Movie Review: 695 (2024): Film on Ayodhya Ram Mandir Movement

 

'695' is a movie on Ayodhya Ram Mandir Movement which is released around the same time as Pran Pratishtha ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya. It presents a historical account of the origins of conflict and Hindus and Sikhs struggle to get the temple back at its original place. The name '695' has been selected to signify three dates: 6th December 1992, 9th November 2019 (supreme court verdict date), and 5th August, 2020 (Shilanyas of Ram temple)

The plot starts from pre-independence era. A group of Sikh devotees occupy the building which was made in place of the temple; but leave after persuasion from the British. The British govt and police tread cautiously on this matter, because the matter could inflame into communal riots at any time. They try to delay the decision making by making it a "legal matter". After independence, once again the matter is brought to the court and left hanging there purposefully with clear intention to avoid any decision making. 

Sri Ram fame Arun Govil plays a wonderful role of a sage and Guru based at Ayodhya and it is wonderful to watch him on screen after a long time. His charisma and divinity in the manner he speaks, and acts is clear to watch. It is often said that he was chosen by God to play the role of Bhagwan Ram in the TV serial Ramayana. All Arun Govil fans must watch this movie '695' to get another glimpse at the magic. 

Next magical role has been played by Ashok Samarth who shines on screen like a White Knight. He plays the role of one of the disciples of Arun Govil's character and later becomes head of his Ashram in Ayodhya after demise of the Guru. If Arun Govil was born to play the role in Ramayana, it seems Ashok Samarth was born to play this role. 

Other famous actors part of '695' cast are Govind Namdev, Mukesh Tiwari, Manoj Joshi, Akhilesh Mishra, and Gajendra Chauhan. Govind Namdev also plays the role of a religious Guru and plays a touching character. His character is killed by the Police during police shootout on Karsevaks. Mukesh Tiwari plays the role of a Police Officer and brings depth into his role. 

The actor playing the role of Vajpayee ji has tried to imitate him which has become a bit 'comic', but Advani ji's role has been done very well. Actor playing the role of Modi ji has done really well. It is very interesting to even watch all the interesting cast of this movie. 

The plot moves from the days of India's independence till the date the court gave its verdict to reinstate Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. 

The movie has been made in an interesting manner and it is not boring to watch at any stage. Every aspect of the movie including music and action are good. Only one aspect which looks lacking is "scale". When dignitaries give speeches from the stage, the audience on the ground look small in size and random in character. It could have been better to use footage from some other real-life gatherings, or us a bit of animation. But I suppose the budget was small for the film and hence within the constraints, proper justice has been done to the movie.

I felt very happy watching '695' and I would recommend it to everyone. 

- Rahul 

Travelogue: Nagar Nigam Auditorium, Mithanpura, Muzaffarpur, Bihar

 

- Rahul 

Travelogue: Jubba Sahni Park, Muzaffarpur, Bihar

Muzaffarpur's famous Jubba Sahni park is part of nicest childhood memories of folks growing up in the city or visiting it. I still remember the first time I had visited the park many-many years ago along with group of siblings and cousins; it felt like children's paradise! There were green lawns and flowers all around. Those days, the plastic-built rides and play-areas were not in vogue, so there were such rides, objects for physical exercise and play areas made with iron and steel. I still remember trying to climb and get over some of those. And I remember my father trying one of those instruments when none of us kids could do it. There also used to be a 'hill' with a 'tunnel'; we children in those days had not seen anything like that. 

Jubba Sahni park was recently closed for a few years for renovation and now it is open for business. There are no flowers inside yet and some shops are made but not open yet, indicating that the park is still not in its full shape and expected to be developed further. But the park is very neat and clean, and rides for children look great. 

Left: Statue of freedom fighter Jubba Sahni in front of the park. Revolutionary Jubba Sahni, born in Muzaffarpur, was given capital punishment by hanging, by the British colonial rulers, in 1944.

Right: Ticket counter in front of the park gate.  

Pictures taken on a cold winter day 

The park seems to be a great place especially for children; as there are multiple playing-areas and rides for them. Children above 10 years are not allowed on many rides.

Top left: The building of 'Shri Durga Prasad Chaudhary Zilla Vigyan  Kendra' 

Botton: A small hill created for children with a nice set of stairs going up and down from two sides. There is also a 'tunnel', although it was almost filled with stone parts and rubble as of now.   

- Rahul

Philosophy: The Seven Ages of Man

In William Shakespeare’s 'As You Like It', the sad Jacques delivers these lines as a monologue in Act II, Scene vii. The monologue is centered on a conceit comparing life to a play. 

According to Jacques, man essentially plays seven parts in his lifetime:

1. The helpless infant
2. The whining schoolboy
3. The emotional lover
4. The devoted soldier
5. The wise judge
6. The clueless old man
7. The corpse

[JACQUES]

All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms;

And then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad

Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,

Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,

Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,

Seeking the bubble reputation

Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,

In fair round belly with good capon lined,

With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,

Full of wise saws and modern instances;

And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.

Pictures: A Park in the Evening, Pune

- Rahul 

Philosophy: Alexander and Diogenes

As mentioned by Plutarch: 

"Thereupon many statesmen and philosophers came to Alexander with their congratulations, and he expected that Diogenes of Sinope also, who was tarrying in Corinth, would do likewise. But since that philosopher took not the slightest notice of Alexander, and continued to enjoy his leisure in the suburb Craneion, Alexander went in person to see him, and he found him lying in the sun. Diogenes raised himself up a little when he saw so many people coming towards him, and fixed his eyes upon Alexander. And when that monarch addressed him with greetings, and asked if he wanted anything, "Yes," said Diogenes, "stand a little out of my sun."

It is said that Alexander was so struck by this, and admired so much the haughtiness and grandeur of the man who had nothing but scorn for him, that he said to his followers, who were laughing and jesting about the philosopher as they went away, "But truly, if I were not Alexander, I wish I were Diogenes."

How Donald Trump Destroyed Rivals Vivek, Nikki and Ron Ahead of Iowa Caucus

Results of Iowa Caucus are out. Donald Trump has decimated all his Republican rivals - Vivek Ramaswamy, Nikki Haley, and Ron DeSantis. Ron came second, Nikki stood third, and Vivek came distant 4th. Being a highly intelligent man, Vivek read the writing on the wall and hung his boots. But the result which came out now, was already sealed in last two days, by Donald Trump who breathed fire! 

Two days back, Donald Trump totally destroyed Vivek's campaign. Following 'Truth' on Truth Social appeared so harsh and broke the heart of Vivek's supporters: 

Even after this, Vivek Ramaswamy did not give up hope and chose to take his stabbing in the right spirits. It was really amazing thing to witness. 

Out of all Republican candidates, Vivek has been most aligned with Trump and has been campaigning while fully supporting Trump. Trump's above attack can be seen as an attempt to make it clear to his supporters that vote for Vivek will not mean vote for Trump. 

Donald Trump posted a second tweet over the top of his first one, reiterating and engraving his clear stand in the mind of voters. Donald Trump wanted everyone to vote for only Donald Trump, no other candidate. 

Iowa results showed that no other candidate came close to Trump. But Trump knew the importance of "momentum". Vivek has been gaining momentum and a great many changes can be done with the right momentum. 

After destroying Vivek, Donald Trump hammered Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley to the ground. 

Donald Trump had attacked Nikki Haley many times before, and he calls her "Bird brain"! Donald Trump knows it very well that out of all Republican candidates, Nikki is most dangerous because she is most "liberal" and closer to the ideology of the Democrats. If Nikki gains popularity, Joe Biden will become stronger, because in the end, people will choose "real Democrat" over a poser like Nikki. 

At the same time, in above tweet, Donald Trump has made it clear that out of all candidates, he likes Ron DeSantis most. Will he choose Ron as his Vice Presidential candidate in the end? So far, it seems most likely. Ron may not be as intelligent and as good communicator as Vivek, but he attracts the right "demographics" which Donald Trump wants! 

My understanding is that while choosing a running mate as VP, Donald Trump will look for only one criterion" "which candidate can transfer maximum new voters to me?" Donald Trump likes Ron as he brings Latino/Hispanic voters to him. Vivek has already supported Trump now, and hence whatever voter base he had, Trump has got it for himself effortlessly (barring his attack on Vivek).

Donald Trump was graceful when Vivek quit and endorsed him - that is exactly what Donald Trump wanted. 

So far, Donald Trump has proven to be class ahead of the game. He is master craftsman when it comes to strategy, marketing, and communication. He knows when to be silent, when to be watchful, and when to speak out and when to attack. The manner in which he chose to destroy Vivek just before Iowa caucus is a game played well. He "knew" how Vivek would react, since he had read him very well. Trump had nothing to lose by attacking his "fan boy" Vivek. It may sound unfair and heartbreaking for Vivek's fans, but this is the price Vivek paid for taking a clear "pro Trump" stand. 

And when it comes to choosing his running mate, my estimation is that Trump will choose Ron. He would have wanted to choose Nikki for being a woman in order to get some female voters, but she has turned out to be too far from Trump's ideology and the loss would be totally hers. Ron, on the other hand, is the kind of "good boy" Trump wants standing with him. Donald Trump knows that on crucial moments, he will be able to get his way and Ron won't stand against him. In this game of thrones, Ron is not being rewarded for his intelligence or merit, but for being the right person at the right time. 

- Rahul Tiwary 

Note: All screenshots are taken from Truth Social by me on morning of 16th of Jan. 

Happy Makar Sankranti!

 

Book Review: The Curse of Yesterday, by Anumita Sharma

'The Curse of Yesterday' (Second Edition), is a novel from author Anumita Sharma, published by Panther House Publication. It is the story of Yamini, a woman raised by her grandmother, and several other characters around her. A brilliant novel set around topics of women's struggle, coming of age, sociology, politics and history of the time, as well as soulfully developed characters. 

A few highlights of the book are as mentioned below: 

1. Writing Style: 

The author's writing style is a treat for readers who look for pure joys of reading. You need to read every sentence, every paragraph, and relish the tidbits and appreciate all the nuances, in order to love the writing. Checkout few excerpts at the end of this piece. 

2. Parallel Stories: 

The novel runs at least three parallel stories all through its length and it keeps the readers away from fatigue, and also provides variety. Story of Yamini is the most predominantly described one and she is the 'hero' of the story; but at the same time the novel contains the story of 'Chulha', another strong character but in a very different setup. 

3. Case Against Caste Based Reservation Politics: 

The novel is set against the backdrop of anti-reservation agitations of the early 1990s. Many brilliant youths sacrificed their life for the cause of "equality of opportunity", and scores of others suffered huge setbacks and struggles to come to terms with the injustice done to them just because of their castes by birth. No one chooses to be born in a particular caste, and hence must not be blamed for it and government should never discriminate between people on the basis of castes. But the harsh reality is that the discriminatory and unjust system of caste-based reservation is only growing stronger with time, thanks to the importance of "numbers" in the democratic system. 

4. Women Centric Story: 

Once again, the author has come up with a strong story around female characters. But at the same time, she has not done injustice against male characters too. 

5. Unique Sense of Humor 

The author displays a unique sense of humor all through the book. She is "brutally honest" and still manages to not sound offensive, thanks to her unique manner of putting down words with a sense of humor. There are no specially crafted comic pages or episodes, but the humor is everywhere - we just have to open any page and read out any paragraph. Here, I am choosing a few random sentences from random pages, just for example:

*** 

"By her side was the uncomfortable young man, his receding hairline had shifted on his upper lip, for his moustaches grew densely. He was round like the sister-in-law, only darker and rounder; and his face reflected the color of her sari, it was flushed fuchsia." (Page-53) 

Have you seen anyone comparing the color of a man with color of a sari? Also, "his receding hairline had shifted on his upper lip" was so hilarious. 

*** 

"She could anticipate the taste of the final product after sampling its stuffing. She would have preferred to stay back and taste another spoonful on the pretext of gauging the correct consistency of salt and spices." (Page-59). 

Now, everyone can relate to this sporty act of enjoying tasty food on the pretext of "tasting" it!    

*** 

"Sharda had displayed a colorful photograph of her Guruji, who was barely a toddler. Chulha could not understand how a mite of a child taught such grownup things." (Page-18)

A toddler as a Guruji was hilarious idea. 

*** 

"Tiwaran pulled me out from hair and called me such dirty names! She would have hit me! But she said I was a ... and what not and that enraged me. I answered back that instead of calling me names, why don't you abuse those boys? She was quieted by my sudden temper and I took advantage of her confusion and ran away." (Page-150) 

It was so hilarious for her to "take advantage of confusion and run away"! 

6. Strong Buildup and Climax at the End: 

The novel displays a wonderful buildup of storyline, leading characters, events, and ends of in a climax which is very effective. There is devastating 'tragedy' but still a hope; and readers are not left crushed under shock and trauma as it happens in many stories. It is possible only because of brilliantly balanced thought process displayed by the author. 

Excerpts: 

While reading a good book, we are transported to a different place. But in below portion on page-13, it feels like we are also being made ready to eat the meal being prepared. There is so much heart and soul in one paragraph.

Below portion shows brilliant display of imagination and creative writing. Just look at last sentences of each para. The statement, "as though, if he looked away, the plate might vanish", is so apt. Then, the word "querulous" is mentioned which I across first time and it reminds me that there is always so much to learn. 

The description is also so much 'cinematic'! 

On page-21, the author describes crocheting or sewing. Going through such portions, it seems we are talking with a philosopher, a sage, a writer, a poet, or a psychologist. It is pure magical.  

Conclusion: Thanks to the tremendous reading quality and enriching experiences, the novel 'The Curse of Yesterday' can be counted among the most powerful Indian stories by new authors. 

- Rahul 

Memories: A Scary Pen-Friend

In my childhood, I lived in a small town probably no one in the metro cities heard of. The population was small, environment was pure, its roads were lined with tall neem trees on both sides, and it also had a lake over which there was a small bridge. My grandfather was a professor and H.O.D. at the best college in the town and hence everyone knew our family. Unlike today, it was quite common those days for people to ask for both father's name and grandfather's name when they came across a new kid. 

When I reached high school, I was full of energy and aspirations. My mother was extremely idealist and a kind of a saint in the eyes of us kids. I remember having started reading newspapers and forming opinion on things. At the high school level, due to the extreme hard work needed in studies, I did not waste time in hanging out with friends after school. It left me with some challenges in finding anyone to share thoughts and ideas with. And I found a solution in the problem itself. In the newspaper, there used to be a "letter to the editor" column and I started sending letters and sharing my opinion on popular news and events. After a while, my letters were getting regularly published in the newspaper. I was proud seeing my name in the printed form, but more than proud I was happier, and eager to think whether I had the best opinion on the matter or not. I have always been trying to be a perfectionist. During those days, people sending letters to newspapers even sent their postal address along with their name and even I did it at times, and hence I started getting hand-written letters from many places. It was very inspiring for a small-town boy like me. 

I got letters from many people and all letters were sent appreciating what I had said in my "letter to the editor". Now I look back at that time and I am happy that I did not get any "hate mail"; I don't know if anyone had time those days to send anyone else a hate mail. Perhaps this whole culture of sharing-hatred came after internet and online portals came up. Anyways, so among the letters I got, there were two regular senders as far as I remember now. One was a Jain monk and a few people from his organization, perhaps they had got attracted by the idealistic views expressed in me. And the other person was a boy from another district. Now I don't remember what he wrote in his letters, but I had replied back to him, and it created a "pen-friendship" between us. I came to know that there was something called "pen friend" only when he told me about it. 

After exchanging a few letters and our views on some topics nothing of which I remember now, he sent one letter where he mentioned about his struggles with life because he said he was physically disabled (lame in one leg) and I remember even now that he wrote, "as you are aware that I am lame". I was shocked reading that. I felt cheated and betrayed. Not because he was physically disabled, but because he hid it from me so far and when he revealed it, he wrote "as you are aware". It sounded fishy. I was very sure he was revealing it for the first time to me and he should have been honest to say that he wanted to inform me about his physical status, instead of putting it like "as you are aware". I did not reply to his letter. 

After I did not reply to his last letter mentioning about his disability, he wrote me another letter, saying something like, "friend, you did not reply to my last letter. I think you were shocked at finding out..". Why would I be shocked at finding anything about him? I was shocked because of a different reason and perhaps he won't understand the nuances of it. I don't remember now if I replied to his next letter or not, but most probably I did not reply. But I do remember that the feeling of betrayal and being cheated was the last feeling I had for him. I remember I came under slight stress those days because of this episode. 

And then, after a week or two, while I was going somewhere, I saw a guy wearing nice clothes, limping in one leg, in my own colony where my home was situated at. Was he the same guy? I got scared a bit. I kept going and since he did not have my photograph, he won't have recognized me even if he saw me. I felt a bit guilty too, but I just ignored the incident. When I returned home, I was relieved that no stranger visited our house. That was the last incident concerning the guy. 

Afterwards, I kept sending letters to the editor. The only other "pen friend" I made was in the form of a Jain monk, and the "friendship" ended tragically too when he crossed a line (by offering me money for doing charity). Now I realize that I had the common sense and an intuition where to draw the line at that age and time when I had not seen the world. I think what I did was the right thing to do and I should not have exposed myself to risks like that. 

So, my "pen friends" experiment turned out to be scary episodes and I learnt something from those. No matter how hard we try, we all end up taking up risks from unknown sources. Sometimes our common sense (or intuition) saves us from further risks, and sometimes only our luck (or God). 

- Rahul 

Travelogue: A Shivshrusti Park near Dange Chowk, Wakad, Pune

A historical theme park based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. 

- Rahul 

Travelogue: Some places in Pune

 

Ramkrishna More Natyagruha (Auditorium), Chinchwad, Pune

A beautiful art on a wall in Aundh, Pune

Pune Jn. Railway Station

(C) Rahul

Travelogue | Hindu Temples | Shri Ram Janki Mandir, Wakad, Pune

 

- Rahul 

New Year Resolutions

At the beginning of last year, I had taken a resolution to read more books. I used to be a voracious reader, but with time my book reading habit had come to a halt. Many books in my home collection had remained unread and still wrapped in plastic sheet. A few years ago, I had purposefully stopped buying books in order to catchup with the already purchased lot. Thanks to the conscious effort in 2023, I started reading books. Due to personal engagements and travels, I could not reach the target in my mind, but by the end of the year I had finished reading four books and I was onto the fourth, 'The Curse of Yesterday', a novel. I plan to improve my reading list in the year 2024. 

I had also realized that I had almost stopped one more of my habit, which was visiting temples. I plan to improve it in 2024 too. I also want to catchup with several lost years in terms of nearness with God. 

One big improvement happened in 2023 and it was in writing blog pieces. Even if lot of my blog posts just contained a few pictures in the form of 'Travelogue', I was able to post about 100 posts in the year which is good from my standards. I plan to keep up with the 100 posts target for year 2024 too.  

The year 2023 was filled with unplanned travels and I made use of the opportunity by visiting neighboring places. I do not look forward to visiting more places in 2024, but plan to defer it to later years, if time and opportunity allows. 

Now, hoping to come right on many of the 2024 resolutions by the year end. 

- Rahul