Memory Vials

"विरासत में मिली हर चीझ पर दावा नही करना चाहिये" तुंबाड च्या नायकाला म्हातारी अखेरचं समजावून पाहते तोपर्यंत बराच उशीर झालेला असतो. ती फक्त त्या गुप्त धनाबद्दल बोलत नसते. विनायक त्या रिपरिप पावसात भल्यामोठ्या वाड्याचे द्वार उघडून आत निघालेला आहे.  लोभीपणाला वैगुण्य न मानल्यामुळे आलेला कमालीचा आत्मविश्वास त्याच्या देहबोलीतून वाहतोय. तुंबाड च्या ट्रेलर मध्ये ही दृश्य पाहून अपेक्षा खूप वाढल्या होत्या. काल सकाळी हा पिच्चर पाहिला तेव्हा बऱ्याच दिवसांनी अपेक्षांच्या पुढे गेलेला पिक्चर पाहिल्याचे फीलिंग आले. तुंबाड हॉलिवूड च्या तोडीस तोड आहे. त्याच्या गहिर्या अर्थाला बऱ्याच छटा आहेत. पण अर्थाला हात घालण्याआधी हा नितांत सुंदर सिनेमा थिएटर मध्ये अनुभवा. आजीकडून आईकडून कधीकधी अशा कथा ऐकल्या होत्या. अमक्याच्या शेतात, विहिरीत, घरात गुप्तधन आहे, पण ते काढता येत नाही किंवा शापित आहे वगैरे वगैरे. या गोष्टी म्हणजे कल्पनेला मोकळे आकाश. तुंबाड ने या गोष्टींना पडद्यावर उतरवले आहे. भयाण वाडा, धन, शाप ते धन मिळवण्यासाठीची विशिष्ट पद्धत, जर कुणी ती माहीत नसताना प्रयत्न केला तर काय? ...

Kudos to you Abhimanyu.. finally a ray of hope.. I am tired of seeing so many Northerners accusing the southerners of not knowing the only national language “Hindi”. Worst part is that they believe this lie of Hindi being “the” national language so fiercely that even when they are proven wrong by slamming Wikipedia and other sources on their face, they end up the argument with “well, as a nation we should have a single national language and Hindi is best suited for that”.. a true facepalm moment.. These punters don't understand even a single word of southern languages apart from the demeaning “dosa” and “lungi” and speak of national integrity. I almost feel sorry for our sourthern brothers for they are forced to put up with this utter nonsense. I being Marathi, when speak in those heated debates and prove the Hindi jingoist wrong, I then become the target and they accuse me of being follower of Raj Thackeray.. haha.. so you see, it's not about their love of Hindi language...

What is Son of Sharmaji or "शर्माजी का बेटा"? Okay, to explain this concept, I will have to keep my political correctness in a corner for a while. Indian parents, especially in the middle class of society are by and large very competitive. They compete using their children. The definition of success of their children depends on how the neighbor’s/friend’s/brother’s/acquaintances’ children are doing. “Sharmaji ka beta” (Son of Sharmaji - SoS) is a common term we children (and future competitive parents) use for those whom with we are constantly being compared. No matter how smart you are, or how much well paid you are, there are one or several “SoS” who will be ahead of you. Parents make sure that the accomplishments of the SoS will be thrown at your face (subtly or directly) time to time. They think that it “motivates” you to do better. It is actually motivating. Most of the times, it will boost you to chase that SoS only to find another SoS running miles ahead than...

It's a rare and delightful experience when you come across a movie or a series and instantly recognize the brilliance of an actor's performance. Such moments have occurred to me on several occasions, where I found myself captivated by an actor's charisma, even in seemingly insignificant roles. These instances of instant connection and admiration for an actor transcend the limitations of their screen time. It's as if their talent shines through effortlessly, leaving a lasting impression. What's even more intriguing is that in some cases, my instincts were aligned with the general consensus, as these actors were already celebrated and renowned, despite being unfamiliar to me prior to that particular viewing. Reflecting on these memorable encounters, I would like to share a list of such experiences, where the sheer talent of these actors took me by surprise. It's worth mentioning that at the time, I had no prior knowledge of their status in the industry, oblivious ...

I used the following means while traveling solo in Central Europe. Hostel World dot com . Find a sweet spot by checking price, reviews, and location.  Blabla Car . Cheapest travel option of all. Plus if you get lucky you get to travel with locals who will share their stories and listen to yours.  Flixbus, Studentagency, Polskibus, Postbus . They are crazy cheap bus services and have routes all over.  GoEuro dot Com. This is a must-have app. It will give you all options with prices - Air, Rail, Road. I would rate it one of the 5 top apps in the world. I mean it.  I stayed at my friends’ in major cities. So be nice to people and make friends. You never know who will shift to which city in the future. ;)  Ryanair - travel when they offer dirt cheap air tickets.  Durums and Kababs at Turkish shops. I did not spend too much and still had full meals. I would go to Lidl, Carrefour, and Biedronka whenever possible to grab a few sandwiches and Snickers to...