Movie Review: Dot The I

A beautiful girl, just before her marriage to a very rich man, falls madly in love with a jobless Brazilian actor. As their romance blossoms, the girl is torn between her husband and her passionate lover. But what seems a crazy love triangle, suddenly takes a shocking turn...

Watch the movie for the very pretty Natalia Verbeke, and a good dose of suspense, with (some predictable) twists and turns!

Movie Review: Oculus

A young man and his sister fight an evil force residing in an antique mirror, the same evil that resulted in the death of their parents almost a decade ago. But does it really live inside the mirror, or is it just their mind playing tricks, an in-built mechanism to help them handle the shock of the circumstances of their parents tragic death?

Oculus is different from many of the other films in the genre - there are no banging doors, no laughing children, no loud thuds. And yet, it keeps you on the edge of your seat. For most of the time.

Not bad at all!

Movie Review: Main Tera Hero

Don't expect too much, and you won't be disappointed. Add to that two sizzling ladies, some good music, and smart one-liners, and what you have is pretty decent entertainment in Main Tera Hero.

I am not a big Varoon Dhawan fan, but to be frank, I quite enjoyed his performance in MTH... great sense of humor and timing, some good fight sequences, and pretty decent dance moves. With Ileana and Nargis Fakhri sizzling the screen in almost every shot, your eyes will get lots of pleasant exercise, while the jokes and spoofs allow some hearty laughs. You can also groove to Saari Raat Besharmi Ki Height, and a couple of other decent numbers.

Overall, MTH is a great option for a family weekend!

Indian Democracy - Another Amazing Chapter Unfolds

Pune voted today along with a large part of Maharashtra, Karnataka and many other regions, as part of the amazing month long process of elections for the 2014 Lok Sabha.

And for the first time, I did too - as a voter in Pune, having got myself registered here earlier this year.

And, like I have been for the last few weeks, I want you to take a moment to think of what goes behind this amazing exercise, and feel proud that we are all part of this amazing phenomenon called Indian Democracy.

With a population of over 125 Crores, over 500 seats across 30 odd states, and with many constituencies larger than many countries of the world, it is no mean feat. Yes, parties still use religion and caste to divide voters, and money and liquor still flows, but nothing should take away our pride and wonder. Think of the fear the election commission instills in every politician, the absolute power it wields during the elections. It's absolutely no nonsense. Gone are the days when parties flouted rules, pasted posters over every wall and pole, blared slogans through loudspeakers all day and night. This time, police even searched cars on the roads for cash, video cameras in hand. Every night, parties had to file expense reports, ensuring the power of money was less of an enabling factor in the elections. Technology is playing a bigger and bigger role.. with EVMs, counting is now complete in just a matter of hours. Every voter can check his/her enrolment online, and at the voting centers, helpdesks empowered with laptops and Internet connections quickly checked your names from the election commission websites.

Social media also played a huge role in ensuring huge turnouts. Goa, for example, had almost 80% turnout, the highest in history, I would guess. While most FB and Whatspp posts and DPs showed the inked finger, the youth proudly went out to vote, making each one's priceless vote count. When I reached the booth today, it was so heartening to see young and old, rich and poor, everyone patiently lining up to partake in the amazing process of voting in the new government. Housing societies had special voter enrolment drives, and businesses offered discounts and incentives to customers who showed the inked finger.

After more than 60 years, with all our diversity and problems, being able to manage election after election, without violence, without retribution, and ensuring smooth transfer of power, in a country of our size....

Indians, take a bow!

And the rest of the world, take a lesson from the world's most amazing democracy!

Ek Chaha, Parcel!

And, A Few Days Earlier..

...the baby pigeon with her dad beside our clothes dryer!

Baby Pigeon Is Growing Up!

Innocence

The Four Musketeers

Magical Teddies

Movie Review: Ship Of Theseus

Finally, this week, I got the chance to catch this very highly rated movie, on DVD.

The theme of the movie, with three independent stories that converge at the end, is the paradox of the Ship of Theseus. According to Wikipedia, The Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus's paradox, is a thought experiment that raises the question of whether an object which has had all its components replaced remains fundamentally the same object. The paradox is most notably recorded by Plutarch in Life of Theseus from the late 1st century. Plutarch asked whether a ship which was restored by replacing each and every one of its wooden parts, remained the same ship.

The characters in the film all undergo a transformation that raises the question - are they still the same person? Egyptian actress Aida plays a blind photographer who gets a gift of an eye transplant that allows her to see again - but destroys her photogrpahy skills. It is a brilliant performance that you will remember for a long time. Neeraj Kabi plays a monk who fights against cruelty to animal, but his resolve is severely tested when he needs a liver transplant that requires him to accept medicines that have been tested on animals, the cause he has been fighting so hard for.

The movie is technically brilliant - the camera work, the sound. Apparently, the movie was shot on a Canon DSLR!
Do watch the movie - but remember, it can be pretty heavy stuff - so make sure you are in the right mood for it!

Movie Review: A Hijacking (Danish)

Polar opposite of another movie in the genre (Captain Phillips), A Hijacking deals with another real life incident in which Somali pirates board and hijack a Danish cargo ship for a ransom of 20M USD. Negotiations between the company's CEO, who refuses to let other professional negotiators take charge, and the pirates, drag for months - until the company finally pays up around 3.5M USD to end the crises.

The two hour movie feels longer than the months the sailors would have actually spent on board! After all, how much can you wait for the inevitable, especially when you know, no Navy Seals are ever gonna come to the rescue? :)

Movie Review: Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks enjoys being in movies where he is stuck in one place - and this time, he chooses the American container ship, Maersk Alabama, hijacked by Somali pirates 145 miles off the coast, in 2009. From the word go, the movie is a pulsating action thriller, with the ship's crew captained by Phillips (Tom Hanks) engaged in a deadly game of wits with the desperate pirates led by the stunningly cast Muse (Barkhad Abdi), while the American navy seals prepare to end the standoff.

Giving an intimate and very real-like view of the rescue ops, stunning footage of naval ships and intense negotiation techniques, this is one movie you cannot afford to miss!

Movie Review: Pulling Strings (Spanish/English)

Pulling Strings is a delightful, heart warming movie about a single father's attempt to woo a pretty gringo girl working at the American Embassy in Mexico City, so that he can get a visa for himself and his young daughter, who he wishes to leave with her grandparents in the US.

After being refused a visa, luck turns in his favour when he finds her drunk at a bus stop after after a long party, and takes her home. He hides her laptop and then spends the day with her, helping her "find" it, while making sure there are enough signals being generated about his popularity as a singer, income and stability - essential for her to get convinced that he deserves a visa.

Will it finally get him a visa? Or does life have something else in store?

A light, breezy movie, with delightful Spanish songs - if you love Bollywood, you will love this one!

Oh, and yes, the pretty Laura Ramsey makes it all so much more worthwhile!

Movie Review: Queen

I have always believed Kangana Ranaut is one of the best character actresses among her peers in Bollywood, and Queen yet again demonstrates exactly why.

The Vikas Bahl-directed Queen is a wonderful, light comedy with a powerful social message, just perfect for Women's Day. Sparkling with power packed performances, a thoroughly enjoyable script, and perfect casting, Queen is a delightful mix of English Vinglish and ZNMD. It's a coming of age story, a story of a shy, reserved Indian girl in Paris and Amsterdam, two cities that are the polar opposites of her own Rajouri, as well as a wonderful exposition of how love and friendship transcends borders and nationalities, unifying everyone in one common bond.

Let's start with the story. Kangana plays Rani, a shy, young Punjabi girl whose life and heart is broken a day before her marriage, when her fiance walks out on her. Crestfallen and dejected though she is, she decides enough is enough - and sets off on her Paris honeymoon, alone. A journey that will transform the self-pitying, scared and innocent soul into a modern, confident and proud woman.

Kangana is perfect for the role, her liberal dash of craziness, her subtle sexiness, never really seen, but always lurking around, makes her adorable. A few of her scenes are going to stay with you for a long time - fighting with the street mugger, the amazing drunk scene with Haydon which I rank as one of the best ever drunk scenes with absolutely stunning editing, the scene in which she runs to the rock show - watch her transform from the scared, shy girl to the new Rani who knows exactly what she wants. Watch her for the subtle expressions, the look in her eyes, the dialogues (many of which, by the way, have been penned by her).

The rest of the cast is also spot on. First, the stunning Lisa Haydon as her friend in Paris, who supports and drives her when she needs it most. Lisa is smoking hot, but her relationship with Rani is so beautiful and enviable. Rani's Punjabi family - again, absolutely spot on. Raj Kumar Yadav as her fiance has a small but critical role - his transformation from her suitor, to her fiance to the guy who desperately wants her back in his life is stunning, which isn't surprising as he has always been great at what he does! Rani's friends in Amsterdam, and the Italian cook she falls for - and the way their relationship build up, leaves a very warm and fuzzy feeling in your heart, and you wonder, why can't we all live like this?

While it is light and fun, it is also relentless but subtle in pointing out the gender disparity in India, and will inspire more than a few girls to stand up for themselves - and for the way it achieves this, the movie deserves an ovation. And not once does it turn preachy.

For one of the best movies in it's genre from Hollywood, huge applause from me - don't miss it this weekend!

My Article on Social Samosa on SMA for Digital Marketing

I  recently wrote an article on Social Samosa on the need for social media analytics to look beyond statistics, which present a very limited perspective.

The Indian middle class is becoming increasingly urbanized, with regular access to opinions and trends from around the world through the Internet. There is a big opportunity and a very urgent need for marketers to engage the urban Indian on the Internet. Also, not surprisingly, with the explosive rise in mobile penetration, the rural Indian is not too far behind.

With information and reviews quickly and increasingly moving to social networks, people are now more empowered and in a better position to judge and decide. For marketing strategists, simply knowing so much more about their target audiences through their social conversations, puts them in an excellent position to develop focused campaigns that resonate with each individual – something that wasn’t possible a few years ago.

Unfortunately, most social media watchers rely on largely superficial statistical information that encourages a false sense of confidence in the marketing strategy, while denying digital marketing strategists the tools needed to dig deeper into what the social networks are desperate to reveal!

Read the whole article reproduced on my Musings blog.

Movie Review: Highway

A young, impulsive girl is kidnapped,and finds love and freedom in captivity. Highway is not really a road movie - it's a journey about discovery, about finding your true calling.

Backed by power packed, endearing performances by Alia and Randeep, an excellent script, and some outstanding sound engineering and camera work in stunning locales, Highway will mesmerize you with the sounds and sights of dusty Haryana, the rolling fields of Punjab, and the sparkling mountain ranges of Himachal. You will laugh, you will be shocked into stunned silence, you will enjoy the breath of fresh air, the cold water on your face, and wake up to the beautiful sounds of the earth.

Alia shows she is no longer just the Student of the Year, she has matured into an actress of very high calibre - all she needs is the right script and a director who sets her free. Fear, desperation, innocence, impulsiveness, anger, sadness, confusion, ecstasy... Alia displays a range of emotions rarely seen in any single Bollywood character in a long, long time, and for most part, excels at their portrayal. Randeep is perfect as the brooding kidnapper with a golden heart. The supporting cast is also spot on.

AR Rahman's music is haunting, while the live sound adds tremendous authenticity, notching up the technical brilliance by several degrees. The sounds of crickets, the sounds of the highway, the roar of the river... for me, the sound was an equal partner in the wonderful Highway experience. The use of light and angles brings the best out of the stunning locales, and you wish you could get out of the damn seat and join them out there - in the lap of nature.

Not your standard Bollywood dish - but if you appreciate good film making, this is one movie you really need to soak into.

And while you are at it, think about your own highway moments in life...

Gamification Myths & Reality

Here's one of my articles that recently featured on enterprise-gamification.com.

In 2011, Gartner predicted that more than 70% of global 2000 organizations would have at least one gamified application by 2014. A year later, in Nov 2012, Gartner also predicted that 80% of the current gamified applications would fail to meet their business objectives, primarily due to poor design.

Going by what we are seeing at dozens of customers we have talked to in the last 12 months, both these predictions are coming true! While there is a huge buzz among senior leadership on adoption of gamification techniques, there is also a growing disillusionment among those who jumped on to the bandwagon and deployed a plethora of leaderboards that promised to infuse efficiency and excitement in dull and boring jobs.

In an earlier article on HR Examiner, we laid out some ground rules to ensure the success of your gamification initiative. In this article, we look at three prevailing gamification myths, and get a quick reality check!

Myth & Reality #1

Myth 1: Points, badges and leaderboards encourage competition and enhance performance
Reality: Points, badges and leaderboards motivate top performers, but can have a deeply negative impact on the vast majority of “players”

An overwhelming majority of gamified applications and gamification product vendors depend on the troika of points, badges and leaderboards as a means of incentivizing performance, encouraging healthy competition, and “leveling up players” through well-meaning and well-timed signals. Designing good leaderboards is a science as well as an art, giving more players a fair chance of getting up there and getting noticed. Unfortunately, our experience has shown that even the best designed and well-meaning leaderboards incentivize only a small fraction of employees, and can have a terribly negative impact on the vast majority, and it is important for the game designer to evaluate whether the risks of turning off most “players” are worth taking.

I experienced this first hand recently (and that is what actually triggered this article!), when my daughter and I started taking Spanish lessons on a very nice, gamified language learning portal.

For the first week, we gave each other pretty serious competition, and the thrill of beating the other to the top of the “frenemies” leaderboard ensured that we really pushed ourselves, something that wouldn’t have happened without the gamification on the site. However, by the end of the week, I had stolen a march on her, primarily because she had an exam and couldn’t “play” against me for a couple of days. And while my motivation levels have stayed high ever since, being at the top of the table, I have seen a steep drop in hers, knowing it will be very difficult now for her to catch up with me.

Myth & Reality #2

Myth 2: Gamification is simple – assign points and badges, and you are done!
Reality: The real challenge and benefit of gamification is in providing an alternate mechanism and mapping of boring and difficult tasks into a gamified, virtual world

While points and badges have provided social recognition and motivation to millions of users through gamified applications, their novelty is quickly rubbing off, and users are getting points fatigue. Unless the points and badges lead to real career growth and monetary rewards, unless the points dovetail into appraisal systems and find their way into promotion recommendations, employees realize they are nothing more than Monopoly dollars – a lot of fun, until it’s time to pay the bills in the mailbox!

The real benefit of gamification will be seen when gamification vendors start taking business problems and mapping them to game play, increasing trainability, effectiveness and results of core business-related actions and decisions through game play.

Consider an application that maps the process of short-listing opportunities in a CRM database to a game of fishing. How easy and intuitive it is to decide whether you want to catch a goldfish (an account that will be a showcase for your product, but may not bring in too much revenues), or a salmon (a decent sized opportunity that is fairly easy to net), when you need to have some quick food for dinner (the quarterly revenue targets need to be met)! And, if you are a novice, would you really go for the whale (the really big, fat opportunity that will need some serious work and skills to bag!)?

This is where gamification can revolutionize the way we think and work. Mapping complex business problems and decision making to an alternate environment enables our brain to think and decide instinctively, and the game takes over the complexity of doing an appropriate mapping.

Myth & Reality #3

Myth 3: Gamification increases participation and productivity of employees in boring, mechanical tasks
Reality: Gamification is an excellent mechanism to improve engagement around tasks and workflows that are necessary as part of the job responsibilities, but fails to visibly increase adoption of non-essential initiatives

Like any other game, any application that is gamified will interest users for a while, but as soon as the novelty rubs off, participation drops rapidly. Unless the “game” is continually refreshed and users see new challenges and experiences, it will be very difficult to sustain involvement and interest. We have seen many well-meaning initiatives around knowledge sharing and community learning come to naught a few months after being launched with much fanfare using gamified apps, simply because, fundamentally, employees did not see the core activity as being central to their job responsibilities, and no effort was made to make them feel so.

However, this does not mean gamification is useless. In situations where a workflow or activity is necessary anyway, gamification can have a positive impact. At Persistent Systems, a, IT services company with 7500 employees across the world,eMee’s gamified appraisal system has been in use for almost 4 years now. Game elements like virtual gifts and avatars provide employees with a platform to showcase their skills, achievements and contributions while "living" their virtual lives. Employee appraisal, which was time-consuming and took two to four weeks to complete at the end of every year, has now morphed into a continuous assessment and mentoring activity, taking inputs from each employee's avatar and their position in the "game". This has resulted in saving the company thousands of productive hours every year, while ensuring timely feedback and corrective action in cases of low performance.

Wrapping Up

Gamification holds tremendous promise in fundamentally changing the way enterprises and brands engage with key take holders and audiences, but an over-simplified engagement strategy focusing only on points, badges and leaderboards, can do tremendous harm to the organization. Points and badges can be the fundamental building blocks, but we need to look very carefully at their impact on the motivation and psyche of the vast majority of the employees. The advantages may not be worth the risks!

Movie Review: Instructions Not Included (Mexican/Spanish)

INI is a touching Mexican movie (in Spanish, but also available in English audio) about a serial bed hopper who suddenly gets saddled with a baby girl, by one of his ex-conquests, who dumps the baby in his hands and disappears.

Forced to take care of the baby, and now madly in love with her, the father migrates to the US, and takes the job of a stunt man. His daring acts pays him enough to shower all his love and attention on his baby, who grows up to being 6 years old. All this while, he hides the real story of her mother from her, creating a fantasy web where her mother "writes" to her every week, about her "missions to save the world".

Then, at a doctor's appointment one day, the doctor shakes his head and gives the bad news. The treatment isn't working and you have only a few days left. 

Desperate and scared of losing the wonderful life he has painstakingly built up, life takes another dramatic twist when the mom calls up, and comes over to visit her daughter, who she hasn't seen in years. As the mother-daughter relationship builds up, she returns to New York to her gay partner, promising to come back soon - and instead kicks off a custody battle with the father, discrediting him for his risky job and inability to speak English. While she loses the battle, she then pulls out her ace - a paternity test, which comes negative. But when she comes to take her daughter away, she realizes both dad and daughter have flown the nest - back to Mexico.

And that's when she (and you) come to know the truth. The girl, with a hole in her heart, has just a few days left to live. 

A beautiful, though painful, ending, some great dad-daughter moments, an awesome cast, and a poignantly humorous story make this a very beautiful movie. 

Movie Review: Ek Cup Chaha (Marathi)

I have realized that Doordarshan shows some really nice movies at night - and Ek Cup Chaha was one such gem.

Set in contemporary Konkan, ECC is a story of an honest ST conductor who gets an enormous electricity bill and feels helpless against the corrupt government machinery, until a lady activist introduces him to the power of RTI, and uses it effectively to empower him to fight the injustice.

Wonderfully scripted, with an excellent nameless cast, the movie was quite enjoyable, even though a lot of the script seemed written by one of the well meaning babus in the social welfare department!

Movie Review: Gunday

2 impressionable boys escape from the clutches of the Bangladeshi army in the aftermath of the 1971 war, and grow up to be the biggest "gunday" of Calcutta. Their thicker-than-blood relationship is tested to the limit when they both fall in love with the same girl, and with a no-nonsense police officer on their tail, it looks like their game is finally over. Or is it?

The movie starts off with some great cinematography, and shows promise in the action scenes, but as soon as Priyanka makes an entry, the story meanders aimlessly. While Arjun Kapoor puts in a decent performance, and Irrfan Khan sizzzles in his police officer role, Ranveer quickly melts into his now-increasingly-arrogant and girlish/pansy character protrayal, and the movie quickly deteriorates into an endless orgy of liberally oiled and shaved male torsos, with an added dash of coal and grime. Not to forget some excellent candidate footage for dandruff shampoos.

I have heard mixed reviews from critics, but as far as I am concerned, this movie was a disappointment :(

Disillusioned, Disoriented

PCMC's Double Decker Flyover

Pune-PCMC's first double decker flyover was inaugurated yesterday by Ajit Pawar, just a couple of hours before I had the pleasure of driving over it. Two massive decks, including BRT lanes and footpaths, cross the old Pune-Mumbai highway, then the railway tracks and finally the Pavana River, connecting Nashik Road to Wakad and Aundh, opening onto a impressive 10 lane road, flowing gently through spanking new constructions on both sides.

Meanwhile, for traffic headed from Pune to Nashik, the double decker arm rises gently, over the old highway, and then the two parallel Nashik - Wakad decks, and curves to the right, joining the Nashik road.

Here are some pics, some from my own phone and some from newspaper reports...

Real or Unreal

This was clicked in my garden in Goa - can you guess which of these are real, and which is the odd one out? :)

Play Time For Kit Kat

Movie Review: Hasee Toh Phasee

The movie should have been named, Gayee Toh Phasee. A story that is predictable from the first five mins, with over the top, loud performances. Meaningless sub-plots and "comic scenes" stretching endlessly and randomly - from the "laugh riot" investigation of the stolen necklace to the "touching" susu in the saree scene, that is ridiculous to say the least. A sound track that is eminently forgettable and listless - including the opening credits, the marriage songs and a background sequence sometime in the first half. There is nothing nuanced about the movie, including the forced smooch at the end.

Parineeti makes an attempt at portraying something different, but it is pretty one dimensional and repetitive, and doesn't impress. Siddharth carries on being Student of the Year, and has less to do than his red Pajero. Adah Sharma wows in the opening scene, and is pretty in a couple of scenes, but quickly loses the plot.

Overall, very hard to imagine this is the same stable that gave us such classics with the King Khan! 

The Ecosport Titanium Review

So here's my first impressions about the sexy new Ford Ecosport Titanium, 1000 cc Petrol, after around 40-50 kms in the city and village roads, over 24 hours.

Looks: Absolutely stunning, especially in this Mass Red color, the stance makes it look like an aggressive prowling cat, and the big grille in front makes it almost menacing, ensuring you get the right of way in traffic, unless you try and take on an Endeavour :) I love the spare tire mount on the back door, and the curves and trims.

Drive Experience: Like a true Ford, this is a lot of fun to drive. Extremely responsive, with an excellent view from the driver's seat. It's compact SUV character makes it reliable and confident, yet extremely nimble, like a cat, unlike its bigger cousin, the Endy, which is usually like a lumbering elephant. At 1000 cc, though, when you need sudden acceleration or when you take a big slope fully loaded, an additional 300 cc would have been awesome. Also, at low speeds in 3rd gear, the car comes close to stalling, which might be a problem for first time drivers in bumper to bumper city traffic. Also, like with all other Fords, the responsiveness and driveability comes at the cost of slightly tougher suspension, and you can feel every pimple on the road.

Interiors and Comfort: Given its compact dimensions from the outside, it's surprising how spacious it is from inside, with sufficient leg room and ample shoulder space. There is also lots of storage space for your bottles and cups, and even a box for your gym shoes under the passenger seat. The rear seats can be split 1-2, and fold all the way against the front seats, giving humongous boot space if needed.

Lots of nifty features, too. A sweetly swiveling holder for your shades, an extra 12V outlet for the rear seats, light under the passenger sun shade, and a boot door that opens smoothly at the touch of a button on the door handle.

The steering includes audio and phone controls, and Microsoft Sync, although it takes a little getting used to, is delightful, especially when you can read messages and call people on your address book by just speaking out the commands. The central console has a full key pad, which means you can also dial numbers and even type messages, directly from the car, while your phone can remain safely ensconced in your purse! The car also provides lots of information - from which door is open, to the temperature outside, to the distance left to next refill of the fuel tank, as well as calculating your fuel efficiency and giving you an indication of what is the best way to drive for max efficiency.

And the key is nifty, too. A compact door lock/unlock, with a button that pops out the key, like one of those cool mawali knives, LOL... could come pretty handy, I think!

And one thing that typifies the thinking that's gone behind this car - check the "chasis number" displayed just behind the windscreen - along with the blue oval - just amazing!

Overall, the Ecosport gets a big thumbs up from me! Now if you are salivating and want to own one, the bad news is - you will have to wait at least 6-9 months before Ford can clear all the backlog, and get you one.

Mumbai Monorail - And The Spirit Of The People

A colleague and I went to Mumbai earlier last week, hoping to catch a ride on the monorail. We were just a moment too late - the gates had closed, we were too late to catch the last ride.

At the gate, the crowd was swelling, most joyriders like ourselves. And one man was arguing with the security men at the gate, asking to be let in - apparently, his family had got through, and he needed to be with them. Sir, if we let you in, everyone else will want to come in, the security guard tried to reason with him. But he was adamant; he wanted to be let in.

What happened next, was heart warming!

First, a couple of folks in the crowd - ordinary Mumbaikars - admonished the man for arguing with security - they are doing their job, why are you being so rude to them, they asked. And then, everyone in the crowd requested the security guards to open the gate for him - promising them that no one else would insist on a similar privilege.

The security guy opened the gate, the lone ranger ran up the steps to his waiting family, and everyone dispersed.

I am pretty sure, this can happen only in Mumbai. Salute to the spirit of the people of this beautiful city!

Movie Review: Collision

Collision is the story of a bunch of strangers who are brought together in trying circumstances in the middle of the Moroccan desert, with a common goal - to survive - after a deadly accident. A sultry wife, her newly married husband and her lover, a baby, a kidnapper, a smuggler... as the story unravels, the plot gets thicker.

The accident is shot beautifully, but otherwise, there isn't too much to hold your attention. Unless, of course, like me, you were trying to learn Spanish through the subtitles.

Tom & Jerry in Real Life!

So here's a believe it or not story...

Came home the other day from work, and noticed my cat sitting on the staircase landing, playing with something... and turns out, it was a tiny mouse, the size of a "real mouse" - yes, the computer variety real thing :)

Not wanting it to be killed by the cat, I shooed away Catrina inside the house, and tried to coax the mouse to escape quickly - but it was tightly hunched over, and I let it be, hoping it was still alive to run away.

A few mins later, there was a noise by the door - and there he was, our Jerry, desperately trying to find some way into our home, having somehow squeezed between the security door and the inner door. And our Tom was pleading with me to let him in!

Anyway, I closed the doors, and thinking the mouse was really sick and hurt, tried to give it some water to drink, but it finally scurried away.

But that was just the beginning of their affair.

The next evening, he was back - somehow having managed to get inside, playing with Catrina all over our sofas! The ladies, of course, were too scared to do anything, and by the time I came home from office, he had disappeared.

Imagine my surprise, when a few mins later, I walked into my daughter's bedroom to find Jerry exploring every nook and corner, while our Tom stood by admiringly, following it, protecting it from me!

Took all my tact and threats to cajole Jerry into a bucket, and escort him to the ground floor... putting an end to their budding romance!

Well, or so I hope!

Catty Love

Our New EcoSport

 

 

And my sister's sexy, new EcoSport - what a rush she gives, the awesome Ford growl, an amazing stance, and the wonderfully innovative and effective Microsoft Sync, literally allowing you to talk to the car while you drive...

KitKat

Catrina's youngest soul niece, the naughty KitKat in Goa...

Happy Birthday, Madhosh!

Madhosh, my loyal bike celebrated her 20th birthday yesterday - and here she is, sparkling new, and raring to go, as usual... notice the sparkling alloys, all originals! And in the rust-friendly salty and humid weather of Goa, this is no mean feat. Over 62,000 Kms...

So many lovely memories, so many amazing moments we have shared... in Goa for 4 years, then in Pune for over a decade and now back again in Goa for the last 3-4...

Movie Review: Dedh Ishqiya

My Ishqiya review mentioned great performances and hummable songs. Dedh Ishqiya, unfortunately, doesn't match up. Too much of the gloomy atmosphere, too much Madhuri on the dance floor, too much shayari, and a story that meanders along, never really taking off. A few amazing locales, especially the havelis, but there is only so much you can take of that, when there isn't much else to back it up.

Movie Review: Rush

Rush is the wonderfully inspiring story of Ferrari's F1 superchamp, Niki Lauda, whose intense competition with British James Hunt scorched the tracks in the late 70s. After being involved in a terrible accident mid season, in a race Niki had tried to get called off due to bad weather conditions, Niki fights back the scars and the fears, drawing inspiration from watching his rival win race after race and claw back into the lead.

In the final race of the season, in Japan, Niki pulls out, unwilling to put his life in danger again, and watches Hunt chase the world championship, needing to finish just 3rd to take a 1 point march over Niki.

Will Niki's pull out cost him the championship, or will it be a dream end to what could have been a terrible season?

Fantastic performances, and some great racing - this is so totally a movie not to be missed - whether you love F1 or not!

Mumbai Monorail

My daughter still fondly remembers the "mororail" in Seattle - almost eight years back, when the driver had taken her in his lap and allowed her to hoot and "drive" the train. Now, we have our very own in Mumbai!

Can't wait to check it out!

Pic courtesy: Times Of India

Foodie Innovation

At a South Indian eatery, upsouth, at the Phoenix Mall the other day, we saw this really nifty gadget used to notify the customer that his food is ready for pickup from the self-service counter. You give the order, carry the gadget with you, and when the order is ready, it starts vibrating with disco lights. Lol... sweet!

Chinese In 5 Minutes

Movie Review: Jai Ho

This is one Aam Aadmi that gets my vote! :)

Jai Ho is a treat for Sallu bhai fans, and as you will quickly find out, I am one of them - yes, I turned into one after watching him host Bigg Boss 7, not to mention the eminently likeable Wanted.

What I loved:

Sallu, Sallu, Sallu. He looks young, in great shape, and the hooting and screaming from the audience, mostly male, when he takes off his shirt, is testimony to the legions of his die-hard fans. He dances well too - well, within his constraints, of course! His dialogues are few, his comic timing less in play, but when he does use it, it's hilarious!

The action is top rated - with some never-before-seen action shots, extremely well executed. Hand to hand combat, gun fights, bike chases, and some excellent car crashes. The scene on the railway station is my favorite, but the hand to hand combats were also beautifully done, and the make up and sets absolutely spot on!

The cast is interesting - dozens of characters in small roles, but pretty enjoyable to see all of them - Tabu, Sana Khan, Ashmit Patel, Nauheed Cyrusi, Sunil Shetty, Danny, Tulip Joshi, Bruna Abdullah, Mahesh Manjrekar, Aditya Pancholi, Mohnish Behl, Genelia, even the sharaabi from Nukkad, the list goes on and on. The baal kalakars are great too, especially Sallu's nephew, who is impressive. The lead actress, Daisy Shah, looks good in most scenes and outfits, is confident, and dances well, but she desperately needed a better dress designer and make up team.

What was needed:

A better lead heroine, a better sound track with some good numbers. A story - well, with Salman, maybe you don't really need that. And maybe a little less of the "power of 3" dialogues - while they will inspire a few, it does get a little repetitive and predictable after some time.

Overall, a wholesome entertainer, a nice and simple social message, and some great action. This may not be his best by far, but it's definitely a must watch this weekend. For Sallu.

PS: As a huge SRK fan, I have to admit Sallu looks so much younger. But in sheer ability to touch hearts, and inspire, and awe, and romance, the Baadshah, the King Khan, is eons ahead of the pack!

It's Getting Scarier

CM AK is on a dharna today, defying Sec 144, exhorting the thousands of policemen deployed there to defy their bosses and join the agitation. Comimg from a person occupying a constitutional position, and the CM of the state of Delhi, how more dangerous can you be? Armed forces are meant to be the ultimate in discipline and respect of authority. What message are you passing on to them?

Is there really no end to this damn activism and vigilantism, this complete disregard for law and order and every constitutional authority? Do we really want the lawlessness of the central African states, the total anarchy that we see in unadministered Waziristan and Afghanistan, the civil wars that tear nations apart, in our own country, in the name of "aam aadmi rule"?

And all this for what? To force the Central government to suspend officers who refused to toe the Law Minister's line and enforce the writ of the "aam aadmi", subverting process and law?

Really?

Yes, we need a strong anti-corruption law, we need security and safety, we need honest policemen and efficient politicains. And we all sat up and applauded when the citizens of Delhi voted AK to power, delivering a strong message to the political parties that it was time for change.

But for god's sake, we DO NOT want a dictator who thinks he knows every thing, and every democratic institution, legal framework and constitutional authority in this country can go to the dogs!

Hablo Espanol

Yes, I have been learning to speak Spanish for about 10 days now, and must say, it has been an extremely fun and exciting journey.

So why now, and why Spanish?

Interesting story, actually.

First of all, I have always been interested in learning a foreign language since the time, in my school days, when I saw my elderly uncle trying to learn German. I had been advised not to take French in school, and I always regretted it. When I started work for Bridgestone as one of my clients in Europe, we had a French class for my team, and stupidly, I skipped that.

I tried learning French a couple of times on my own, but never got beyond Bonjour and could never really wrap my tongue around the very different French pronunciations. A couple of weeks back, I found my French language guide, and tried to start again - and realized it was still just as difficult to get the pronunciations. And almost gave up.

Interestingly, just at that very moment, a friend of mine pointed me to www.duolingo.com, a beautifully gamified (free) site for learning languages, and to check out how it works (remember, gamification is my area of expertise and focus at work!), I took the first lesson in French. While I loved the way the site works, I still couldn't get the French flowing in my blood.

That's when it hit me! Why not learn Spanish instead? And there were so many reasons - first, we are planning a trip to Spain in May - and that gave me a full 4 months to really pick up the language. Spanish is also such a beautiful language - spoken by all the stunningly sensuous women in Latin American, including the oh so awesome Salma Hayek! Imagine bumping into her on the train and being ableo to say Lo Siento, Senorita! Mucho Gusto! By the way, Spanish is the second most popularly spoken language in the world after Mandarin, and ahead of English, with over 350 Million in dozens of countries speaking it. It is also pretty easy to pick up (and the fact that I can understand approx 25% of any movie's Spanish subtitles, and the song La Bamba and the Spanish parts of Senorita in ZNMD, in less than 10 days is ample proof of that).

But most importantly, for me, it has been the channeling of my emotional energy that's worked wonders. The beginning of the year has been pretty stressful, and the Spanish lessons (especially on www.duolingo.com) have proved to be an excellent way to divert my mind, keep it focussed, and get something positive out of what could have been a terrible phase.

As they say, life is what you make of it.

Hasta Luego, Adios!

Vigilante Justice?

Yet another set of disturbing incidents in Delhi - ministers and their aam aadmi supporters administering on-the-spot vigilante justice, demanding the police break down doors, arrest foreigners and make women undergo medical examinations - all at night, under "suspicion" of illegal activities, without warrants or credible proof, but based on suspicions and allegations of the "aam aadmi".

And now, the CM threatening to sit on a dharna demanding the suspension of officers who refused to toe the minister's line.

Coming close on the heels of the law minister publicly rubbishing the decision of the CBI court which had admonished and reprimanded him for trying to influence a witness, in his immediate past life as a lawyer, I am extremely concerned at the total disregard Kejriwal and his aam aadmis seem to have for the law, and all formal institutions that have served this democracy and prevented us from degenerating into chaos like every neighbour that surrounds us.

Yes, I want a secular, peaceful, and corruption-free India - but the thought of a rag tag motley crew of self-serving "aam aadmis", with a sickening sense of self-righteousness and contempt for everyone and everything else, is truly disturbing.

I am gonna vote this time for sure, just because I am scared shit at what this might be leading us to.

Movie Review: American Hustle

Disclaimer: I love Jennifer Lawrence, so any movie with her has to be a MUST SEE :) You just cannot get better than her. Hot, beautiful, innocently stupid, that smile, those eyes, and that voice - Jennifer Lawrence puts in yet another beautiful performance that only she could have done justice to.

Add to that the delicious Bradley Cooper, the beautiful Amy Adams, and a stupendous performance by Christian Bale, a great story line, a totally engrossing script... the movie will simply suck you in, and never let go.

American Hustle is about a devious and smart conman Irving (Christian Bale) and his girlfriend and partner in crime Edith aka Sydney (Amy Adams), who are forcibly enlisted by an FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) into trapping corrupt politicians and gangs in New Jersey in the late 70s. "Some of this actually happened", says the opening frame of the movie. 

Their first target is the mayor of Camden, New Jersey, Carmine Polito, who looks like Elvis Presley, and sincerely loves his city and its people, and is willing to compromise the line to get jobs and wealth back to his state. Through a fake FBI Arab Sheik, the plan is to sting Carmine, and through him numerous senators and gang lords, using the Sheik's promise of millions of dollars in funding for Atlantic City in return for "favours".

The weak link in the plan - Irving's wife Rosalyn (the awwwesome Jeniffer Lawrence), whose deep anxiety about her husband and her innocence, can play the perfect spoilsport in what seems to be an otherwise flawless plan. Or is it really?

The performances are simply outstanding. Christian Bale as the out of shape and out of hair Irving Rosenfeld leads with his beautiful portrayal of the conman, with deep-rooted self confidence. Bradley Cooper as the hot-headed FBI agent, Jeremy Renner as Carmine and Amy Adams as Sydney Prosser and her alter-ego Lady Edith are engrossing. And Robert DeNiro puts in a beautiful cameo as ganglord Victor Tellagio.

But for me,  it is the irresistible Jennifer Lawrence as Rosalyn who is the absolute darling of the movie. She doesn't take too much of the screen time, but when she does, she absolutely dazzles in her portrayal of Irving's possessive and crazily unpredictability wife with a penchant for lighting fires in her kitchen and expecting her husband to thank her for it!

The script is wonderful, the humour subtle, and the movie exudes an intelligence and sensitivity that makes you fall in love with the 70s.

There are some beautiful lines in the film.... the one I loved - "People believe what they want to believe. This is the way the world works. No black and white, always grey." 

Go watch American Hustle. Nothing grey about that!

Movie Review: Carrie

Carrie is a shy, homely, and protected young girl (the very sweet and sensuous Chloe Moretz), with a fiercely religious mom (Julianna Moore) who believes that God will punish everyone for the sins of Adam and Eve. Suffering endless bullying from her peers, she discovers she has unique telekinetic powers. Struggling hard to live a normal life, everything seems to be falling nicely in place when the most desirable guy in her class invites her to prom. However, it is just the calm before the storm... pushed to the edge by a cruel trick, she unleashes her deadly self, destroying everything in her wake.

Nothing special about the movie (and it is NOT a horror movie really), but Chloe sizzles the screen with her innocent sensuality, and is the only reason you might be able to sit through it.

Movie Review: Nosotros Los Nobles (Spanish)

NLN (We are Nobles) is a funny movie about three spoilt rich kids who, their dad realizes, need to get a lesson about surviving in the real world, and are tricked into believing they have lost their fortune, and forced to fend for themselves and their dad... taking odd jobs like serving in a restaurant and driving a tourist bus.

No reason why you should watch it, unless you want to learn Spanish.

Movie Review: Runner Runner

A student at Princeton, Richie, discovers the exciting world of online gambling, and the unspoken rule that "the house always win" - but when he realizes he has been taken for a ride with the odds stacked unfairly against him, he travels to Costa Rica to confront the brain behind the operation, Ivan. Ivan succeeds in winning him over, putting him in command of the business. However, as he gets involved deeper and deeper,  in the business and in his boss's hot girlfriend, Richie knows he has to do something drastic to survive.

Pretty bland, the only reason I watched it was to practice my Spanish with the subtitles.

Movie Review: The Spectacular Now

TSN is a coming of age story of a young man, Sutter Keeley (Miles Tuller) an effortless charmer whose dreamy world consists of frat parties, alcohol and  hot girls, whose break up with his current girl friend kicks off a very unlikely relationship with the "good girl" Aimee (the very pretty Shailene Woodley) and a journey of self-discovery and the importance of being "in the moment".

Compared to all the other movies in its genre, TSN delivers power packed performances that you will instantly relate to - and remain with you long after you have watched the end credits roll. One of the best teen growing up movies you will see in a long time...

Tribute To Mumbai

Got this on Whatsapp... thought it was worth sharing!

Mumbai is rich, Mumbai is poor.
Mumbai is fast, Mumbai is slow.
Little bit sweet, and little bit sour,
Sometimes it's hot but not too more'.

Mornings are energetic and evenings are electric.
Noons are lazy but Nights are crazy..
And any one you ask, he always say "M busy"
Dude, life in Mumbai'' Is not so easy...!

There is lot of Masti with
little bit of Maska...
Welcome to the city that can't live, without Bollywood Chaska...!

From cooker whistles to the traffic jam horns,
From steaming tea kettles to breaking nut-bettles,
From telephone rings and doorbell brings.
There are people connecting through Blackberry pings...!

Where there's little time to spare for kids,
People here spend their lives on bids,
Here you actually pay your travel fare by meter,
But milkman mixing water is not a cheater...!

Sev puri and bhel puri are all Mumbai chaat..
Relishing it with spicy chutney is no easy art..
From popcorn to ice-cream, all sold on cart,
Mumbai o Mumbai, you're always close to my heart..!

Where local trains usually run on time,
And violently rushing for a seat is not a crime...
Here 3 PM for lunch and 12 AM to dine,
People face hardships, but still say "it's fine"..!

From Mt. Mary in Bandra to Mumba Devi in Town,
And ISKCON in Juhu to Haji Ali in Mumbai's Crown,
Faith runs deep as the Arabian Sea
But people don't hesitate to pay early darshan fees...!

Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati and Bengali,
Everyone together celebrate Id and Diwali,
Holi is colorful and Christmas is cheerful,
Spend some time here and your life will be unforgetful...!

Billionaire to beggars, all found in this city,
Be careful dude, this place is a bit witty..,
Overall this dream-world is huge but pretty,
Mumbai o Mumbai, you're wonderful city.

Because... she is like mother to millions.

After all a mother is called,

MUM in English,
BA in Gujarati &
AI in Marathi.

That's MUMBAI...

India's Pride, Mumbai's T2

India's jewel in the crown, and Mumbai's new international terminal T2, was inaugurated this week - although it will be another couple of weeks before it starts operations. We have all seen and admired those amazing airports and buildings all over the world, but for a moment now, step back and immerse yourself in this splendid creation.

With a 3 km long art gallery, this building probably has the largest collection of public art any where in the world. With a six lane elevated bridge connecting the Western Express highway to the terminal, journey time to and from the airport is expected to be reduced from 30 min to 3 min.

And remember, all this in the hustle and bustle of Mumbai - it's not a greenfield airport! The promoters, GVK (an Indian company, by the way), deserve a big round of standing applause!

ps: Also do check out my earlier post on the Kashmir Railway... similarly WOW.

Movie Review: The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty

Amazing movies these days - after the scintillating performances from Leo and gang in Wolf Of Wall Street, here is another movie that will blow you away with fascinating locales, and an inspiring story.

Walter Mitty is a 40-something man, working in the "negative assets" department of LIFE magazine. He leads a boring life, handling photograph negatives, in the cellars of his office building, and spends the rest of his life day dreaming and "zoning out" about adventures and the new girl in his office that he has fallen for.

But as his life comes crashing down beside him, when his magazine is shut down, he finds a purpose - locating the missing negative for the cover for the magazine's last issue. A journey that takes him to windy and isolated Greenland, to the volcanoes to Iceland, and ultimately, the untamed hills of Afghanistan.

It's a story of hope, of adventure, of making the most of life, of meeting new people, and going where you never knew your spirit could take you.

The photography is beautiful, the experience unforgettable.

And yes, watch it with your family - it's a beautiful way to spend the weekend!

Movie Review: Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa

A crazy ol grandpa zips across the country with his 8 year old grandson, to drop him off at this dad's, taking the audience along on an outrageous spy cam road trip involving private parts getting stuck in vending machines, male strippers, biker gangs, and the kid soliciting unsuspecting women passing by. Reportedly banned in the US, this is another of that genre that you check out just to see how far you can go without being shocked to hell. 

Oh yes, and if you didn't get the "spy cam" reference earlier - a quick note. Most of the movie is shot through hidden cameras. While the "lead actors" know what they are doing, everyone else is clueless - a la candid camera.

Actually, compared to some of the stuff I have come across in the recent past, Bad Grandpa is not so bad after all - and on a tired evening, with the brain thrashing out, it might actually be fair game!

Scary Beginning - What Does It Mean for LS 2014?

The chinks are beginning to show - and not too small at that! The promises are beginning to sound like deceptions - and I start to wonder, are we also going to be used in a manner similar to how Anna was, before being discarded, once the motive is accomplished?

The photo op of travelling in metros and autos done, it's back to government vehicles for commute. Nothing wrong in that at all - just that it's not what was so grandly promised and demonstrated on day one. 2 five bedroom bungalows isn't exactly "aam aadmi accommodation" - again, nothing wrong in it, that's what ministers need. But then you promised not to go for it, right?

The policies seem even more worrying - waiving off power bills since March? At whose cost? And why?  Is this how you govern? By promoting anarchy?

Setting up a junta darbar on the road, needing to bring in the SSB to control the stampede, and then running away and taking cover behind the safe confines of the Secretariat - it would have been funny if it wasn't so depressingly immature. You really didn't expect this to happen? For someone who has the reins of the capital city, and aspires to lead the nation, this is the kind of vision, understanding, planning and maturity you exhibit?

But my real worry is regarding the core promise - action against corruption. Asking every citizen to be a "stinger" - what about the rule of law? Tomorrow, will we also have people's courts? Post the video on YouTube and Facebook, count the number of likes, and summarily sentence the "offender" via polls? Isn't that almost what the maoists do? Isn't this the kind of anarchy that's sweeping countries like Egypt, where it's all about "rule of the aam aadmi", haven't we seen where this leads the country to?

And by joining hands with the same "monster", have you compromised on your own morality and ethics? It's been a decent time now to kick off an investigation into CWG, and book Sheila Dikshit, right? But last I read in the papers, the ball had been firmly thrown in the BJP's court, suggesting that they should provide all the evidence against Sheila Dikshit before Arvind could act against her!

Meanwhile, the government goes after the aam aadmi himself, the small fry - some peon and clerk in the water department, some hawaldar in the police force! Really? And for that, we needed a countrywide movement? 

We really have high hopes from Anna and the anti-corruption movement. Sadly, in a very, very short time, the disappointment is setting in - and more worryingly, it's actually starting to look really very scary!

India is really looking forward - to growth, to resurgence in manufacturing and economic activity, to taking its place at the head of the table of world leaders. Modi may have his flaws, and the Congress may be corrupt. But let us not forget, they have the experience, the vision and the capabilities. I do not think a mass movement of disgruntled aam aadmis with a broom can really deliver this country of 1.2 billion people what it deserves and needs at this time!

Catrina Catches The Morning Updates

AAM CM

The wonder continues... after stunning everyone at the polls, Arvind Kejriwal took over the mantle of the CM last week, marking a new chapter in the wonderful rewrite of India's history and politics.

Suddenly, Modi has been relegated to the inner pages, with AAP and AK taking over the headlines, and every slot on prime time TV. While the BJP and the Congress deny the AK factor will play any role in LS2014, the writing on the wall couldn't be clearer. India is in the firm grip of a revolution, and detractors of this Aam Aadmi would do well to hold their guns...

Yes, there are some concerns... after the initial photo-ops in autos and metros, the ministers are safely ensconced in govt cars, and Arvind almost moved into a double duplex of around 6000 sq ft before protests and criticisms from within and outside his party made him reconsider. There is nothing wrong in using the govt facilities and security.. after all, he is no longer really an aam aadmi, he has a state to care for now - but when you promise something and come to power on those promises, you need to show you meant it!

Giving free water to those few with water meters and cutting power bills are gonna be welcomed by the people - but again the question is, when all you are doing is taking money from one pocket and putting it in the other, will this Robinhoodgiri really bode well for the future of the country?

Arvind was voted in on the basis of one and only one agenda - corruption. And he needs to deliver on that. He has started with the right notes - strengthening the ACB with upright officers, hand chosen after what seems like a good deal of background research. One thing is sure - they may ridicule him for being a novice, but every politician and babu will be having sleepless nights, worried about the sweep of the broom that is sure to begin very soon!

Will AAP deliver on its real promise? Will this be a watershed moment for India, will this bring in decades of clean politics and Ram rajya? Time will tell. India is at a point of inflexion, and one can only hope and pray, for the sake of all, that this is all not just a flash in the pan.

Movie Review: The Wolf Of Wall Street

After movies like Goodfellas, Hugo and Shutter Island, you expect no less from Martin Scorsese.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a three hour orgy of financial carnage, fuelled by drugs and sex. With sensational performances by the entire cast, led by the absolutely stunning Leonardo DiCaprio, and a wonderful script peppered by witty dialogues, TWOWS will keep you engrossed and interested, and even after the 180 minutes of running time is exhausted, you will keep wanting more.

TWOWS is about the life of a Wall Street broker and his "company", which sells penny stocks to gullible investors, first the poor and then the filthy rich, raking in millions in commissions through shady, illegal deals, finally inviting the close scrutiny of the SEC and the FBI. As the millions pour in at the cost of others, life is one endless party, one that cannot stop, hurtling the party-goers towards the inevitable.

Leonardo Di Caprio puts in a stunning performance, one that is sure to make him a frontrunner for the Ocsars this year. The rest of the cast - his first boss, his hot second wife, his equally crazy friends, the FBI agent, the Swiss banker, his rich British aunt - everyone just wows with their performances. Watch out for some exceedingly engrossing scenes and dialogues - Leo's first chat with his first boss over lunch, his tentative dialogue and bribe offer to the FBI agent on his yatch, his interaction with his aunt on the park bench, the fight with his wife early in the morning, and his "about to leave" speech to his company. You will want to watch these over and over again...

A must watch this weekend - although, not for elder kids at any cost! For that, check out Walter Mitty, that is also a must see this weekend!

Babies Coming Up!

E7 is expecting a couple of pigeon babies soon... right now, they are hatching, lulled by the purr and the warmth of the dryer! Watched ever so closely by the cat!

INS Vikramaditya Reaches The Arabian Sea

India's mighty new aircraft carrier has finally entered the Arabian Sea after a long. non-stop journey of over 8000 nautical miles from Russia, and will be reaching it's home base near Karwar early next week.

In this pic from the Times of India, you can see the mighty carrier on the extreme left escorted by India's other carrier, the INS Viraat in the foreground, stealth frigate INS Teg in the background, and destroyer INS Mumbai on the right.

Mighty impressive, huh? At a price tag of 2.33B USD, which goes up to 5B USD considering the price of the on-board aircrafts and the berth at Karwar, this is India's biggest military platform till date. And something to be very proud of!

Enemies, beware!