Shadows Of Time - Touching Tale of Love and Loss

The other night i caught a Bengali movie in Sony pix called "Shadows Of Time". It was like a semi-documentary kind of a movie, where in all the characters spoke perfect Bengali.. Well, i didn't intend on watching that particular movie that night, but while just surfing through the channels at around midnight, i came across this movie with subtitles with Indian actors that appeared to be based in Calcutta in the pre-independence time. And it was the cinematography and the realistic acting by the child actors at the initial part of the movie that i found to be particularly captivating and found it hard to tear myself away from the screen till the end.
To give a short summary of the movie without revealing much of the storyline, i would have to say that it was a Story about two kids, Ravi and Masha who were sold to work in a carpet factory by their respective parents. Slowly a bond forms between the two and grows with time. On learning that the miserly factory owner was intending on selling Masha to a rich pervert; Ravi gives the factory owner all the money that he had collected over time, intended to buy his freedom; for the freedom of Masha. He end up striking a deal with the factory owner and Masha is allowed to leave the factory. But before leaving they promise to meet again, and Masha promises to go to the largest Shiva temple of the city every full moon night and wait for Ravi to come. 10 years later, Masha ends up as a courtesan wooed by a customs official,played by Irfan Khan. And Ravi after finnaly paying for his freedom comes to the city in search for Masha, and finds employment at a carpet shop and helps them to turn it into a successful business. The rest of the story is about the trials and turmoils and also the misunderstandings that fate throws their way over time; and to see if Ravi and Masha end up together or not.
It was beautifully shot, and the acting by the lead pair was commendable. The actor who played the role of Ravi in the movie Prashant Narayan; did such a good job, that it is difficult to believe that he isn't even Bengali. His diction was amazing. In a way i kind of got a crush on him ;-) . Anyway for those of who like a touching movie with a sensitive portrayal of the characters, and amazing precision to the art and set to depict Calcutta in the pre-independence era, this movie is a must watch.
And here is the twist...the movie's story and direction was by a German Director named Florian Gallenberger with his entire filming crew being Germans! You can imagine my shock at this bit of information! I never thought that a director who wasn't Indian nor understand the language before making the movie could come up with a concept that is so authentically Bengali and come up with a touching tale of love and sorrow that is portrayed with finesse.

High Expectations fell Short!

Done with "The Lost Symbol" at last! And i should say, it didn't exactly live up to the expectations i had from it. It was a slow start, came up to speed in the middle and then fizzled out at the end. This just goes to prove that we should never start reading a book with high expectations out of it.
I didn't feel like i was reading a fast paced adult fiction thriller, instead it felt like i was getting a sermon on high thinking.
But this cloud did have a silver lining for me, and that would be in the treasure trove of information i got regarding the symbols and the common elements among most religions, which unfortunately most of us, do not realize. It also clears many misconceptions that we have regarding the teachings of most of the religious books and how the message from our ancient forefathers has gotten misconstrued leading to religious unrest in many countries.
So without divulging the storyline of this book, let me just share with you the one message that i got loud and clear from this book, and that is "Mind over Matter". It just made me realize the true potential of our human mind, and the miracles that we can perform if we just set our mind to it! The more positive and focused your thoughts, the more closer you are to achieving your goals. So just keep an open mind, and do not brush off the knowledge and messages of the ancient books as unbelievable imaginary stories. Because there is a hidden message in our so-called fictional stories of our ancient books that is in clear sight for most of us to read it, but our minds are too clouded with skepticism to be able to read it.
Finally i would say, this book is a good read for those who like to know interesting facts, but you should have the patience to handle the lengthy lectures!!!

Definition of a Best freind/person - Stan!!

We have heard many definitions of friendship,all speaking of mushy and lofty stuff, that is just the imagination of some guy who makes a career out of writing greeting card messages. But speaking about what kills a friendship, one answer that is most common, is marriage. people say that friends do not have time for each other once they get into the responsibilities of  a married life.
Well, i cant speak for myself, as i am still single. I mean, i would never become too busy for my friends,even though many kept predicting at many stages in my life that i wouldn't have time for friends once i am done with school, once i am done with college, once i get a job etc etc., but i always proved most of them wrong by trying to stay in touch with my friends, if not by a call , then at least by an sms.
But now that i am faced with the reality that my friend is soon to get married, in fact too soon for my liking, i am gripped with fear and anxiety that i may loose my one true friend that i have ever had. He is the best person in the whole world, and i have known him for around 12years, and the fact that we are still friends is no thanks to me! I have been a Miss.Cruella deVill most of the time and hurt him quite a bit. But each and every time he forgave me and remained my true friend through thick and thin. If there is any guy whom i can say i have complete faith in and trust blindly, that would be him. For example, a very long while back, a guy whom i thought i could trust told me that my friend spoke some nasty stuff about me, and guess what, i didn't even doubt my friend for a second. In fact at that moment the blinds were lifted off my eyes and i started seeing the other guy for who he really was, a huge liar! Because anyone who has anything bad to say about Stan, has to only make thing up. And speaking ill of him is proof enough that they are lying their a$$@S off!
My friend knew the truth about this guy, but even though he saw the guy for who he was, he still preferred to look past his flaws, and instead concentrate on the goodness within. If there is anyone who truly believes in "Forgive and Forget",its my dear friend. In most ways i truly feel bad that we couldn't successfully take our relationship to the next level. Its most definitely my loss! I have done a swell job at burning that bridge down with my very own hands and reached to the point of no return. I cannot honestly say that i do not regret my decision. But as some people say, "Shit happens", and we have to live with our mistakes. If given a chance, i would go to my past self and kick myself so hard, till i knock some sense into myself. Because any girl would be way too lucky to have a guy like him in her life, guess it just proves that i am not one of the lucky types!
I have never known anyone who could see the good in you in spite of all your flaws, and yet work with you towards attaining it and wait patiently for that goodness to surface.

He has instilled in me many great ideals, by just talking about his passion for social work. I have not seen anyone who is more selfless than him, who just knows to give and never ask anything in return, other than we do the same unto some other poor soul. His passion towards his work is addictive.
He was the one who helped me build my confidence, when i didn't have any faith in myself. He was the catalyst in again rekindling a friendship with another friend of mine which i thought i had lost forever, again due to a few silly mistakes of my own. With him egging me on, i felt i could do anything i ever wanted. Any person who instills such an amount of confidence in you, is a rare jewel which you must never let go ever.I know hearing all this, you may think of him as some sort of a dull sage like character, but trust me when i say, that he is one "cool dude".
I am sad to say that i have never treated him with the kind of love and affection that he deserves, and even though he has forgiving me for all that i have put him through, i can never forgive myself, not in this lifetime at least.
Hence, i am truly happy that he has found someone that makes him very happy and treats him the way he deserves to be treated- with "undivided attention and unconditional love". And i truly hope with all my heart that he remains happy forever. And i pray that i never loose him, as that's something i am not ready to accept. His friendship is way to dear to me!
 For me the perfection of friendship can be described in a single word - Stan. For me he is Stan, but for the rest of the world, it is Sushant Stanley.In a way i can say that this is "An ode to friendship".

Never ask "Why me?"

Most people ask this question time and again without realizing that the answer lies within themselves.
When you are faced with an impossible task or if anything that causes you deep pain - physically or most probably emotionally ; that's when you find yourself asking "Why me?"! But does that give us a solution? No!
The best of us go through this phase, but few realize that instead of dwelling on the question, we have to make a start towards understanding the answer. Because that's where you will find the solution to your problem.
I know it maybe hard sometimes to come close to grasping the answer, but that's where you will realize the true strength of your character, which keeps propelling you towards the solution without allowing you to give up. Also, having the support of family, friends and loved ones or just someone with a sympathetic ear and strong words of confidence, will be sure to get you out of your rut!!! And also remember, that there are those out there who may be in a more pathetic condition than you are in, and that doesn't let them stop from living their life, so why should you?

So all i am saying is that, when faced with impossible situations, don't just give up, but make it a test of your true potential as a human being and keep positive in the face of adversities and tackle it with a smile. Only then you will find the true solution to all your problems in life. Keeping faith and having a smile on your face, helps incredibly.

And mind you, i am not telling you to do this all alone. Having your loved ones around you and especially those who themselves remain positive and egg you on,are the ones who will see to it that you reach your solution!!
So stop asking "why me?" and instead, ask yourself "how best do tackle this - head on or systematically?" Don't loose hope ever, because hope is the only ray of light that will guide you to your goal!!
Stay positive and stop dwelling in your problems!!! Take my word for it, as this is what truly helped me in coping with a recent incident in my life, that threatened to shatter my very existence!!!
Hope, Positivity and Loving people around you are the true catalysts for finding a solution to life's various hurdles!!

Never Judge a Book by its cover

How many of us have been told never to judge a book by its cover?? Well we usually never follow what we have been told right??!!! Hence when the much hyped about book by Dan Brown came out "The Lost Symbol" , i was quite intrigued by it, because of the halo effect of his previous books. But this one proved to be a damp squid at the start, and picked up speed only when i was almost reached the middle of it. His earlier works were unputdownable(if that is even a word), but this one is stretching beyond my liking.

Anyway since i am still to be done with it..you should be able to find my verdict on it in a couple of days at the most!

I promise to keep you posted!!!