of the righteous wife, who forsakes the wealth and abundance of the palace to follow her husband (Ram) in his exile, who is kidnapped in the forest, salvaged by her supremely powerful husband, forced to undertake the test of fire (quite literally) to prove her chastity, only to be banished again when she is carrying twins, and finally given the option to come back on the condition of another agnipareeksha (test of fire), which thankfully Sita denies and commits suicide (in a way) to end her miseries. This juxtaposed with the modern comedy of marriage from the life of Nina Paley (the director) whose long standing boyfriend abandons her leaving her high and dry, to fend for herself. What is very vividly brought out is the universal and eternal quality of the story of Ramayana outside of its religious context.

There are several other themes, alternate discourses and even questions that run throughout the narrative, quite evidently, though perhaps a little subtly:

If Ram's father, Dasratha was the just and fair king he was known to be, how come he was unfair to his own son for the sake of a vow given to one of his queens.
Was Ravana really the huge, ugly monster/villain he has been now made out to be? Apparently, the only great character flaw he ever had was he was smitten by another man's wife (Sita) - and that has been his only mistake. He was infact very well read and well endowed (by the gods).
Why did Sita not leave Lanka with Hanuman when he first came to see her - in a sense the whole purpose of the historic war was to establish Ram's supremacy and omnipotence. If she had just escaped with Hanuman - it wouldn't have been much of an ego boosting exercise...or did Sita feel so outraged at her abduction that she wanted her man to come and rescue her in full glory with an epic scale war that killed way too many people; or maybe she never completely trusted Hanuman. Who knows?
When Sita had already 'passed' in her test of fire (not considering for the moment how wrong Ram was in demanding it in the first place), why did he again abandon her because what a washerman said. Heavy rests the head that wears the crown? The just king versus the husband dilemma? Was that a difficult choice? Why is it so important that the leader be trusted by the wrong guys too? Is that good leadership? Even a four year old understands that "that was not fair of Ram' - Read about it here. Why is Ram then still considered an ideal man?

So, what may be the saving grace of Ramayana (or maybe not)? Finally, Sita did not forsake her self respect to return to the man who had doubted her inspite of her being with him in the most lowly of circumstances (the exile). She asked Mother Earth to take her (that is suicide) - and that final sacrifice pins her as the idol for all womanhood for all times to come. Why? Because so many believe that she silently did all that was told to her by her husband, thus upholding the true virtue of a wife? Perhaps not! On the contrary, I believe, that was her way of showing her disappointment in Ram. She resorted to means that were socially acceptable in those times. Today, if your husband does not trusts you (asks you for DNA tests for your children - wouldn't that be modern day agnipareeksha?), you might not want to return to him, but you wouldn't commit suicide - you could leave the house, start afresh somewhere else - society has grown to accept divorces and marital separations (the taboos exist but there is a real choice) - Sita did not have that option!

Coming back to the movie, it does not score a perfect 10 - when you see something that is good, you become greedy and also see the potential of what all could have beeen better. However, Sita Sings the Blues is a MUST WATCH. 82 minutes of a lot of sense, fantastic story telling, imagery and a whole load of food for thought - all this available for free on the Internet. You wouldn't get a better deal.

[Image Source: Google Images]

WTF Series: Episode 06: Vote Bank Considerations vs. Indian Culture on Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T14:20:00.001-07:00

So, is the air heavy with rose scents enveloping you; does your wallet feel a tad bit lighter with the price of love paid; and is every living and non-living object painted pink and red yet?

No, no, don't get carried away with that hopeless sarcasm of mine. I love Valentine's day - the rush of the cupid hormone and going out of the way to make it special for you and your loved one - I will do it. I don't mind the gifts and the attention, who would?

But, you know what is the most interesting aspect of Valentine's Day in India? It is the clash of cultures. The love sick puppies versus the saffron brigade. Remember the pink chaddi campaign and the hug karo-pub bharo andolans started a couple of years back?
If you live in a state with these right wing extremists, forget going out on a date, you can't even be caught with your own sister or cousin! Lest, the saffron activists get your married or hand you over to the cops!

This has all been a recent phenomenon - the advertising of the commercial aspect of love that is glamorous and exciting (and expensive) by retail giants - you know, "if you love someone, tell them" (but with an Archies card, diamond ring, designer dress, Jimmy Choo shoes, and a candlelight dinner at Taj)...and the ridiculous protests by the RSS, Shiv Sena and other self appointed guardians of Indian culture. Both of them going stronger with every passing year! How stupid and dumb these so called assaults on "western culture" and preserving our tradition are, is obvious - however, what is not obvious if the frivolity and hypocrisy of their own beliefs and claims.

If certain media reports can be believed, this year will see a change. Given the context of impending elections in some states, certain right-wing activists, including Shiv Sena, MNS have decided to go easy on couples this 14th of February. Infact, not only have they decided to not disrupt V-day celebrations but also charm the voters by encouraging free spirit. See, this is the greatness of the largest democracy in the world - not even the "Indian culture" can come in the way of "Indian politics".

Aaah, do I see a sigh of relief and a beaming pair of eyes - all set to cuddle up with your beloved in the park - hang on! If your state does not have elections coming up - you'd want to be more careful. VHP has sent out letters to pubs, bars, colleges etc. asking them not to encourage "vulgarity" and "immoral behavior" on the14th, which means - you cannot hold hands, hug, dance, drink, eat or indulge in any kind of contact with the opposite sex on V-day.
Wait, did you just say it was your sovereign right to freedom of speech and expression - yeah okay, but not on Valentines Day. We are purer-than-thou Indians; so, no, thank you, please. Remember, our culture teaches us that women are goddesses - they can't be fooled around with on the pretext of the holiness of St. Valentine!

Seriously, WTF.

Who moved my template?

2012-02-08T20:25:00.002-07:00

If the new look on my blog compels you to infer new beginnings and fresh starts at my end, you couldn't be more wrong. I am simply pissed off.
So, I was using a free template designed by pyzam.com - which I absolutely was in love with. But you know what, if things go smoothly for a while, I begin to wonder if God has forgotten about me. Apparently the HTML code in the template references to certain URLs that are categorized as spam and hence blocked by most web sites, which basically means for the last week or so, I could not share my blog URL on any social networking site.

Oh, the pressure of searching for the "right" template that conveys the "right" intent yet subtly. Haa! I didn't want to go to any third party template creations so as to avoid the risk of running into a similar situation - so I decided to make peace with the template designer available for Blogger. Now, I am no great photographer to have a personally clicked pictured that is just "right" - so after a series of mixes and matches, I gave up.

My dad often harps about the minimum satisfying criteria theory to make any decision (he uses that to consult youngsters on marriage too, btw - but that's another story). I wanted a simple design, that does not take focus away from the content, that does not distract from the writing, that has the right background and foreground contrast, easy on the eyes, and if it does not convey my basic intent, atleast it should not give the opposite impression.

Did I ever proclaim in its entirety my love for the daisy - the everyday flower that brings beauty and eloquence?

Well, my options were limited and I finally zeroed down on this one. Not sure if I like it as much as the previous one - would have wanted a slightly brighter image with a dash of green thrown in, in good measure - but then what is life without compromise :(.

The hour of need

2012-02-05T10:35:00.001-07:00

When means become more significant
Than the ends they wish to serve;
When the journey becomes the epic,
And the destination is long forgotten;

When today ensnares you in its cobwebs,
And you let go of the dreams of tomorrow;
When all that you do in the present,
Is dream about the romantic past;

When no glorious sunrise or blissful sunset,
Offers hope for a peaceful end or a new beginning;
When the sail in the middle of the sea is home,
The meaning of shore ceases to exist.

It is then, you learn that the true bearing of life
Is this never ending quest and constant strife.
There is no final goal to which we proceed;
We all lose our selves to the hour of need.

Are you human?

2012-02-01T11:20:00.001-07:00

Human identification protocols have been in existence for a number of years now. I am of course no techie geek to get into the intricate details of this, but it is fascinating to observe how these machinations have evolved over the years.

It started with the very boring captchas - the earliest versions with all crooked alphabets so you had to twist your neck in weird angles to decipher the alphabets scrawled together...

I am so not ashamed to admit that there have been a number of occasions when I have not got it right even for the second or the third time!

They then made captchas even more complicated with background distortion, lines struck through, till I, in frustration, vowed to never log in to that particular site again...

I seriously wonder if a machine would be more capable of deducing what the f*** the captcha says rather than human beings - so maybe the algorithm could be reversed. If the captcha is not replicated successfully, voila, it's a human!

I personally prefer the sensibly written two word captchas such as the one below. The techies, please care to explain why technologically this may not be as good! These can get hilarious too. I am sure we all have once in a while giggles at the words we have got to recapture... "love", "feeling", "retard"...

Then there are these psychedelic ones that make me feel like puking! Animated GIFs? Giving me a break!

Ofcourse, then there are those for the mathematically inclined. 2+2 kinds!

I swear to god I get a little nervous around these. Suddenly, what if they throw some quadratic equation at my face or some trignometric tan, cot s*** that I sucked at in school....

I really enjoy doing the logical ones. Have you seen something like this:

Imagine the existential angst of the person doing such a captcha. The obvious answer for food is the Z (the rice bowl) but aren't human beings (X) food for some species too. I wonder if there is some forum for such misleading captchas!

And finally the captchas that made me go on this trip. The smart questions! The ones that apparently try to make it fun for you. So this is what I got in one particular portal:

I was actually dumbfounded for a sec. I wondered if this was a trick question. Who the hell is Lisa? Some character in a movie, and they want the real name? (I told you I have a lot of time on my hands these days - so my imagination does run wild once in a while...)

Another smart question that I wonder how most men would answer is (they actually have questions like these, I am serious):

"How many colors in the list: pink, magenta, fuchsia, purple?"

And now a trick question for you: how many men do you know who would answer "one" and not "four" to the above question? :D :P

(Ducks with all the brick bats from the the color blind sex...

...ooops there I go again....)

[Image source: Google Images]

Frodo and Gimli say hi!

2012-01-28T10:43:00.001-07:00

There are these two adorable beings who often stare at me, as I surf the Internet or watch TV. I wonder what they think of me. I, who, often talk to them non-stop and the poor guys can only hear, gape, pretend to be interested in my rambling if I am bringing some food along, or just turn their back on me and hide somewhere. Rarely do they show any genuine interest in the "other beings" in the house, like they are doing right now - gawking at us as Vish reads the news and I blog about "us".

I think, if they could talk, they'd be shouting out a 'HI' this very moment. They look like they'll swim right through the glass. Want to meet them? Here they are...

This is Frodo:

And, this is Gimli:

And though they share their address with us, this is their exact abode:

Yes, Frodo and Gimli are our beloved fan tail gold fish. They are roughly 8 months and 4 months old, respectively, and have been our companions for a while now. A little like their one owner, they love to sleep well and, like both their owners, they love to binge on food :). A little shy, they do warm up after a while!

Born in a free world

2012-01-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

They told me I was born in a free world.
I wrote a book; they found the imagery offensive.
Those who did not read it were more offended.
They burnt it and then banned it.

They told me I was born in a free world.
I painted a canvas; they were deeply hurt.
The vivid colors made them livid, and
They were forced to burn my effigies.

They told me I was born in a free world.
I doodled caricatures that some found funny;
My house was pelted with stones because,
They proclaimed it was 'in bad taste'.

They told me I was born in a free world.
I made a movie on a disturbing yet true subject.
The mirror with one's own image does disturb;
They staged violence and chaos on the streets.

They told me I was born in a free world.
I blogged about the injustices around me.
Proofs to substantiate claims were asked for;
They blocked my IP and shut the site down.

They told me I was born in a free world.
What they did not tell me was that my
Freedom is censored based on what
They deem right and what they deem wrong.

They told me I was born in a free world.
I asserted my freedom of expression.
They showed me their moolah and their muscle,
And asserted their right to dissent.

A Dangerous Method

2012-01-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

The movie, 'A Dangerous Method', though first released in Venice in September of 2011, has been in theaters in the US only since early December.

Hardly advertised, I got to know of this movie from Vish who thought the subject would interest me - A Dangerous Method explores the tempestuous relationship between an emerging 'psyche-analyst', Carl Jung; his mentor and the founder of 'psychoanalysis', Sigmund Freud; and the patient who later goes on to become one of the first female psychoanalysts, Sabina Spielrein.

The movie is fascinating and very interesting. The eve of World War I forms the backdrop of the evolving practices of psychiatry. While Freud is determined in his focus on repressed sexuality as a cause for psychological disorders, Jung wants to broaden those boundaries by bringing in mysticism and the heroism and superiority of the analyst. Sabina comes out of her insanity and brings together Freud's 'death drive' and Jung's 'transformation' in a new perspective influencing both men. The context of the impeding war, the religion and class conflicts (Freud and Sabina were Jews, Jung was married rich), the analysts' own incapability to deal with 'transference', and the vulnerability of one's own desires bring in a heady concoction - but for only those who are versed with the history if psychoanalysis.

Though the movie is quite well directed and does bring out the incompleteness of the entwined relationships - coming together of the characters and their falling apart for ever, creating history every moment - it does not give sufficient time for the development of conflicts and tensions. Given that the rolling time is a little less 100 minutes, the story telling obviously cannot deep dive into details - thus leaving it to the viewers to understand the complications and the enormity of the problems between the characters.

The final verdict - Like I said, if you have read well enough on the subject, you will definitely appreciate the movie - one of the very few of its kind. And if you don't have a clue on Jung and Freud, I suggest you take the time out to read on them, and then go watch the movie. Their histories are very enthralling and enable you to chart the progression of varied theories of psychoanalysis that have affected and moulded the 'modern thought'.

[Image source: Google Images]

Versatile Blogger: Nomination and Tag

2012-01-16T11:42:00.000-07:00

Nominated for the Versatile Blogger award by Aparna here. Thanks a lot! I wasn't sure the origins of it, so searched the Internet and found the Versatile Blogger Award site here. They have a blog roll of all the winners - which is periodically updated. Aparna, your nomination is well deserved and sound me out when you win it - All the best!

The nomination does not come easy. It has a set of rules and here I go...

1. Nominate 15 fellow bloggers.

Here are the fellow bloggers I nominate... (excluding bloggers who have already been nominated, I got only 10)

Chandrika Shubham at Chandrika Shubham : A reserved chit-chatter.
BK Chowla at Change India.
Creative Rumblings at Creative Rumblings.
TBG at Desi Ghee and Coffee.
Katherine Jenkins at Lessons from the Monk I Married.
Sameera at Life in a jiffy.
Mr "Niraj" Lemon at Masalla Lemonade.
Susan Deborah at Meanderings and Reflections.
Ram at Trails of a Traveler.
Prathama at Towards Harmony.

2. Inform the bloggers of their nomination.

Consider this done - the minute I publish the post, will let the nominated bloggers know.

3. Add the Versatile Blogger award picture to your blog post.

Here it is...

4. Share 7 random things about yourself.

Okay, let's see how random I can get...

Though I can't sing for nuts, for as long as I can remember I have fancied being a top-notch singer - I used to sing along with the tapes, with a magazine rolled up as a mike and pretend I was giving an Oscar-winning performance. I still do it when nobody is at home (and now with YouTube instead) :D.

My first career option ever as a kid was to join the army and fight at the borders. In the 80's, women were still not part of the Indian army; and when my parents told me that, I wanted to be an army doctor. (Until ofcourse I later realized I just don't have it in me to become any kind of a doc :()

The first job I ever "interviewed" for was for the position of a Management Trainee at the Taj Group of Hotels. This was when I was still in college.

I have carried dividers, compasses in my bags during the bus rides to and from college. I was in Delhi and it was almost a necessity to carry such equipment for self defense. I have used these and umbrellas, elbows, knees to hit so many men (ofcourse the guilty ones only), real bad, where it really hurts the most.

Till I was in my early 20s, the worst abuse I had ever used was "bitch". And if I called so it was someone that, it was understood that they really deserved it and infact much more! I couldn't bring myself to use to the more illustrious vocabulary that I seem to fluently mouth out these days!

I have admired and been infatuated by various celebrities from different field over the years. However, I have always proudly proclaimed that I have never been so star-struck as to put up posters in my room EXCEPT for only once in all these years - I had Rahul Dravid's poster on my bedroom wall for exactly 10 days when I was in Grade 8.

Though not at all a sportsperson, I have tried my hand (literally only that much) at most sports - lawn tennis, badminton, javelin throw, short put, karate, long jump, golf, volley ball, basket ball, throw ball, even cricket, and what not - only to come to the conclusion that all these are too "rough" for my taste :P. The one sport I have "seriously" pursued, for say 2 years continuously in school, was Table Tennis :).

Wow! I actually enjoyed doing this post! Thanks Aparna, once again.

Over to you guys, now!

And there is so much more of Murphy...

2012-01-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

A long long time ago I did a post on how Murphy has a habit of ruining my life given the inherent perversity of this seamless universe - you can read the post on my experiments with Murphy's laws here.

I would be surprised if the universal truths I had documented years ago were no longer good - but aren't there more shocks to life than surprises?

Here are a few more Murphy-isms I am being subjected to.

Just when the tea is about to boil over, will something more urgent distract my attention. It will be that very second I would have turned that there will be spilled tea all over the burner.

I will wait all week for the supposedly shipped Amazon order to arrive, but the USPS/Fedex guy will find precisely that moment when I am in the shower to knock at the door. I will then have to take his note to the leasing office and hopefully not the shipping center to pick up my package.

After a long hiatus, I'll somehow pull my lethargic self out to go the the gym and that very day the gym will be closed for maintenance activity.

The only day that I choose to go on a quick evening walk will Vish decide to come home early from work to give me a surprise, and end up being surprised at my absence.

I will wait all day for the maintenance guy from the leasing office to show up to fix the fused bulb and he will choose to arrive the only time in the whole month that I would have put a face pack. Out-of-season Halloween for the poor guy!

Right when it is the time to take out the dish from the oven, will my gloves mysteriously go missing and completely out of sight - resulting in unnecessary chaos and distress.

After putting the clothes in the washer, I'll occupy myself with other chores in order to multitask only to forget till after a couple of hours that I haven't put them in the dryer yet.

And I think, this one's the worst - I'll rationalize with Vish how picking up a bar of Snickers at the checkout lane of Walmart/Target is not a bad idea - 140 calories for all the walking around seems reasonable. And lo, behold, the check out lane we chose does NOT have snickers on the panels. I mean, I seriously doubt, who controls our lives more God or Mr. Murphy?

How is your equation with Murphy?

Creating cultures free from violence...

2012-01-06T16:49:00.000-07:00

...Is the motto of the Men Can Stop Rape organization. You can read about them at their website linked here: mencanstoprape.org. Established more than a decade ago, with the vision to "institutionalize primary prevention of men's violence against women through sustained initiatives that generate positive, measurable outcomes in populations throughout the world", the organization is primarily based in the US and has recently come into lime light with their very popular The Strength campaign, with the slogan, "My strength is not for hurting"...

I have always believed that to create a society that is "safe" for women, it is not sufficient to educate the women and make them aware of their rights, their strengths but also educate the men and sensitize them on issues that women face.

Mothers need to cultivate in their sons respect for women, sisters need to talk to their brothers to help them understand how a girl feels, classmates and colleagues should open up communication channels so that a girl does not hesitate to ask for help.

Women can't just do this on their own, not because we lack in courage but because we lack in numbers.

A long time ago, I wrote an article for a university newspaper on eve teasing and women's harassment on Delhi University's campus with exactly the same argument - The editorial team came back to me saying how so many men appreciated the thought and how it had never struck them that they could help proactively rather than simply consider these as only "women's issues".

Like other crimes that our society is ridden by - murders, thefts, corruption, harassment against women is also a social problem not just a "woman's problem". And like other issues are dealt with out in the open - the girl child education program, the polio campaign, the AIDS awareness program - we need a dedicated, well planned campaign for stopping sexual harassment of women in any form.

I cannot stress enough the need of such a campaign like the "Men Can Stop Rape" in India. Let this be a subject in the school syllabus. Adult education centers and other literacy missions should imbibe this in their curriculum.

We need to go to the grass root level - when kids are as young as two or three years old, they are told to hit someone is wrong; when they grow up a little more and learn the sense of ownership, they are told to steal is wrong; and when they reach adolescence, we are hesitant to even impart sex education to them (atleast in India) and we simply refuse to talk about all the headlines they read - women raped, harassed, burnt, killed - We tell our daughters to come before dusk and not to roam about alone, without actually talking to them about all the dangers that lurk and what they can do in self defense - And we don't find any need to tell our sons anything. Why? Why this hypocrisy in our own value system?

Let's educate the women and the men. Awareness and mutual understanding is the key to a healthy social eco system where crimes can be thwarted and criminals justly punished.

A head start ;)

2012-01-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

Talk about actually giving a head start to your new year resolutions on the first day of the year itself. Vish and I took the going healthy bit too seriously, and along with a friend were on our way to hiking the Camelback Mountain in Phoenix as early as 7 AM on the 1st of January!

Camelback is a popular hiking and rock climbing destination in the valley and has two trails. We picked up the Echo Canyon trail that was labeled 'moderate'. Not that we are great or regular hikers, but you know that super ego within, 'if they say it's moderate, it must be easy'. Haa! God had his first lesson of the new year planned for us already. Though a 1.2 mile hike one way - the climb and descent both were extremely arduous. I cannot explain enough the havoc caused by the sand, the dirt, the gravel, the rocks, the boulders.

The climb starts with a few sandy steps giving way to a fairly steep rise that is made only a degree simpler with the rail and net provided. To say that I struggled, would be an understatement (I have learnt modesty :)). Mid-way I had lost all steam and was ready to give up - panting, out of breath, feeling nauseated and faintish, the peak seemed too far. Vish applied all tricks of the trade - enthusiastic cheering and then subtle manipulation - "aren't you from the hills - whatever happened to the great Chaube's", and that's it - I just couldn't call it quits. Not on the first day of the year.

And then we went on to the most challenging part of the ascent - a steep almost-vertical climb on a completely rocky terrain. I slipped a couple of times, bruised my ankles, took a minute's rest every two minutes, but we finally did make it to the top. And yes, the views were worth the trouble getting all the way up...

The descent was riskier and even more challenging - I tried the strategy of holding the rocks on both the sides with my hands and then swinging down - the trick did me good (and completely destroyed my forearms in the process) - I was down in record time - never mind the 60-year old and 10-year old local pros who were running down the slope - comparison is never healthy :D.

As we returned home after the hike, followed by a quick lunch at an Iranian place, we could already feel the soreness creep in.

Like a battered and bruised soldier but from a victorious war, I am still reeling from all the aches and the stretched joints - walking is difficult, lifting objects is impossible, the neck is stiff and so are 99% of the muscles but the sense of achievement is at its peak :). I am just hoping that this is not the only exercise I get in the whole year - to keep it optimistic, well begun is half done, folks!

Wishing you all a very happy new year - may fulfilling joy be yours every single day!

A yummy year end...

2011-12-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

If you thought that my culinary experimentation had gone cold after the self lauding post here, you couldn't be more wrong. The dipping mercury, all the time in hand, and that unmistakable love for good food has ensured that I keep busy with cooking all the stuff that I would want to have. Being in the kitchen in the winter is a nice warm feeling and plus the layers of extra clothing ensures that the million calories go unnoticed. [I swear I have never dreaded spring/summer so much before. Come the new year, and whether there is rain or hail, I promise to hit the gym :(]. But aren't resolutions for new year; let's just enjoy the yummy year ends now :)...

So here's presenting to you my new feats...

Everyday Experiments

We had some friends over for dinner a couple of times giving me the opportunity to expand my guinea pig base :D. In addition to my forte (*wink* *wink*), I tried out the malai kofta for the first time ever. The koftas were not very shapely but I was reasonable satisfied by the end result. I followed Manjula's Kitchen for this one. This pic is straight from the wok...

I tried my hand at some maida crispies. The recipe is ridiculously simple, but the product is a hit especially at tea time...

Had to make some goodies to fill a friend's bakeware that she had brought along (with food ofcourse :)) for a dinner at our place. And the self-proclaimed baking expert that I have now become, dished out these simple yet awesome chocolate walnut muffins. These are much dryer than the cup cakes I did earlier, and make great accompaniments to your coffee. Recipe here; and picture below :D.

Thanksgiving Specials

Just the two of us, so moong daal kachoris with aloo sabzi was the main course. The recipes I followed are here and here. The kachoris came out so nice and crisp - good enough to warrant a snap...:D

For dessert, I made a German Apple Cake with Pecans. Here's the recipe; just add a cup full of chopped pecans to it for added flavor. Here's the picture. It looks a little bland and dry in the pic but that's because this was taken when it was just out of the oven. Infact the cake is quite moist and refrigerates well. No topping for this one as I wanted to store it for long. To serve each time, I warmed it a little and poured some maple syrup over it. Vish loved it with Vanilla ice cream and chocolate syrup.

Winter Specials

Winter is really the time for some good comfort food. And we did have a binging spree...

After my near disaster with rava laddoos earlier, this time, I placed my trust in Tarla Dalal's recipe for besan laddoos. And boy, I was so not disappointed. I had to put a little more besan than mentioned in the recipe because I felt there was too much ghee, and I didn't really want ghee dripping laddoos, so... The slight deviation did do me good. The laddoos came out extremely well and we finished the lot in no time at all.

Found an awesome chana daal kebab recipe that does not need too much oil - Tarla Dalal, obviously. Kebabs or tikkis, whatever you call them make a filling evening snack; we dined on it :).

If it is not already obvious, let me say it again, Vish and I have an enormous sweet tooth and well made halwas may well be our greatest undoing. Tried my hand at gajar/carrot halwa following the recipe here - it was okay, came out a little too creamier for our tastes - and that is obvious from the pic too.

I then tried making doodhi/lauki/bottlegourd halwa, following the recipe here. The picture doesn't look great but it was one of the best halwaas that I have had (and not made, please note :P), plus I did not use any food coloring.

Christmas Special!!!

Save the best for the last they say; and this one actually takes the cake - quite literally. Attempted the Christmas Special - Fruit Cake with Rum and Wine (recipe here) - and it is the richest and the best cake I have ever baked. Following the instructions, I had soaked the fruits in rum, wine and spices for a week and let the cake rest for a week after being baked. Come Christmas evening, and the cake tasted delicious - all thanks to the wonderful recipe - the spices and liquor gave it a wonderful kick and according to Vish, we must celebrate Christmas more often :).

( I have this one still in my refrigerator, stop by if you can ;))

Adios 2011. And see you guys next year.

A blogging award for a merrier Christmas...

2011-12-26T08:09:00.001-07:00

IHM is a very popular Indian blogger who primarily writes against injustices, violence, biases and atrocities committed on women. She recently announced THE BLOGSCARS: Tejaswee Rao Blogging Awards (after her daughter) wherein bloggers were invited to submit relevant blog posts under various categories that focused on feminism, women's issues and so on. Here's the complete list.

I did submit a few of my own blog posts that I felt were relevant to the topics, and am really delighted to have won in the category, "The way a woman dresses...". My winning blog post is titled, "Dressed to kill!" and you can read it here.
Here's the award badge that I get to proudly display on my side panel. If you have the time, I would suggest that you read the other winning posts to at the link above. They make for some really good reading - informative and eye opening.

This, added to the short weekend trip (which I do hope to write about :)), did make my Christmas merrier. How have you been?

Zombie Jamboree

2011-12-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

So, I have had an overdose of zombies in the last couple of years, thanks to my husband, really. Watching alive corpses eating others is not my idea of a movie day out or a popcorn night in but alas! And if you have seen the Danny Boyle 28 series (28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later), I am Legend etc. in the recent years or the American sitcom, The Walking Dead, which was on air till last month, you know precisely what I am talking about.

In the last few weeks, I have been wondering that this obsession of primarily the western world with the zombie apocalypse is kind of unnerving. Yes, mysteries of the world are not completely known to us nor ever will be - The environment conditions, health conditions, ecological balance - all are being skewed in proportions that can bring about a viral or any other outbreak - the consequences of which we can only imagine. But this maniac churning of one movie after the other, mostly in US and Europe, looks like symptomatic of some deep rooted fear and masochistic/sadistic leanings. (Am I being overly judgmental here - maybe, maybe not)

A quick wiki search told me that zombie movies have been made since 1919. And let's not forget that the legendary Frankenstein was also a living corpse - in that sense, a zombie. I also did some reading around and realized that zombies or zombie like creatures find significant mention in most western, especially European folklore. Interestingly, in India, though we have a huge tradition of folk tales, there do not seem to be any references to zombie-like creatures. Is this then some cultural difference too? Correct me please, if I am wrong.

However, inspite of the "history", the spurt in post-apocalyptic movies is, undeniably, fairly recent. And what disturbs me the most is the raging success such movies enjoy. What do they show in these movies basically - the primal being - adrenaline rush - all that you are capable of is killing for survival - no emotions - devoid of feelings...

If only a few such movies were around, I'd guess they'd have the novelty factor and draw audiences - but I see the same kind of story line and goriness in all these zombie movies - irrespective of the language or the country they are made in. What kind of rush would such visuals give you?

I have tried asking Vish this too, but all that I get is "you never know what will happen to this world - this is just one kind of interpretation - you have to be open to possibilities", and then the pop corn is passed over.

Aaarrggghh - is it just men?

I'd rather watch a cute romantic flick that pleases my senses than keep my eyes shut for three-fourths of a movie and battle with the dirty after taste of all the blood and gore.

(Had I been in one of my other moods, I am sure would have done a post on how all these zombie movies are creations of men to keep the women scared and tied to them in theaters and at home - you know nothing like having a bodyguard to tackle the living dead than doing it on your own, however independent you might be :D)

What's your take?

[Image Source: Google Images]

Migratory (Birds)

2011-12-16T12:42:00.001-07:00

Let’s pack our bags and leave -
In warmer places we’ll better thrive.
It’s getting cold and dry and barren;
Time has come to find another haven.

If we make it through winter,
Spring will bring sunny cheer;
And before the sun gets harsh,
It’s a promise, we’ll come back.

What we abandon is not home,
What we come back to, will surely be.
This flight we take is not last out;
There is no point of no-return.

It is the gift of wings that keeps us,
Safe from harm and free of fetters.
We are blessed by the heavens,
Like no other being has been.

Those tiny people you see below -
Envy us in their thoughts and verses.
They leave home and hearth and family,
Chasing the ever elusive perfect happiness.

They build bridges to reduce distances,
And walk miles on them without a care;
But when they grow tired, yearning to return -
Their paths lie burnt, and nobody awaits.

"In My Sky At Twilight"

2011-12-12T17:11:00.001-07:00

Leisure days have given me one more boon - the time and space to watch the setting sun. Arizona skies are at their charming and vibrant best around this time of the year, especially during sunsets. And the best part - I do not have to go far to soak in the beauty of the golden ball melting into the horizon - it comes to me, right at my patio.

A cup of hot chocolate, gentle soulful music (Louis Armstorng, Beatles, Golden Oldies of Bollywood) in the background, my camera on the side, and in my hands - an anthology of poems through the eras, especially the Romantics - Wordsworth, Yeats, Keats, Shelley, and perhaps the greatest 20th century poet - Neruda...And our brightest star descending behind the mountains - yes, sometimes, life is truly beautiful and pristine...

There are days, when even through the clouds and the haze, the light fuzzes through, and I echo Pablo Neruda...

"I have seen from my window

the fiesta of sunset in the distant mountain tops."

And then, there are days, when the sky is less dramatic, picturesque nevertheless, and Wordsworth does perfect justice to the scape...

"Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!"

But even on days as above, the clouds introduce their own theatrics...

The inscrutable workmanship of nature that Wordsworth eulogized is so believable when you see the canvas spread out in hues you could only imagine...

"Dust as we are, the immortal spirit grows

Like harmony in music; there is a dark

Inscrutable workmanship that reconciles

Discordant elements, makes them cling together

In one society. How strange, that all

The terrors, pains, and early miseries,

Regrets, vexations, lassitudes interfused

Within my mind, should e'er have borne a part,

And that a needful part, in making up

The calm existence that is mine when I

Am worthy of myself! Praise to the end!"

And when the musings of the painter become denser, you really wonder if it is worthiness, destiny or sheer luck that you could witness these sights...

And the words of Pablo Neruda resound in your being when you see the progression of blues and yellows to turquoises and ambers to a burst of cyans, sapphires, crimsons, mahagonies, carmines, corals, auburns, scarlets, vermilions...colors that you cannot count and name...

"My soul is an empty carousel at sunset."

...All this, "in my sky at twilight".

WTF Series: Episode 05: "Regulating" Social Media

2011-12-07T12:34:00.002-07:00

[My sincere gratitude to Kapil Sibal for helping me revive the WTF series - I seriously was running out of steam, given the constant racket happening in the governing of the country.]

So, Mr. Sibal wants to "pre-screen" content posted in any social media - Twitter, Facebook, the almost obliterated Orkut, Blogosphere, and, I am told even from Google Search Results. All because offensive content was found on THE madam in one of these sites - I did not see any protests from the 'citizens of India whose interests Kapil Sibal wants to protect by censoring web content. Did you?

Forget our right to freedom of expression, forget the technological issues in pre-screening millions and millions of status updates, posts, tweets by the second, and forget the legal meanings of sweeping terms like "defamatory", "hateful", and the likes - if the Minister of Communication wants to scrutinize the thoughts of the people even before they are formulated or expressed, he must be given the ways and the means to do it - install every browser with mind reading software - and till such a software can be developed, employ all the wall street protesters, and the so many educated yet unemployed people as scanners!

And what should be scanned - Everything - hate speech against any politician or his/her relative, dog, friend; and any cartoon that portrays any person living or dead. Why only politicians? School principals, teachers, professors, bosses - everybody should be protected. No person has the right to say my boss is an idiot because it may hurt the sentiments of all his near and dear ones.

Also, what about the emotions of the poor filmmakers and the cast - don't people from the entertainment business deserve respect. If you do not like a movie - please say so politely in 140 characters - absolutely no need for four or five letter superlatives.

If any user wants to post any comment, status or blog update about any person, he/she should contact him/her personally, get a no objection certificate signed on a stamp paper, and then post the scanned image of this certificate along with the post. And should you want to make a general observation or comment, please contact Mr. Sibal for such a certificate. He knows best. By the way, your sovereign right to freedom of expression, will be duly upheld and honored.

And, while at it, please factor in concerns of the RSS and the likes - no woman should be allowed to post her picture with a guy, unless she has him listed as a brother or her relationship status is 'married'. Specifically, the guy in question - brother or husband - should be tagged. Pictures with fiances are allowed only if parents are also tagged in the same picture. An algorithm based on the appropriateness of the dress worn based on the citizenship of the girl should be developed, so that as the picture is being uploaded it can be marked as 'abuse'. Atleast her 500 friends will be saved of harassment they would feel at seeing her dressed like that.

It need not be spelt out that pictures showing people smoking or drinking are not to be allowed because these incite the friends into indulging in these bad habits themselves, hence sending down wrong signals to this impressionable generation.

Every conversation between a girl and boy who are not related by blood or marriage, as per the information available in their accounts, should be scanned before it is published. Preferably, an alert could go to the parents and the families of the people involved.

After all, the government of India must partner with the service providers to do everything they can to preserve the moral fiber of our society.

Seriously, WTF!

Kiss, Unhate and Wear UCB

2011-12-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

Benetton, the Italian retail giant does it again. The group is known for their shock advertising over the years - remember the powerful United Colors of Benetton campaign that was so successful that it was incorporated as a brand name!

The posters showing children from different ethnic origins, three hearts of the same color but from differently colored people, or the white baby suckling on the breasts of a black woman – all of these had a novelty, a recall value and a “shock” factor that was admirable.

However, this time with the Unhate campaign, I wonder has UCB overreached itself? I am not sure of the answer. The advertisements on huge billboards show world leaders smooching – for example, we have the Pope kissing the Imam and Obama kissing Hu Jintao…

Apparently, in public interest, the company abstained from showing Manmohan Singh smooching Asif Ali Zardari – Now that would have been something!

The advertisement campaign is sensational, provocative, and as many have termed it, scandalous and outrageous. Vatican found the campaign so insulting that Benetton had to pull the Pope's ad down.

What do I think of the ads? Creative, very. You cannot not notice it.

I’d take the company’s plea that this is a genuine effort to spread love and “unhate” in this world, with a pinch of salt and good humor – oh c’mon – this is money, marketing and business sense – and they achieved all the attention that they chose to sought. So kudos, well done.

Now, about many people having raised objection to the immorality of the campaign, is also hog-wash as far as I am concerned – you see it, you like it, go shop at Benetton – you hate it, don’t shop at Benetton.

However, the one small concern that I have with t his campaign is that the pictures used have been digitally morphed without the permission of the person concerned. Forget world leaders, would any ‘commoner’ – you and me - be happy or even okay with their photograph blown up in a seemingly unparliamentary light and posted across countries. I am not sure if I would be comfortable with that. How do you then justify criminal action against Internet hackers and artists who use morphed images of actors and actresses to create pornographic content? The means are the same!

I’d leave it to the ad gurus and experts to talk about the legal aspects of such actions, but what do you think? UCB has gone overboard this time – or is it a no big deal?

[Image source: Google Images]

The Tudors

2011-11-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Period dramas have always held a great fascination for me. Through my growing up years, I remember enjoying the Ramayana and Mahabharata, Vikram and Betal, Chandrakanta, Sword of Tipu Sultan – however, all that was a long time ago. None of the new ones on TV have caught my fancy in the recent years, except of course for the English movies based on period dramas, that I have watched awe-struck!

So when Vish suggested watching The Tudors (on Netflix) – a historical fiction television series spanning the rule of King Henry VIII of England – I was all for it. We finished the entire series – spread across four seasons in a little less than 3 weeks. It was very engrossing, almost addictive. (An aside: King Henry VIII is played by the same guy who was the football coach in Bend it Like Beckham :))

I felt that the series was shot wonderfully – the English landscape complete with the castles and the old European architecture – the costumes, the opulence, the diction of the characters, the old world courtesy, charm and language, the politics of the empire – all tiny details had been intricately woven to give a picture of an honest and truthful depiction. I did some reading of the period too, on the side. And realized, as in any work of fiction, though much has been drawn from documented history, there are deviations – perhaps to make plots and characters less confusing and retell a story that spanned so many years in just a few episodes.

If you get the time, you must watch the series (a small word of caution though – the episodes get quite graphic when it comes to scenes of beheading, burning, torture and other forms of harassment) and also read about this fascinating lineage of the Tudors. It is very interesting to observe how the King – the sovereign leader – is just another insecure man – who needs to many a times, unnecessarily, assert his powers in order to prove his potency, and at the same time needs constant affirmation from others around him that he is indeed a just and fair king.

King Henry VIII is apparently the most exciting of all the English kings – his never ending squabbles with the Roman Emperor, his love-hate relationship with France, his confused loyalties with Catholicism, his support for the Reformation, his insatiable appetite for women and wives, his paranoia of not being able to have a son and then not being able to protect him adequately, his orders of execution in fury and then heart wrenching regrets later, his megalomaniac belief that he is invincible and can command death out of the way, his deep rooted fear of not being able to live upto that larger than life size he expected of himself, and his final resignation to the acceptance of the reality of death.

For those interested in further historic reference of King Henry VIII, he is the father of the Queen Mary, also known as Bloody Mary for all the heretics she executed during her reign, and of the very notable Queen Elizabeth I, whose rule on England is often referred to as the golden age. Since she was a sworn virgin, with her ended the Tudor Dynasty.

[Image source: Google Images]

The Marriage Plot

2011-11-23T19:54:00.003-07:00

Now, this novel by a one-time Pulitzer Prize winner American author, Jeffrey Eugenides, caught my attention in the public library in town for one simple reason – I had not heard about the author or the book at all; it fell in the attractive “new and un-recommended” (as against recommended or not recommended) category :P.

The verdict? The Marriage Plot makes a very interesting read - interesting not in the sense that it cannot be understood (:D) - but interesting in the sense that it challenges your own intellectual background and reading.

Set in the early 1980s, in the context of the global economic recession, the novel traces the lives, during the one year after school, of three undergraduates at the Brown University, the then emerging hot bed for post modernism.

Interestingly, the female protagonist is an English major who finds it tough to make the leap from outdated Victorian sentimentalism to the ragingly fashionable semiotics – Caught in the times when Jane Austen had become passé, and Derrida had come to be in vogue.

As an English Lit grad myself, I found myself empathizing with Madeleine, every time she exasperated on discourses on deconstruction and post structuralism. I remember sitting in my literary theory classes trying to decipher Foucault and wondering where had gone all the texts that could be understood in one simple reading!

In this ‘semiotically’ charged backdrop, the two male protagonists – Leonard, a charming Darwinist, and Mitchell, a religious scholar, court careers, confusion, existential crisis, undergrad life, dope, mental and emotional extremes, and Madeleine. To call this a love triangle, would be not only overly simplistic but against the very grain of the novel.

The Marriage Plot is about the death of the 'marriage plot' as existed in the seemingly romantic and uncomplicated times of the nineteenth century. Through the novel, and the so many failed marriage plots inherent in it, the author seems to ask the retrospective question – faced with the realities of feminism, sexual freedom, prenuptials and divorces - are we in an age sans of any great majestic love stories?

Through the three characters, Eugenides brings out the intellectual angst representative of the world we live in today. Madeleine is devastated as Barthes deconstructs the very notion of love and even more so when Leonard quotes from the very book to respond to her declaration of love.

Leonard has a complex layer of grey matter that plays hide and seek with him and in a way writes the destiny of all three of them.

Mitchell is confused about most things – his love and the lack of it, religious mysticism, Nietzsche, his true calling and the meaning of life. His anti-proposal is a crucial aspect to the marriage plot – concealing its fate completely.

In its commentary of the coming of the new age – as confused and as angst ridden it may be – Eugenides does a fantastic job – And I feel there is also exactly where the book fails as a work of pure fiction. Maybe it was never intended to be so.

The characters, seemingly real, fail to appeal to you as people in flesh and blood. I failed to emotionally connect with any of them, as usually would be the case in a typical novel. At least, the two male leads show some kind of progression or regression – but in the case of Madeleine, there does not seem to be a movement – no journey – and apparently no growth – in that sense, the characters are not well carved.

The scholarly didacticism takes over the story telling – the focus is on literary commentary, and the lives of the protagonists a context to experiment with and prove the theories.

I would recommend this book to people who keenly follow literary theories and emerging philosophies – for the pure genius of contextuality that the author weaves in a highly readable and fast paced novel. This one’s not for those looking for a tale with vivid characterization and a plot that binds and progresses.

It's Official - The Break Up!

2011-11-20T11:06:00.002-07:00

Yes, I am making this public knowledge now. We are over. The Cullens and I, that is. That we did not have a future together was evident from the beginning, but we would part ways so suddenly, is alas god's will.

After going ga-ga over the white faced, well mannered, animal-blood sucking angels in my blog posts here and here, and having sincerely read the Stephenie Meyer's books and diligently followed the movie series, Breaking Dawn - Part 1 comes like a hard-hitting slap on the face!

First, it is incredibly slow-paced - both parts could have been made into a crisp 2-hour movie, and I bet my life, it would have done better. There's hardly any content in the movie - now c'mon, don't scoff at me that I went to a Twilight movie for content - but there has to be something happening, right?

I would have consoled myself a little had they given Edward and Bella more screen space, but no! This one's dedicated to close shots of the growing pregnant belly, ultrasounds, scans, molecular movement, ingestion of RBCs, blood all over - in the body, in the veins, in the hands, in the cup, on the baby, on the floor - one bloody boring fest - quite literally!

And yes, none of the cast are great actors but it seemed they were dull and bored too - except for a few wise cracks here and there, primarily by Jacob's character, there is hardly any real conversation.

So, while I yawned and aarghed my time through Breaking Dawn, I could already hear the "last laughs" of all those who hadn't fallen for the gentlemanly immortals in the first place, and had made their opinions aptly clear to me. Cheers to you - seems like I am one of those who learn only by mistakes :D.

[Image Source: Google Images]

Winter is here!

2011-11-18T09:26:00.001-07:00

The sun’s in a hurry these days
There’s barely time for leisurely hellos
And warm, gentle good byes

The mittens are out, and so are
All the snuggly woolens forced to
Wake up from their long slumber.

Evening tea with warm brownies
And wine with roasted peanuts n cashews
Preferably, over cozy bonfires…

The leaves have begun to fall
And the birds are migrating
Summer clothes shall soon hibernate

Foggy breaths and the festive cheer
Early Christmas lights and decorations galore
Yep, looks like Winter is finally here!

NYC: Up, Close, and Personal

2011-11-14T10:35:00.001-07:00

A red eye flight from Phoenix ensured we woke up in the morning to the city that never sleeps – Wading through the jam-packed gates of JFK, and trying to steal a keen look at the price list for boot polishing (10 USD for a deluxe one, just in case you are interested), we hopped onto the air train and reached the local subway station.

While we were buying our metro cards, I thought I was transported back to a local UP roadways bus adda (bust station) in India – a very old, cheesy bollywood number was playing in one of the trillion small shops owned by Indians in NYC (I even noted down the lyrics, click here for the song :P)

The ride in the local metro to our hotel in downtown Manhattan was as we had been forewarned – At 6:30 AM, people were out there already in commute - as we approached our destination we were crammed to a one-leg room space – so it was actually delightful to ascend the stinky and dirty subway pass and “arise” to the heart of the big apple. Yes, New York sub way stations, streets and roads are not only always crowded but very very filthy. Another thing, I must warn you – be it the airport or any tourist attraction – NYC is the city with the dirtiest toilets. Sorry, for the gory details, but you need to know this, don’t you?

And then commenced, what my husband quite endearingly (;)) refers to as tourist hell. Armed with a long laundry list of must-do’s, New York City Passes and a hop on – hop off bus tour package, I dragged Vish mercilessly for three days around the city from 7:30 AM to 11:00 PM, till, according to him, we ran out of all the hell holes). Aah, the satisfaction of having EVERYTHING on my list checked off! What all was on my list? Just search for Things to Do in NYC, and pretty much everything that pops up in the results was there – tadaah :D!!!

Here are the highlights of our NYC experience…

The Manhattan skyline is gorgeous from any view – you don’t have to go to Empire State and Rockefeller - we did both and did not find it worth the money, the long queues and the airport-like security). Instead, you HAVE to walk down the Brooklyn Bridge and get the most awesome views of the Manhattan Bridge and the skyline – this along with a night tour of Brooklyn via the Manhattan Bridge is a MUST.

The Statue of Liberty is a must-do. Many will tell you it’s overrated but you have to take the ferry around the island and see this French gift first-hand – and up-close.

The neon and the glamour of Times Square is quite a disappointment - apparently the most visited place in the world is just an overly crowded space with skyscrapers all around you – take a walk around – the Broadway theater district is so culturally rich – catch a musical there. The Bryant Park with its beer garden, small shops and a lot of food options is a much more enjoyable and cozy place to relax and soak the city in.

The financial district, complete with the raging bull, NYSE and the Occupy Wall Street protests was an interesting experience too.

All those top honchos in tuxedos walking out at lunch time and eating from the zillions of street food stalls gives you a fascinating insight into the life of a New Yorker – Being vegetarians we could not indulge wholeheartedly in the street food revelry all around us – however, we did binge on the so many kinds of pretzels, falafels – and American pizzas!

The gourmet scene is the best ever – what with all the little worlds that have come together – little India, little Italy, little China, little Korea, little Africa – this is NYC for you – a potpourri of countries, cultures, peoples and even religions.

Apparently, every religion in this world is practiced in New York City – you have hindu temples, gurudwaras, mosques, synagogues, churches, Buddhist temples among many others.

What you definitely need to do in the city is, leave the concrete, wax and the up-scale snobbish neighborhoods behind, and head straight to Central Park – a man-made park but a wonder in every right – This two and a half mile majestic garden in the heart of the city cannot disappoint you. We spent a few hours every single day that we were in New York strolling here. With the fall colors thrown in, this was the most enjoyable and breathtaking part of our trip.

I could go on and on, but would rather stop on this scenic note, BUT the next time you are planning a trip to NYC, you know who to contact :D.

Tom and Jerry: Just a cat and mouse game?

2011-11-07T12:53:00.001-07:00

These two eternal iconic enemies need no introduction! Yes, I have enjoyed the Tom and Jerry cartoon series for as long as I can remember. Lately, these two have been my constant companions when I am on the treadmill in the gym (yeah yeah, didn’t I tell you I have been meaning to bounce off the calories that keep finding way to my kitchen – somehow the Cartoon Network schedule and my routine fits in perfectly well.

You can call it lack of having anything better to do or an over imaginative mind - however, in the last fortnight I seem to be noticing aspects – relationships, stereotypes, political impropriety – in the cartoon series that I have never consciously been aware of earlier. And since I have been spending a good number of waking hours doing so much thinking, I thought I might as well spoil the fun for you guys too…

Gender stereotyping and the lack of it…

Tom and Jerry are obviously two male names. Isn’t Tom the epitome of the confused male – brash, unthinking, more use of brawn than the brain?

Isn’t Jerry the witty guy who often wins against Tom inspite of his little size because he is more intelligent? What about the episodes where he cross dresses and flutters his eye lashes – he is effeminate but endearingly so – yet he is not convincingly homosexual because he is inevitably attracted to the female mice ! Metrosexual, perhaps :D?

So while a good many socially rendered gender stereotypes are evidently flouted in the character portrayals of Tom and Jerry, there is a considerable allegiance to “the norm” in the depiction of most other supporting cast.

Racism

There are not so subtle hints at racism too – the maid is shown as poor and “black”; and there are a lot of blackface gags that drip of racial slur.

I guess the time period during which the cartoon series evolved, did not have this acute awareness of what is classified as being racist and what is not, that we have today.

Meaningless violence – Sadism

The more I re-watch Tom and Jerry, the more irked I am by this aspect. Comedic fights are funny only if you are thick skinned and insensitive

The fantasy violence is bone chilling – slicing and cutting, chopping off body parts, mangling, explosives – none of which would qualify as innocent slapstick humor – hardly deserving the TV-Y (All ages 0 and older) certificate it got from the censor board initially – The current TV-G (General Audience) rating is much more appropriate. Like so many other programs on Cartoon Network, this one too doesn’t seem very appropriate for kids.

The sadistic pleasure exhibited by Tom and Jerry towards each other, the meanness quotient, and the levels of aggression and goriness, even if only comical, is highly disturbing.

Relationship dynamics

This is the most interesting aspect of the Tom and Jerry series – their love-hate relationship, to put it very simplistically.

Ofcourse you know, the “chase” is pointless. Tom never ever intends to eat up Jerry, even if he happens to catch him. Infact, if either of them crosses a certain line, they are seen nursing each other! Then why the hyper violent chase? The meaningless irony of so many frivolous ambitions in life?

And, have you noticed, only these two are allowed to hate each other. They unite against a common enemy or if the other is in mortal danger. A third person – not even a love interest is allowed in between. There is jealousy and there is a strong need to keep this bond intact and exclusive. No, I don’t want to go back to the gay debate :P.

Another worthy observation would be that the relationship is very physical. There is hardly any real conversation between Tom and Jerry – you could mute your TV and understand every single thing that’s going on.

So, what does this convoluted relationship stand for? It is definitely not purely feline-murine, not that of innocent friendship, not one of eternal love – so you really cannot categorize the relationship – Is it then a kind of theatrical comment on the angst ridden, insignificant and futile relationships that we share at some point or the other – or at how callous and reckless we can be in our own relationships?

What is this cat and mouse game?

[Image source (for all images used): Google Images]