Tears- My first try at poetry

So, first shot at poetry people, please be gentle.

Title- Tears

Falling down the cheeks
Eyes shut
Can't see a thing
Beauties of the world fuzzing out
Will I ever see the colours as they are?
Or will they always be grey from now on?

The reason of my demise is simple really
I could not see the reality clearly
The world seems bland now
It is not about one thing now

But maybe, it's a good thing
With my tears, my sorrow drip out
Maybe it'll wash off and never return
Maybe I'll find solace after this sorrow
Maybe, just maybe it'll be okay

Sweeny Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Normally, in titles like these you should let the title do the talking. For the musical drama fanatics who can bear with the "monotonous" dialogues of a motion picture, this should be the movie my friends. Originally written by Stephen Sondheim as a musical drama and recreated by Tim Burton as a movie for the big screen.

Judge Turpin, who lusts the incredibly beautiful wife of a barber named Benjamin Barker devises a way to have her for himself by convicting Benjamin and sending him in an exile over a crime he did not commit. Eventually, as expected even though not desired, Judge Turpin takes in the wife with her child and convinces them to live with him or live in the streets. Naturally, it was a hard bet. At this point, The Judge is the only one who would think his "happily ever after" has been fulfilled.

After roughly fifteen years of disappearance, Benjamin Barker comes back as Sweeney Todd, and it does not take much time to be "the demon barber" of the street. He even meets a beautiful lady who cooks literally "The worst pies in London". She is very hospitable and offers him her precious pies and a cool drink while being completely oblivious to the man's real identity. After acquainting the man a little more through her "insect killing" pies our Demon Barber finally reveals his true goal to her, partly in desperation and partly in trust. She then in return leads him to his nostalgic old barber shop, in which there are the special marked razors of our beloved barber, the ones he famously used as Benjamin Barker. Now the familiar touch of the handle and the blade had made him remember his painful memories of his exile, which only amplifies the fire to achieve his ultimate goal- To finish of Judge Turpin once and for all.

After getting his fire stoked a little more, getting a beautiful lady and getting back his razors he goes on a journey to get his daughter back. But he should hurry and eliminate the Judge as he has decided to marry his daughter too! So, will Sweeny Todd get a highly known and protected judge? Will he be able to get his daughter away from his lustful clutches? How is he planning to become the Demon Barber after all? Will he be able to achieve anything at all with pies and razors? The screen will tell how will go into an exile this time, this time forever, to the other side.  



     

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - A relationship Unfathomable

The relationship between a father and his son is a special one. Every father is the kind of friend who will protect you no matter how much your life is messed up. He will help you, pick you up and guide you through the never ending void every son falls into. No matter what, a father will be there for his son, even after his death. A son on the other hand will always say "I hate my father!" to the world, but will cherish the memories they had together. When a son is afraid of the dark, the father will come with a flash light to guide him. If the son is afraid of heights, he will climb the mountains to show him there's nothing to be afraid of. A father and son relationship is the most unfathomable ever.

Oskar, a nine year old kid lost his father in the tragedy of  9/11, his father was one of the victims of the twin towers tragedy. The extremely loud bang took out his incredibly close father. Oskar was already the kind of child who would rather stay at home and reflect upon life rather than do skateboarding outside (He was a smart kid I tell you). When the catastrophe happened, he was in school completely oblivious that his own world is going to be turned upside down. They were left early from school and he reached home finding six messages on the answering machine, all from his father. Moving on, he completely cut himself off from the world. The only ones left with him were his grandmother and mother, but he didn't make any effort to confide in them much. He regularly went in his secret closet in which he kept on listening to the messages his father left and drown in his own guilt of being too scared.

One day, as he is as he was listening to the recordings on loop, he decides to go in his father's cupboard. Everything there was untouched, neither by him or his mother after the accident, since it harboured too many painful memories. He was trying to get a box from the top shelf and accidentally he breaks a vase. Inside, he finds a key in a small envelop with the name "Black" written on it. He creates a plan to find and meet all the people with names as written in the envelop in the entire State.  Convinced that his father left him a message, he goes in an ambitious journey to find the lock the key fits, so that he can unlock the last message ever of his dead father. In this journey, he revisits his worst fears conceived after the tragedy and learns to overcome them, for his father. He meets new people, hears their awe inspiring, shocking, heart warming stories and discovers that everyone he met had lost something, and not only to the 9/11 tragedy, but to life.

So, will Oskar find the lock to the key? What exactly is the message left by his father? Or even if there is a message? Is the key really meant for Oskar in the first place? Most importantly, will Oskar give up? This movie has uniquely blended a horrific incident with the beautiful relationship of a father and son. This tale tells you about a strong bond between two human beings  related by blood, how it is never broken but one will go to great lengths just to get to relive it again. This movie tells you that no matter how many tall buildings have fallen over, you should never give up because there is always a key to unlock and wash away the sadness inside of you. A movie must watch from me.

1965 Indo-Pak War Exhibition - An account of tragedies and winnings

"War is not meaningless, it is just unnecessary"

War has been going on since the dawn of time. Wether it is humans fighting each other for their survival or the universe battling itself for its own existence, war has been going on and it will go on. To go on a much lesser level than the Cosmos, one of the one of the many wars fought by the Republic of India after its independence was the 1965 India-Pakistan War over the State of Kashmir.

It is believed that is this tragedy's wheels were set in motion during the time of April when Pakistani troops decided to infiltrate Kashmir and launch a full scale insurgency battle so that the state of Kashmir is torn apart from India. India retaliated with full force to this by sending its forces to Kashmir to send off the Pakistani insurgency troops. It was soon converted into a full scale war which reported thousands of deaths and the biggest tank battle since World War 2! One can only imagine the sheer number of the pile of tanks, money, and human lives lost in this tragedy.

September 2015 marks the Golden Jubilee of this war and an Exhibition "Shauryanjali" was set up on India Gate to honour the of the might of the armed forces, and many valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives to save their mother land. This Exhibition is one account of the tragedies and winnings of a country and from personal experience I believe that they did a great job of communicating with the masses. There was a wide array of the Tanks, and Air Crafts on display which were used in the war. People were mesmerized by the collection and the sheer aura of all the heavy guns and artillery. All Of three armed forces had their fair share of time for showing their own cards up their sleeves but there were mainly two events which were an absolute hit. First, they had set up a stage for a wide range of performances to be shown. There were many more performances by Army, Air Force and even school children. Secondly, the Indian Army had recreated an indoor battlefield just beside the exhibition which became an instant hit and everyone was more than excited to see the realistic set up.

All in all, it was a great experience for me and surely for anyone who ever visited it. This Exhibition has been enlightening, fruitful and very much fun. Even though it was supposed to be for five days but because of the large public response, it was extended two more days. So a request to all the Delhiiets, today is the last day and hence the last chance for you all to see the glimpse of our valiant soldiers who were martyrs in one of the biggest war of India. Please do attend it, the entry is free, yet the experience is priceless. 

















Author's Note : I do not take credit for these pictures, The Armed Forces, and the original photographers of these photos do. But I do take credit for the quote above.

Secret Life Of Walter Mitty - The Quintessence of Life

Have you ever thought of travelling the world? Of finding yourself? Have you ever travelled and felt the breeze of the earth calling to you, and take you away to wonderland? Ever thought of travelling to see the majestic, magical, intriguing wonders of Life? To enjoy the dust flying around, to see a flower blossom. To travel, not for a bunch of photos for social media or to show off in front of your friends, but to travel because sometimes getting lost on the roads let's you find a way to your soul.

Walter Mitty is an average, 9 to 5 office worker with a monotonous daily schedule with little time for himself. He manages the negatives for the magazine called LIFE. Ironically, he has no life. He is the kind of guy who cannot even fill the "Been There, Done That" section of a dating profile. He goes to office everyday, processes negatives and that's it. The only escape from reality is his imagination about what he would do if a catastrophe strikes, if he had the guts that is. Unfortunately, as it only happens in his head, he is the only one amazed by it. He imagines everything from saving a dog from a burning building to flirting with his crush after scaling The Himalayas. One day, as he is going to LIFE he finds a surprise waiting for him there. The magazine is going online and they need to cut down on the employees. Everyone knows that because of digitalization no one requires processing negatives anymore, putting his job in jeopardy.

Even after the shocking news he goes to the basement where all the negatives are processed and gets to work. That's the day his life became a negative to a colourful photograph. He receives the last reel of negatives from one of the most renowned photographers for LIFE, Sean O'Connell. He sends some beautiful pictures and a wallet for Walter because it's his birthday. Among the reels is photograph no. 25, apparently the most life defining picture Sean has ever taken. The board receives a telegram, and the contents of it say that photograph no. 25 is "The Quintessence of Life" and should be put on as the cover photo of the last issue. Everyone is asking about 25 but as it turns out, it is not with the other reels of negatives. Which spells big trouble for the magazine, especially Walter.

In an attempt to get the most important photo for the magazine he embarks on a journey to find the rarely seen Sean O'Connell in the hope he still has the photo with him. He processes the remaining photos to find some clues and unfortunately most of them does not make any sense to him. But he gets one picture, the name of the ship which Sean travelled in, a ship of Greenland. During the journey, a lot of unexpected happens. From a nine to five worker he becomes an adventurer. His imagination and reality merge into one and he finally does the things he was visualizing about. He finds what he is capable of, and finds his life during the journey.

So, will he meet Sean O'Connell? Even if he meets him, does Sean still has "The Quintessence Of Life"? What are the hardships Walter faces on the way? What all is he willing to do, for one tiny little negative? Will he ever get to see the most lively photo clicked by the amazing photographers? Everything will be answered if the movie is given the time to be watched and understood carefully.

Dil Dhadkne Do - my first take on a Bollywood film

Have you ever been forced to take a decision due to the pressure of your parents? Take up the subjects they want you to? Or worse,  join the family business you certainly don't have the skills to handle? Have you ever let go of the love of your life only to have him waltz in again and make you question your feelings for him?

Kamal Mehra is a self made businessman who built up a company with years of hard work. Which is now known as AYKA. But it has gone bankrupt now. To save the company they have to minimise their assets such as their own planes. Sadly for the son of the family, Kabir owns one of the planes and he is reluctant to let it go. To save the day for our dejected son, Neelam Mehra, the mother has stepped in. With the will to antagonize her husband, she sells her shares of the company to buy a plane for her son. On the other hand, Ayesha Mehra is a daughter of the family and also a self reliant woman with lots of ambition. She has created an online travel portal named ''Musafir.com''. Even though her company is doing great she still hasn't got the approval of her father every girl yearns for. Instead her father is trying to force Kabir into the family business. He has no management skills for the company unlike Ayesha. He has a passion for flying planes but is being handed over a multi-million dollar enterprise he has no idea how to handle.

The Mehra's decide to go on a cruise as a wedding anniversary celebration of Kamal and Neelam Mehra. Kamal has invited many potential investor geese in the hope of getting golden eggs out of them for his company, making it a somewhat cleverly camouflaged business trip. Even though Kamal is desperate for funding he does not want the money to exit the family circle. So he devises a plan keep it in.

During all those supposed partying on the cruise, Kabir is having his own type of fun. He encounters a girl named Farah when she was performing on the stage and he somewhat knows that she is the one. He manages to fix a date with her and as they get to know each other, they know that they are in love. They are having a great time getting to know each other

Let's get back to, Ayesha. She is married to a narcissistic and dominating guy who is innocently names Manav. He is the kind of guy who thinks the girls should stay home and cook and should not work.  Even after the obstacle of marriage Ayesha does not let it tamper with her independence and stands tall with the support of her brother. But the worst is yet to come. Ayesha is not invited on the cruise as their daughter but rather as the wife, which basically means she is not their daughter anymore. On the cruise, she finds out that her boyfriend Sunny has come back from USA. They had a history together before Ayesha's (supporting) father decides to send him abroad for better studies. Now he's back and she still does not know if she's over him or not!

There are other love birds flying around the salty sea too but should only be revealed if you watch the whole movie. Finally, this whole movie is narrated by a dog. Don't let it discourage you since he's a wise dog, and is present to witness every important moment of the film. The dog's name is Pluto Mehra. You surely will love him as he is the most sane being in the family. Now for the real questions. Will Ayesha get back with her boyfriend? Do Kabir and Farah have a future together? Will Kamal Mehra succeed in his quest to save the company? How does the dog know everything? Who knows? Certainly not you, because you've not seen the movie.

 

The book Thief - A Death Defining Book

Everyone is familiar with death, but no one welcomes it. For some reason, we all dread the phenomenon of rotting away and forgotten by people of our own, even though rotting away helps in the betterment of our environment. Even if some people do not dread it, they don't particularly welcome it either. Even after being the most common and inevitable phenomenon ever in the human history, we as humans have always tried to avoid it. But for one particular girl, death has avoided her. As narrated by death itself, you'll know how he revolves around the girl.

Leisel Meminger is a Jew. May not be surprising now, but in the reign of Hitler it was a crime unless you looked like a true Aryan, blonde with blue eyes. Which just proves how lucky she was. Very lucky. It was as if she was born to evade death.

Leisel Meminger's mother had an arrangement for Leisel and her brother to live a life, not guaranteed if happy or not. She was being given to the Hubermann's, foster parents living on Himmel Street, Molching. As she is going in a train to Molching, still adjusting to fact that she would be separated from her mother. Travelling nonetheless, it was as if she had a visit from a friend, but it did not come to take her. Her brother had died while sleeping on the train, beside her. It was as if she could feel Death scoop her brother and take him away, her first interaction with her new friend. The train stops at Munich for track repairs and the family with two guards come down to discuss what to do with Werner. They go to the Gravediggers to give him a proper burial. It was snowing heavily and the ground was frozen but the Gravedigger and the apprentice manage to dig the ground up. While that was happening, her eyes fell on the book which the apprentice had put down, The Gravedigger's Handbook. She was unnaturally attracted towards, even though she didn't know how to read or write. She picked up the book anyway, and that's how our Book Thief's journey started, books changing her life forever.

When Leisel saw the Hubermann's receiving her at her house, she had no idea that her life would change more drastically in a few years than she ever could imagine. Hans Hubermann was the friendly father, he was the one who read to her most of the nights, helped her wash the bed sheets whenever she had nightmares. He was so amazing that he even helped her complete her ambition, to read and write herself. He became the father Leisel sorely wanted. Rosa on the other hand, became a disciplinarian, always trying to discipline her and bend to her ways. No one actually knows her true colours until she just has to rip apart the cold hard wall she had enclosed her heart in.

Through the course of acquainting and adjusting to her life she got two friends. Max, a Jew on the run and Rudy, the best friend. Both the friendships were poles apart from each other but they both were very special to her. To put in context, if she stole fruits and books with Rudy all those activities rushing with adrenaline, she sat there calmly with Max in the basement of her house, in a serene manner, watching him read and write. Max was always like a brother to her, she obviously dreaded that her family is hiding a Jew in their basement, but she loved his company. Rudy was, the best friend. Nothing more, she spent most her time with him. They were out there, stealing food with their gang. Their personal thing they developed was stealing books from the house of the mayor of Munich, just living across Himmel Street. That automatically became their own thing, only shared between them two.

Just with the exception of the occasional bomb blast which required the neighbors to go into an approved bunker safe for shelter, all was well. But suddenly, a gust of wind blew and crashed her castle of life. The wind was blown by death. This time, death was much more cruel, he turned her back on her.

So here is Leisel Meminger, the one who continued to amuse death and steal books. A Jew in Nazi Germany, her tale of survival. Evading the most dreaded phenomenon in all of human history every single time. Now, you just have to pick up the book and explore the rest of her.

This, is just a summary of a great and revolutionalising book, it only highlights the major events of the book. So people, I hope I put up a decent review after such a long time.