THE LAST WINTERS…

Now by last winter i mean, the last winter of my college life. I mean am not dying or something , and i hopefully will live through many many more winters in life ( hope you get the double meaning ). This last winter of my life has somehow lasted almost an year now and i wish it would end soon.

It rained the whole of last night. The morning was cloudy and without any sun , which this time around had made December( otherwise intensely cold ) seem like mild February. A cold wave was really necessary for the winters of north India to live up to its reputation, reputation of a spine-chilling, intense, blood-freezing cold. I mean it can sometimes be so cold up here in this area, that once you die, you hardly need any artificial preservatives at all. So, finally that much missed cold wave has finally hit the city today morning. The next few days , would be the days, when we would actually realize the worth of sun to us. When we would actually realize how lucky we are to have a life like us, as we sit in front of our computers and hear news about people dying out there in the cold outside. When we would curse the winters for slowing us our work.

As of me, i have always loved the winters. Mostly because, i can wrap myself up in a warm blanket ( i don’t like wearing much on my self ), grab some hot tea/coffee, some snacks and sit in front of my computer and watch some stupid serial, and have nothing else to care about of the outside world, Now , its actually luxury as many would say.
But i actually love it, like of course many other people. And yes, i can skip the bath too.

One good thing about home is, you’ve got your mom to do all the stuff, like bring the blanket, light up the fire, and give you the food. Hostel on the other hand , doesn’t have such facilities. I mean with independence comes great responsibilities, like feeding yourself, making yourself warm, and getting out of the warmth of the blanket, for even the most smallest of things like opening the door to some moron who might be knocking on your door just to say “WASSUP!”

Its the last winters out here. Next year, i might be spending my winters , somewhere down south, where i don’t even think you can differentiate between seasons. Its raining outside , a light drizzle, and the scene outside my window is like awesome,, except that i cant keep it open long enough for the cold thats outside. You know, how ” coldness flows from cold body to hot body , whenever you give it a chance to do so “. The smoke is finally starting to come out of my mouth this year. I was actually a bit worried about it, but now am not. I have a packet of smoke, on my table though, just in case.

I have being hearing the scrubs soundtrack all this week, and some of its songs, like ‘superman’ , ‘hallelujah’ , ‘beautiful world’ , ‘hooch ‘ etc. are really good. Not winter songs, but then i really don’t find much winter songs. I mean, when it comes to songs, the monsoons really seem to have that edge. The winters however , seem to have that edge when it comes to love and romance. In any case, if anyone out there, know of good English winter songs, kindly suggest me. I would be very obliged and might actually send you a card or something in return.

Lets have an exercise for you all. By you all , i mean all those who somehow, maybe upon my own requests or otherwise, happen to read this post. I mean, WHAT’S YOUR IDEA OF FUN ON A TYPICAL CHILLY WINTER DAY ? For me, leaving aside , the warmth of my blanket and my room and some good food, I would really love to see it snow. I would love to see the streets covered with snow as white and pure as the moon light.
I would love to lie down on that snow, and stare blankly into a cloudless sky, maybe spot some constellations or something. I would love to see my breath, emerging from my mouth in a cloud of smoke, and disappearing into the sky above. I would maybe, just love to be there.
Maybe that’s my fantasy.
BUT THEN, WHAT’S YOUR FANTASY, FOR SUCH A LOVELY WINTER ?

Just drop in your comments and answers. The best answers might get a free one-way ticket* to the the Bahamas or something.

*conditions apply !

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THE KITE RUNNER

I’ll make this a very short post, mostly because its already 3 am in the morning and am no expert in judging films. But as i finished watching this movie “THE KITE RUNNER ” based upon the book by the same name by Khaled Hosseini, there are these thoughts bouncing off the inside of my head and i don’t really wanna lose them tomorrow morning.

You see, i did like the movie. I admit its well made. But it made me realize that a book is always far far better than a movie based on it. Maybe a picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes its those thousand words that matter more to you than a single picture. Mostly because those thousand words give you the freedom to draw your own picture, to fill your own colors and to interpret it as you want it to. A picture is more forceful in that aspect.

Why am saying this?
Because instances in the movie made me realize this.
maybe i’ll share some of my insights….what i felt.

1) One of the most interesting things about the book is that its set in Afghanistan. Am pretty much sure that any other country might not have been able to bring up such a story. But while the book is a literary treat for the above mentioned reason, i don’t really get the glimpse of Afghanistan from the film. i didn’t see the traditions , the culture of the country, the hazaras and the pashtuns. I didn’t see the lake where the Amir jaan went to picnic with hassan. I didn’t see the tree in the courtyard, where the two young boys played. I dint see th game of Bushakshi which was typical of the country. There are only occasional glimpses into a country so vividly described in the book.

2) I don’t really feel the urge to sympathize with the proud father of Amir jaan, when he loses his honor to a soviet invasion. I don’t see the pain and suffering he endures to get his son safely out of the country, while fleeing from his own home, his own country, in an oil tanker.
Its something that seems to have been done in a great hurry in the film.

3) I don’t see Amir jaan growing up in america. I don’t see his father selling his buick and giftng his son a $50 Volkswagen on his graduation. I don’t se his hardships in a foreign country. It all seems to come so naturally and with ease to the Agha, in the new country, something which was not actually.

4) I don’t see the relationship between Amir jaan and his beautiful wife Soraya jaan. I don’t see their despair at not been able to produce a son. Most importantly, i miss those words of Amir jaan for Soraya…
” Make morning into a key and throw it into the well,
Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly.
Let the morning sun forget to rise in the east,
Go slowly, my lovely moon, go slowly. ”

5) Finally , i just don’t get to see enogh of Sohrab, the young kid of Hassan and the nephew of Amir jaan. I don’t see enogh o his transformation from a shy, frightened little kid to a confident one under the parenthood of Amir and Soraya, in America.

The only thing i see in the film is Amir jaan. The story just seems to revolve around him, whereas the book does proper justice to all characters. In doing so, the film however paints a very good picture of an Amir , ridden with guilty conscience for being a coward not able to stand d up for himself and his hazara friend hassan. And he really impresses. And the sad thing is , no one other than him does.

All in all, a good move, but then i told you, am writing this review, not because am an expert, but because i wanted to prove my point. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes those thousand words are much better.

But i like that line of Rahim khan…
“…..there’s a way to be good again. ”
And i myself am searching for some such way….
….to be good again.

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