Media matters

I am not a movie buff - by any means. There are times when I like to curl up with a book in my hand and pore through it rather than watch a movie outside. Still, I do like watching movies occasionally. I watched Sarkar Raj on Friday night. I enjoyed the movie. I felt that it was well thought out, well laid out, and well performed. Everyone associated with the movie seems to have put in sincere effort that overall has worked. The script was powerful and except for the shooting scene (not mentioning which one, to avoid being a spoiler), it was reasonably smooth(and when I say that, it means I like it quite a bit!) In any case, I found myself thinking about this movie even after we got home. So I spent some time reading up what other people were thinking about it. I found myself observing some interesting 'typical' behaviors that the 'media face' is displaying.

Just in general, media in India is evolving and catching up with it's developmentally advanced relative in the US. And yet, it seems doomed to make the exact same mistakes that media here has already committed. Personally I see the overhype around things as detestable layers of grease around an otherwise delectable bite of food.

1. Reviews/critiques are useful feedback mechanisms for real areas of improvement for those passionate about creating good cinema/literature or anything of entertainment value. Unfortunately, these cannot entirely be isolated from one person's interpretation or opinion of the movie etc. Still, it is the topmost responsibility of a film's critic to be specific, clear and concise about the flaws that they perceive rather than slobbering their verdict with 'media grease' to increase their own masala value.

2. Reviews are also useful to many people who are on the fence on whether they want to watch a movie or not. Once the movie has been watched and enjoyed, if one hasnt noticed some major flaws (like say, too many close ups in Sarkar Raj), what does one care whether critic XYZ felt that way or not. Perhaps critics should have different sections in their critiques - one detailing the concept, script, theme and feel of the movie, and another detailing the technical aspect. That would also necessitate critics to make detailed and researched statements rather than kicking up dust because they feel like it.

3. It has really started to feel like the media is tripping over its feet in slathering the actual pivotal components of a movie and its art value with all the other spices. For instance, there is way too much discussion about the three Bachchans appearing together in the movie. What's with every interviewer asking each of them whether they enjoyed working with each other? Do they hope that at least one of them will lapse at least once and say, "It is bad enough meeting the other two at home, and I hated having to be with them on the sets". Come on. Agreed, they are a talented and interesting family. We feel like knowing more about them perhaps, but what's the obsession over the threesome above the movie itself? Surely they would have enjoyed working on it, but it's not a home video, and they are professionals... they would give it the same effort they would their other projects.

4. I was reading entries in the past few days on the Big B's blog (http://bigb.bigadda.com) and it felt like he is taking so much effort to truthfully reach out to the real audience of his work without having to maneuvre countless media aspects and their (mis)interpretations. It is almost like he doesnt mind communicating as long as he can get his entire message through before someone in the media interupts with, "So, when you say ABC, you actually mean PQR, dont you?" Who really needs an interpreter to tell them what he means? Let there be clear communication, and let people choose whether to idolise, or take his views with a pinch on salt. For my part, I found reading his blog refreshing. He comes across as earnest and straight. He has great command over language(s), and he shares his thoughts on his day to day living experiences conversationally, the way they should be shared. Add to that the fact that he can express himself without being 'framed' (pun intended) and constrained by an interviewer with some agenda or the other.

So anyway, it would be nice if there was a better balance between what people are expecting to learn from the media and the not-so-little extra bit that the media routinely dishes out.

Hang in there

I was talking to a friend today and he was upset about living in the United States. The conversation turned to stereotypes. He is tired of interacting with the same, typical techno worker Desi. Limited interests, geeky, limited to the same set of friends weere some of his complaints against this Desi stereotype. He says he wants to move back to India; where he is a First Class Citizen, where he has variety, in people, in food, in things to do. I was playing Devil's advocate to his argument,convincing him that the grass is always greener on the other side. Nobody is holding us down or tying us to anything. In fact, we are all here of our own volition, and in fact, most of us worked hard to get here. Nobody has stopped us from doing anything different, stepping out of line. Sure, our presence in the country is tied to our jobs, but that doesnt feature in most of our day-to-day activities. Basically we've gotten used to the whole situation. On the contrary, I feel scared about what to expect if and when I do return to my homeland. I have a snapshot of the things I love about India... and every trip back home makes me feel displaced in time. Malls on every corner, school kids with cellphones, multiplexes, bistros, 100 rupee coffees... all these are not part of my 'Indian dream'. Plus, I deal with constant worry and guilt towards my filial responsibilities. How do I 'be there' for my parents without being there? It would be too cruel to displace them from their roots to allay my worries. Plus, I dont know what my long term plan is. Am I doing something morally incorrect by paying taxes in a different country than the one in which I did my schooling? The world is becoming a global villge, should I still be thinking in terms of 'us' and 'them'? I want to meet all those Uncles and Aunties who looked over me when I was a child... not learn about their passing one by one, from my parents on the phone. Yes, I miss the food. I miss the diversity. I know I will find a million things to complain about once I am there. At the moment, I am only hanging in here. Not sad... yearning, but not complaining. Maybe in a little while I will tip over to the side my friend was representing. And probably neither of us will do anything about the churn inside, because we read the immigration news so avidly after all!!

Win some... lose some :(

What a fiasco! Still feeling bad about it, but also have a new goal now. Need to work on the swimming bit! So the story is that I had to pull out of the kirkland triathlon because I couldnt finish the swimming leg! Lake Washington seemed threatening in choppy, billowing waters; the mental part of not having any support got to me; and the advice of a lifeguard - to pull out - hit hard. I basically need to learn to swim properly.
Had been scared of the waters all the way, but today's experience teaches me to check my basics first. So, next year. Gotta wash the memories of this failure off. Well, Congrats to Kintan, Abhijat and Mitika who did finish it!! That's one good thing :)

STP 2007 - Been there, done that

The much-anticipated STP weekend was July 14 and 15. Considering I bought my bike at the end of May, I know there was some craziness involved there. But well, now that it's done, who is to say so? :) But the most interesting things that led up to the day are worth mentioning.
Friday morning: (STP - 1) day:The earlier San Juan biking experience had taught me two things about cleats - 1) that they really do increase efficiency, and 2) that they hurt a lot if they are even slightly tight. (Cleats are clips that attach to two nails under biking shoes. They clip you on to the pedals so that there is efficient transfer of power from legs to pedals) So in a scramble I went and exchanged my cleats for a larger size. Now, on Friday the 13th I realized that I would have to try my shoes on at least once before regretting it over 2 painful days. So, I fitted the cleats onto my shoes and took my bike out to the parking lot. Alright, so get on the bike, try one cleat at a time and you'll get it. Except that I lost my balance, couldnt unclip the cleat quickly enough and went bang! It may have been funny to see me sprawled on the ground with one leg still caught on the bike, and the other leg scratched by the chain wheel, but it wasnt then. I was feeling very nervous about the whole thing... but I thot I'd manage somehow. Friday evening was spent in a flurry of packing and checking lists. We were to check in our sleeping bags and luggage bags into the luggage van at the start line. They would be delivered to the destination we had chosen to be our mid way stopover for the night. (We were to stay at Bethel Church at 108 mile distance). Mixing electrolytes, filling water in the camel paks to carry on the back took some more time. Ultimately was able to sleep only around 12am. So much for all the advice about sleeping by 9pm!! Took a bath before sleeping and had kept all my clothes ready for the next morning. Saturday morning: Day 1 of STP
Had a restless night's sleep and got up and out of bed by 4.15 am. Since the bridge to Seattle was closed for repairs, we were supposed to take a longer highway route. Somehow, between Aparajita and I, we managed to get done and leave the house by 5. Abhijat was dropping us to the start line in Seattle as a token of enouragement :-) (And that was what I did need :) ) Traffic was really bad and like us, we saw hundreds of cars with one or more bikes hanging on to their bike racks behind. All heading to the same place. At least there was no chance to get lost!We checked our luggage in, did a few stretches and got in line for the port-a-potty. These mobile restrooms were to be our solace for the next 2 days. The less said about this experience, the better!! It was ages by the time everyone got together and pictures were taken and all that. I wished I'd have slept longer instead!! We FINALLY took off from the start line at 7.12am. Wow!! Off we went! And I was already looking at my mileometer and thinking - hmm.. half a mile done just another 204 miles to go. Vineet was my companion as we biked on. We were literally going at 18 - 20 miles an hour. Along Madison Park (One of the most beautiful areas around Lake Washington), onto Rainier Ave, through Seattle. Chatting... talking about Asha, the organization for which we did this fundraiser ride. BTW, our helmets had a very pretty handmade decoration - two table tennis balls made into a little girl and little boy with a book being shared - the official Asha symbol. In no time we reached the 25 mile mark which was the first food stop... time for breakfast. It was another 45 minutes before we left this spot... restroom, food, timepass... this was much longer than we should have stayed there. So our original group of 10-12 people started to split up into 2-3 people as we started taking off. By now, the sun was already going up and it was getting hotter...I dabbed another layer of sunscreen and went off. I later got to know that it was 91F!!!! All this while I wasnt wearing my cleats. Just biking hard to keep the pace. 10 miles went. Another 5 miles... and then the dreaded Puyallup hill. For goodness sakes!! The heat, the temperature, and this damn hill. I shifted to my lightest gear and kept trudging. Now, I hate to give up on hills, but the heat was really getting to me. People were getting off their bikes all around. And suddenly I dont know why, but I stepped down too. The chest strap for the heart rate monitor was feeling too tight and I could barely fight the incline. Sadly I got down and walked the last 20 steps up. :( One would expect that after such a steep uphill, you would be rewarded by a beautiful downhill... but no. That hill cheated me... it was flat and the road just went on. I was drinking water from my camelbak. At least the pipe didnt make me have to get down for a sip. I could just squeeze the tip with my teeth and water would squirt into my mouth. But somehow, the heat was getting unbearable. I knew that the lunch stop was at 50 miles, so I decided to hold my pace and keep going. "Drink some gatorade, but dont stop". So I kept going. By now, I was in the midst of a crowd of riders none of whom I knew. My mileometer showed 50 miles now, but I didnt see a food stop. Well, maybe another mile. But it was 53 now, and still no stop. Finally at 54.5 miles I saw the STP sign for food. By this time my palms were hot in my gloves, my face was red and my entire body felt very hot. Over the past 25 miles, my shoulders and neck had been hurting and the pain was getting progressively worse. I got into the rest stop and coudnt wait to sit in the shade. The food wasnt that great but I ate anyway. The line outside the restroom was long again... but man, who can complain when you are drinking a gallon of water an hour?! Everyone in my group kept coming in and by the time the last two people came in, I was ready to leave. It was still too hot, but we had to go on. We were just half way there yet. So I took off with Vineet and Narendra. I had just gone 3-4 miles when I started feeling the heat even stronger. It was becoming hard to ride and my eyes were feeling glazed. I was pedalling, but it was getting hard to focus. Headwind was too strong. Again, it was getting hard to breathe. shoulders hurt. I remembered a wise person saying that it was important to realise when to stop and not go on. I decided I had to heed those words. Fortunately, Narendra adn Vineet were just behind me. So I told them I wasnt feeling that great. They stopped for me... so many riders on the way asked if everything was ok and we needed help... those things really touch me. Everyone feels the heat, but they still try to help. And you end up doing the same. :) Ankur came by in a few minutes... I drank plenty of water, took an energy shot and sat in the shade for a few minutes. Then started again, feeling better. I was able to bike to the next mini-stop stop then, where a beautiful shady tree stood. We stopped there for a little while. Caught our breaths while the others caught up with us. And then I got back to normal. That rest was needed and that helped me to continue without any mishaps. We had a lot of laughs there, took pictures and then started again. It was around 2.30 by the time we came to the long bike trail in the woods. Covered with trees on both sides, no traffic lights to wait for, cooler air... maan, this was what I was on that bike for!! :) And now I was back biking with Aparajita, Sree and Srijan with whom I really have a great time! So we were having a lot of fun... with Sree / Srijan taking pics as they rode, and even taking video clips. I saw a shiny snake slithering as fast as it could to get out of the way of the bikers. I said a prayer for it to make it safely on the other side and hoped noone ran over it. There were lakes as we biked on, and even a glimpse was soothing. Sometimes there were dust clouds... sometimes the road was bumpy. Also, you have to follow protocols - with traffic, cars, and other bikers. For a pedestrian you are a car, for a car you are a bike. Hand signals are necessary, and you can only cross a biker from his left. Also, you have to shout 'On your left' before you cross someone so that they dont sudenly move out of line in front of you. Well, you start off merrily shouting 'On your left' but it gradually turns into hissing 'Leffft' as you get tired :) So anyway, we thus pedaled our way to Centralia where the 100 mile mark was. We were looking forward to the free ice cream that we had been told about. Had at least 2 each. Some gluttons in the group had 4! But we were encouraged to eat whatever we could! Moreover, the caloriemeter showed over 3500 calories burnt... so who cares :) A lot of bikers sleepover at Centralia to start early the next morning. They sleep in tents or take rooms. But we had about 8 miles further to go. So around 6.45pm, we started on the short journey ahead, dreaming of a nice shower, good food and a place to rest the already sore back and butt. In my case, my dream was just to take the camelbak off my shoulders!!! But well... whatever comes easy?! At 108, we found ourselves in Chehalis with no sign of Bethel Church. Not many people were around... we had left them at Centralia. Somehow, colelcting titbits of info, we kept going over the next 6 miles... to finally find our resting spot at 114 miles :) We checked in our bikes, got our luggage, and went into the dorm type room were several people were already fast asleep in their sleeping bags. We found our reserved corners - just enough area to spread out the sleeping bag, and keep a chair. I took off my shoes and was thankful for the slippers I had packed in. We headed to the food and ate like wolves! There was pasta and bread and salad. We all devoured it withour relish. Only after that did we think of bathing etc. Once clean, we could sit down outside and talk. Of course I spent some of this time looking for a spot where I had cellphone coverage so I could report to the big boss (read Abhijat) the happenings of the day. My shoulders and neck were excruciating, but by now I had learnt what I needed to do. At Centralia, I had tightened the straps on my camelpak so that it now fit more smugly and that actually reduced the drag on my shoulders. Unfortunately, I already had 100 miles under my pedals before I figured out the correct length. Well, it would help the next day!
So we sat around for a while... some of us took small massages (paid) from the masseuse service there. We ended up going to sleep around 11.30pm after card games, random talk and exchanging experiences.
Sunday : Day 2 of STP
I barely slept throughout the night for fear that everyone in the hall would end up oversleeping and consequently we (or I) would be late in starting the next day. Well, I neednt have worried. Many bikers were already off by 5am. I woke up at 5 and got ready almost immediately. Madame Aparajita could not be woken up until 6! Anyway, we all had breakfast - hot potatoes, muffins, cereal, oatmeal. Somehow someone or the other kept delaying and we were finally back on the road by 7.15am We got back on the STP route. The next big step would be the hill at Napa Vine. And then the banana bread that Napa Vine people were famous for! Both things lived upto their promise :) Thankfully we did not spend too much time here and were on the way quickly again. We took restroom stops at gas stations a couple of times. The second day was quite hilly, but thankfully the sun was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds! Just what I was hoping for!! The trail was pretty interesting because of the hills... there was something to work on and the downhills were sooo enjoyable. The only downside was that Arvind had to stop at mile 140 since his knee had really started swelling up and now it looked angry red. Apart from that, the ride till the lunch stop was confortable.Lunch was another sad story, but it was fun to talk about all those horrible hills and what interesting things we saw. I am amazed still, by the number of riders who do the STP in recliners, pushing with hand-pedals, their legs in front of them... where do they get that kind of aspiration? It was getting hotter after lunch, but it was bearable. We all started from lunch together, but eventually I found myself biking myself with a strange groups. I guessed that my friends must have got split in groups... perhaps someone's chain fell off... hopefully nothing bad happened. But anyway, my phone was on, so they could call me if there was anything. Just one thing almost spoilt my ride. Now, from the later part of day 1, I was using my cleats. And in fact, on day 2, I was clipping my cleats to the pedals right from the beginning. Was doing ok with getting down and back up and the cleats were also getting worn in fine. But at this traffic light, I was trying to stop... my right cleat wouldnt come off the pedal. There were bikers in front of me, cars by my side... and I was frantically tugging... the light's still red... dammit! It has to change... I cant crash... oh...my... godddddd... I was an inch away from the biker in front of me and my cleat still wasnt off. And the light changed to green. I pressed back down and went across in a sprint. Then checked what was happening, figured out why my cleat was catching before thanking my stars! Phew! So many people fall... experienced/seasoned bikers... they just laugh it off. I guess I should expect and get used to this anyway :)
Another very interesting thing was the Lewis-Clark bridge that joins Washington State to Oregon state. This bridge needs an escort as it has heavy vehicular traffic. So bikers are lined up at the ramp in the beginning. Once there are about 100-150 bikers, one lane of the bridge is cut off to cars and the bikers go in. Now this bridge is like a steep hill. It is curved, with the center at quite a height. And the Columbia river flows beneath it. You can see Mt. St. Helen's and the view is just out of this world. If you look down, you see water, and on the side, there are winding freeways... you see bikers going on them at top speed since they are sloping down... it fills you up with a sense of exhilaration! And right in the middle, there is a sign which says, 'Entering Oregon'. It's inch to inch with the other riders and you can stop although it's tiring to keep biking up. But it's also so lovely! I had the most fun doing that bridge!
So anyway, at the 176 mile mark, I met my fellow riders again. I was constantly filling water in my backpak. Was feeling much better with the shoulders too. Plus, I had the bridge to talk about. I was wondering why Aparajita, Sree and Srijan had fallen so far back, so I waited for them at the lunch stop. Turned out that Aparajita had taken a tumble and hurt herself. She was fine by then, but her hands were scratched.
Anyway, there were just 30 miles left to go, and nothing could stop any of us anymore. I set off... this time alone again. At 7 miles hence, I saw the Scappouse mini-stop. It was crowded, so I decided to stop at some gas station closer to Portland to relieve myself later. Bad mistake. I never got a chance to do that. There was absolutely no stop till the Finish Line. It was crazy, but the best part about reaching the Finish became the rest room... rather the honeybucket!! The last few miles were gruelling. I kept seeing signs 'Portland 12'... 'Portland 10'... 'Portland 6' ... I was inside the city too... but there was still a series of uphills and downhills and traffic lights and all kinds of nonsense! I had to stop at about 5 traffic lights at every block from the finish line at Holladay Park! I could hear the music, but I wasnt there yet. And then suddenly, I was. And I knew I'd done it. The STP could be checked off my list. And I was fine... no flat tires!! Except for one time when my chain dropped at 10 miles from Portland, nothing else happened!
There was fun and festivity at the finish line. 3 of the others had already reached before me. Others followed about 30-50 minutes after me. Looks like the restroom problem made me pedal really hard and improved my timing by a lot :)
So the STP closes at 7pm. We were still hanging out there waiting for the friend who was to give us a ride back to Seattle. He got lost on the way (he was driving! :) ) so it was 8 and we were still there. There were very few people at Holladay Park then. Most others must have even reached Seattle by then. The Finish line had been removed, the music was over, the stalls were gone. And this handicapped girl in her hand-pedalled recliner came up. She reached, stopped and burst out crying. I was looking at her. Her family was there. They threw their arms around her. And she kept on crying. There were tears in my eyes too, and I just started clapping for her.
2 other ladies, at least 65 years old also rode up around 7.30. I cheered for them and they stopped and gracefully bowed. :) It was so beautiful...
There are so many small and big things that happened... I cant write all of them. I'll probably remember them at different times and smile to myself. But I am sure glad that I have this wonderful experience to think of... my first STP! And I am thankful that I am able and healthy to do this.

STP2007

The joke is on us

Global warming concerns me. Plus, I have watched 'An inconvenient truth'. It's a horror movie. It creates knee jerk reactions. I've have also seen the skeptists' rebuttal to Al Gore's 'truth'. And all said and done, it's still left me with an uneasiness that refuses to go away. I totally accept the fact that Gore probably only gets to those who were anyway 'environment conscious' in the first place. But that said, I have two different thoughts on this.

1) Certainly, if we keep up our ways, we are going to end up in a bad situation. If we gorge existing resources this way, we are gonna throw up... or get thrown up.

2) Just maybe we arent that significant at all. All our greed is not going to result in anything. There have been ice ages several times before and it's really a pattern the Earth follows anyway. We are just an experiment of Nature. We havent even been around long enough for Nature to determine whether we passed or failed. Not that Nature would care before Earth promptly turned on her heel and went into another long ice age... us bundled into fossils to create fuel for some other form of intelligence to come. Like a child playing on the beach, making sand castles... giggling and wiping out a tower here and a mound there purely for the heck of it.


Not to sound discouraging, but I get the eerie feeling that in either case, the joke is on us.

Joy Ride

I've never been so enamoured by a piece of metal machinery as I am with my brand new Trek 1200 bike. How often have I mocked those who become slaves of their machines, fussing over them, cooing to them, taking the pains to scrub every corner to squeaky-shiny perfection! But as they say, laugh while you can, for once you get roped into it, you will find yourself fawning the same.
It took 5 bicycle shops, 4 trips to Seattle, a multitude of test rides, 3 adjustments and a dark rainy evening. But now she stands proud in my living room. And I look upon her with affection, approach her with caution and promise myself that this is going to be one hell of a summer :)
Like running, there's no special reason for me to get into biking. It just seems like a very interesting sport. Learning to push yourself, increasing your stamina and endurance... all in the game.
The first ride around Lake Sammamish (27 mile loop) was on a weekday. Lovely route, not too complex. It helps that I've been running coz I didnt feel like I was dying on the first day. And did I mention that the saddle is so awesome that I didnt even feel butt-sore? I just plain enjoyed it. Except for the fact that I find changing to the top front gear slightly non-trivial, I have no complaints.

And to hear my fellow riders compliment me on how the components are really good only added to the joy of the experience.

Cheers for the bike riding days to come! :)

The atheist argument

This entire atheist-theist debate is getting to me these days. And overall, I see that most atheists are more understanding of where the theists are coming from. But theists start with the premise of 'These atheists...'. It's a free world, why in 'God's' name does anyone have to worry about anyone else's beliefs (or the lack of them). If we were even to try an intersection of the various beliefs and rituals in the world, we would end up with an empty set. So much in contradiction are the various religions and cultures of the world. What's good in one may be completely inauspicious in another. Crazy!! And everyone still wants to stick fast to what they learnt growing up.

My favourite argument has always been this - A new chess player is told to protect his Queen no matter what. Now, this is based on the assumption that the preservation of the Queen is directly related to his/her chances of winning. That said, you will still lose some and win some. And, that does not mean that you will not sacrifice the Queen if that is actually leading to a win. In the same vein, the concept of 'God' according to me, was actually introduced to make sure that the men of the world had some tenets they could follow to ensure that their and others' interests were secured. It was just easier to convince people to follow something if they were not given the option of not following it. So associating wrongful acts with the idea of divine punishment would actually make sense. Now going beyond that, if a person has actually understood this entire concept and the idea of God is not what is required to hold him/her in line, why should it be anybody else's problem what beliefs who has?!! Why has the 'source of the sin' been shifted from the person's acts to his/her beliefs or religious inclinations?