Of Dreams and Dream Makers

The last day I was goin through the articles and news reports on violence in Bangalore at Rajkumar's death. Due to a quirk of fate, Salman Khan got released from jail on the same day too. The reactions of common people to these 2 news got me quite uncomfortable - people were willing to risk their lives and security for some person they see in a cinema hall.

But thinking a bit more in detail about the issue made me realize that its not the hero they are willing to sacrifice their lives for, its the character he plays and the dreams he helps the audience to dream.

Entertainment is all about a willing suspension of disbelief, of helping the audience to be what they could not be in real life. So when Rajni, an auto driver becomes a crorepati one day in a movie, the audience laps it up with full fervour. We do not see Mohanlal as a person, we see Dasan, we see Induchoodan and we see Mangalasery Neelakantan. This is also true with Amitabh Bachan in north India.

But how ethical is this dream weaving? I started thinking along these lines because a couple of weeks down the line, i will be doin the same thing for a living. Use a deo and patao a girl; use a cream and u can make a career; use a soap and u can be like a movie star.....

All these ads might seem like useless to the educated audience like u n me... But think about a farmer or a daily wage labourer.. who uses these products and spends that much extra money which he could have spent for his kids or family... Are these companies doing the right thing by creating these "emotional and experiential attributes" for products and selling them at a premium?

However this issue has an other side too... It is definitely true that the customer has the right to choose. More importantly the issue is that products like these and films like that of Rajkumar or Rajnikant help the poor farmer to be a crorepati or an Aiswarya Rai by spending 5 bucks or 10 bucks. Every individual has a right to dream irrespective of the living standards he is in.. and as society moves towards a materialistic one, products and services like these help the poor to satisfy their dreams within their limitations...

I know this sounds like real wild n arbit thoughts from my side... but i thought i must discuss it.. wat do u guys think about this issue? Do comment...

Till then Happy Easter/ Vishu to all of u!

A Day in my life in God own Kentry

Well, After carrying my computer with me from Cal to Trivandrum and explaning to a zillion passengers that I dont carry a desktop to work daily and that i could afford a laptop, I finally reached trivandrum leaving behind a bunch of extremely frustrated air hostesses and ground stff who have sworn not to take me in their flight again..

Life is back to normal?.. err guess not... Trivandrum is still how it was when i last left it... 6 years ago. With extremely busy folks and me having nothing to do and a car to use, this is what i normally do here..

Previous day evening: Petrol fast getting over - Employ strategy number 1

"Hey dad, i think u gotta go out.. use my car.. its better!! " I get my car back with a full tank of fuel... heheheee (i am good!)

D Day (err.. how is this D Day? well, its just another day, but still... ) wake up at 7 am... a time which i have NEVER seen for the past 2 years,, get the car... push it for some time to start and speed off to the pool..

Well i go to the most expensicve pool in trivandrum, and it costs... brace urself.. 20 bucks for an hour there ... (welcome to our exchange rates!) ... I am one of the very few adults amongs around a 100 kids trashing around in the water releasing their summer vacation fruistrations and in the process trying to learn some swimming.

9 am: Drive back home.. Folks have left.. Take bath (yeah.. ive started doin that these days) and rush for the newspaper... naa.. not to read on global competition policies, but to check out on the movie scene in the city..

Movies are the life and blood of any mallu who wants cheap entertainment.. U get a ticket to a decent theater, with lotza space, good sound and nice parking for .. Rs 35/_ yeah.. u heard that right.. it is thirty five rupees, as compared to Rs 150 in calcutta. And the popcorn.. "Rs 5/- Saar" the guy claimed...

So off I go to a movie.. who cares whether its a good or bad one.. its just 35 bucks and u actually get to spend 3 hours in an AC room! Once thats over... the stomach starts giving alarm bells.. So i call up gagman, the only other guy in tvm who has been relegated to a shop salesman and we go to Open house... one of our fav eateries in trivandrum..

Ok.. this is not for the weak hearted, but for those who are open to really wild culinary experiences, u must try out beef in kerala... Open House is a "thattukada" which is a "mellu" version of a dhaba and there u get really delicious parottas and chilly beef.. a complete meal for 1 will come to around 50 bucks if u hog a lot.

Afternoon time is paining time for all my ol friends, teachers and relatives.. Essentially land up at someone's home.. pretend that u had waited for the past 2 years to see that person and utilize the courtesy to sit under the fan, watch some TV and drink some cool drinks.

Evening time is again meeting up at some other eateries (who can forget Ambrosia or Coffee Beanz, where likeminded jobless junta like me turn up./.. eat.. talk ... and then plan wat to do for the next day...)

BY nighttime, I am tired.. its been a long day and I have done a lot of work.. The fuel tank is empty again.. need to get it filled from dad... and prepare myself.. for yet another day in Gods own Kentry...