Snowed in!

Yesterday was day 1 of maternity leave. I was nervous about being alone at home, not knowing what to do with myself and all the time on my hands. I bid a rather sorrowful goodbye to A as he headed for work. Poured myself a glass of orange juice, felt guilty about sulking so, and thought I might go to the balcony and wave a bit more cheerfully to my dear hubby.

The sight that greeted me was quite spectacular. Snow covered everything from road to lamp-post and I saw my neighbour walking back home from the train station. This could only mean one thing - we had been successfully snowed in! Yahoooooooooooooo!

I ran to locate my cellphone and as I pressed the button to call A, he had already walked into the house. With a sheepish grin on his face, he said that all trains had been cancelled, all public transport had come to a freezing halt, and my long-standing dream of us getting snowed in had come true! Nobody was going to work this monday morning!

Well such beautiful opportunities don't come your way often! We had to make the best of it - and we did!

A Wednesday

What a day yesterday! It started out with the heaviest snow we have ever come across, resulting in a slow, cosy, relaxed day at home, and ended with a brilliant super-fast paced thriller. I am referring to A Wednesday, the Naseeruddin Shah/Anupam Kher treat. A crisp, tight plot, gripping story sans waffle - a very pleasant watch indeed. Naseer, of course, is out of this world - so common as a common man, the humility and everydayness coating every word that he speaks and every gesture he makes. Anupam, a fine actor, did perfect justice to the role which could very well have ended up with commercial, jingoistic tones. Jimmy Shergill and Aamir Bashir were both fantastically restrained - I have liked Bashir since his Alpaviram days and think he is capable of a lot more.

A quick word on the plot. Remarkably well executed, the minor twists and major movements matter-of-factly presented added to the charm. But why the sermon in the end? The only reason it was half acceptable was because Naseer was so good at it, so convincing and real.

Overall, the perfect recipe for a winter evening that you want to spend in the company of a great cast, a gripping plot and a very well made film.

The journey of a stress-buster

As the countdown to the end of work and start of maternity leave begins, I find myself surprisingly stressed. It is like handing over something very dear to you to someone else. You know that it will be well taken care of, you know you will come back to a supportive and welcoming team, but a niggling sense of dismay clouds all rational thoughts.

So, I thought, we must find a way of dealing with this crisis. And here's how the journey of this stress-buster progressed.

It was ultimately very well received and enjoyed by one and all.

Slumdog Millionaire

It's all about the treatment.

Some time back I had expressed extreme annoyance at the depiction of the perceived Indian reality by one western commentator, Paul Merton. Today I am writing about another Englishman's version of India. And I must say, Danny Boyle, along with Loveleen Tandan, has done a marvellous job of telling it as it is, without being judgemental, apologetic or even explanatory.

I absolutely loved Slumdog Millionaire. Because it was more a superbly made Hindi movie than anything else. It is drenched in the stench of poverty yet reeks of hope, it is about violence but speaks of love, it is a crisp English film filled with the right Indian masalas resulting in the elusive perfect curry. I see a blurring of boundaries like never before. And I say, good for all of us.

Apart from the perfect acting, tight screenplay and haunting background score, what is exceptional about this film is the true-to-the-subject direction. Not for a moment do you feel that this is a film directed by an 'outsider' with the eyes of a spectator. The camera is completely dispassionate, truly matter-of-fact, and interested only in great cinema. At every stage, the critic in me was looking for something to pounce on - and found nothing.

Thank God for Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto who appear to believe in acting and not dramatisation, as we see so often in Bollywood. Irfan Khan, Anil Kapoor and Saurab Shukla are brilliant as usual - such under-utilised gems all three.

All in all, it is a very well told story of hope and optimism. I know that the British media is hailing it as the most optimistic movie ever - I do think that is because they aren't quite familiar with Bollywood which thrives on 'it's not the end if everything isn't alright yet'. About time I say! But a telling fact of the popularity of this much-loved film is that for the first time in my few years in Britain, I saw notice boards showing 'house-full' signs for all shows of a movie. And not a single person in the jam-packed hall moved till the last bits of the truly colourful dance number accompanying the credits were over. Smiles everywhere afterwards...

Winter wonderland

We stepped out early this morning to attend to some chores. The roads were deserted and a thick fog engulfed the few cars and pedestrians brave enough to battle the icy weather. As we drove to the outskirts of the city, a most beautiful sight greeted us - the dull grey had transformed into a most soothing shade of white. Bare tree branches were adorned with a velvety white powder and people walking their pets stood to take pictures of the serene landscape. My first thoughts were - 'Narnia!' Remember the snowy winter wonderland where possibilities are endless and success a matter of seeking the courage within to overcome all obstacles? Beautiful world of childhood literature, brought alive one random morning on a drive I hadn't expected much from.

What a lovely greeting on what could have been just another cold winter's day.

Cornered

A and I have been organising the house in preparation for the baby. And we are a bit overwhelmed with the amount of work that it requires. The task is rendered a shade more challenging by the sheer lack of space. And necessity being the mother of invention, we have had to improvise, and look at space innovatively.

As part of this grand design project (which in reality is anything but grand and design only in our un-artistic heads), corners have suddenly become very significant. They seem to have a life of their own and provide a canvas truly exceptional in that while spatially definitely limited, if used well, they can add value and character without making a small space look smaller

After many many negotiations, arguments, back and forths on how we wanted to see it evolve, this is how one corner cornered us into turning it into a drinks area.

A sober corner unit by the day that transforms itself into...

...a wild party animal hosting exciting boozy adventures in it's belly!

No that is definitely not the route we were thinking we might go down when we started preparing the house for the baby... but I tell you, these corners have a way of cornering you into submission...

Giggly, tickly, happy new year!

The new year is here

and I must confess,

I haven't prepared

for it's focused hastiness...

32 weeks of little life

safely moves inside of me,

Fear, anxiety and delirious excitement

make me blush bright pinky!

Opposites are the flavours of the season...

hot and cold, sweet and sour,

I have taken leave of sense and reason,

so close, ah! but still so far!

Sitting, sleeping, eating, drinking,

All I think of is you,

you jumpy little thing who

loves to play knock-knock with a kick or two!

Is that a foot?

Is that a knee?

Surely that's the head, can't you see!

Unseen, unheard, unknown as yet

we'll fall in love for sure, wanna bet?