Ghajini and Memento

Today is the release of the much anticipated Hindi film Ghajini… Ever since I landed in India, I have been listening and watching so much about this film promos.…All about the talented actor , his hard work to get the desired look, the songs, the competition among Bollywood actors and what not… So I, just like millions others, am very curious to see what the film is all about.

Interestingly, not much has been talked about the story…. After all, most Hindi movies treat stories so secondary…like a side act… Its more of the same melodrama pattern. Most of the movies, with some notable exceptions, are all about the actors, the gossips and the music. But I thought this movie was little different.. After all it is from the India’s Oscar nominated actor… I expected maybe another original masterpieces like Lagan or Rang de Basanti . Maybe this movie also will be something memorable.

But, after initial review, it looks like Ghajini is a blatant remake of the film Memento. There is nothing wrong in basing the story on the other films. But this is more than that. I don’t see any mention of this fact anywhere either… That’s interesting since the entire entertainment industry is fighting against the piracy and rightfully so. Irony is when the whos who of the filmmakers do the same thing without acknowledging the original work. I just read the interview of the lead actor suggesting that Ghajini is not a remake of Memento and it made me laugh. It is and we know it.. Sorry your lies have been caught.

Let the Big 3 go…..

The latest of the economic turmoil has been rolling with no end in sight. The whole American auto industry is trying to take the entire economy hostage. The plea to save the Big 3 US auto makers is going against all odds of the capitalism. Its shame things have come down this low. We already heard the argument that if the finance sector is not saved, the entire economy will come spirally down… To certain extent that scenario made sense. The finance sector is integral part of the interdependent global economies. The enormous scale of the problem made it necessary without a choice to bail them out.

The argument to save the inefficient American automakers is however, downright ridiculous. It will be worth seeing just exactly how much damage it will really cause… The short term impact on Detroit and auto dependent cities is imminent. But the way these auto makers are holding us accountable for their inefficiencies is indeed disturbing. At this rate, any American business that can not compete globally can plead for federal bailout. This type of protectionism got to stop.

The fact is that GM, Ford and Chrysler can not compete in the marketplace. There is no other way around it. Just because they are American icons, consumers can’t keep buying defective cars in a competitive market place where several choices are easily available. I am of the opinion to let them go… There is nothing patriotic about saving uncompetitive, inefficient business practice. If these auto makers can’t compete with their global counterparts, they should be fold. Big 3 are have been plagued with problems for decades. Their products are outdated, their technologies are far from state of the art, the efficiencies of the operations are nowhere to be seen. The unions and workers have hard pill to swallow and realize that unless they improve there is no job guarantee.

I still believe that bailing these 3 is a mistake. Its sending wrong signal that patriotisms can hide inefficiencies and incompetence. In this world, we all strive to be perfect to attain our goals and dreams. Same should be true for the business, regardless of the national identity. Let the market decide who wins and loose. Let the big 3 go, if they can’t compete.

My trip back home........

I must admit we weren’t prepared for this much of an adventure, when we were planning for our journey to Mumbai... Flying for 24 hours across the continent is boring enough. Add two super active toddlers to that equation and you will understand how dreadful I was planning for it. Of course, rewards were incredible…getting to see my parents and my sisters and my family… Nothing beats that … So we were prepared for the long ride of over 30+ hours from start to finish.

The start was nothing unusual… usual procedural security stuff. Getting admired for being prepared and handling of cute babies was pleasing…. The layover was again usual security stuff …procedural. No complains in wake of all the terrorism, threats etc… Finally we reach our destination. Get through the maze of airport , collect our belongings and hurray… we were out !! We made it. Now just few more hours and we will be back home…. Can’t wait……

As we were approaching the entrance, I call my sister and I hear her concerned voice. What’s wrong I ask her…. And news was shocking. Mumbai was just attacked by the terrorist a couple hours ago and situation was very tense, very confusing and very scary… The attacks were still going on …We had to make it all the way out of the city by car . We were already so tired and exhausted by the flight.. sleepless for over 30 hours and now the unknown more hours to get home… We weren’t really prepared for that. Is anyone really?

But somehow it worked. Our driver managed to get us out in one piece without missing a beat. Driving through several areas where bombs had just exploded couple hours before was so surreal and ire. Going through several of those specially armed security check points at that wee hour of night was unnerving… But all those cops were so polite and respectful.. We made it home safely.. To see my parents and sisters was priceless. After all, that’s what life is all about ………

Terrorisms in all forms should be condemned. Especially the one , where innocents are killed for the sake of killing. There are several other peaceful ways to get your message across and killing innocent people is the most coward way…..Its shameful and inhumane.…

After realizing all that just happened, and the fact that we were so close to it and yet managed to get out of it so swiftly, I have not enough words to thank all those who protect us. Things could be better, sure ..but all those folks in uniform.. I have more respect for you than ever!!

Less is Better

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/johann-hari/are-there-just-too-many-p_b_144065.html Recently, I came across this article and liked the way its written. The over population is causing astounding problems across the globe. The article made me thinking more because of my upcoming India trip. In India, the moment you enter the airport , the situation of human excess comes at your face and you can't escape it until you leave. No matter how far India progresses with technological advances, the ever increasing human population is going to be a burden. Sadly the value of human life is diminishing faster than ever. And its alarming and disturbing. Here in US, the excess human population is not as visible since the resident population vs available resources are not as disproportionate. The overflowing influx of the immigrants probably will change that soon. But for now, people are not as much hurting for quality of life due to over population. Human life is precious and must be cherished. But the new trend of 5+ children in well-to-do families is disturbing. Celebrities are trying to make it fashionable to have more kids. I think its a very dangerous proposition. Just because you can afford to have and take care of more kids, one shouldn't keep breeding. The long term repercussions of this are just as bad as poor people trying to have kids for more helping hands. Sadly, neither is right. I, just like most human beings, will never think the world would be better off without us. Nobody wants to think they are the surplus human being who should not have been born. The ever increasing life expectancy is adding on to the cause but that's not as critical as new births. I tend to favor the argument of controlling the birthrates to curb the population explosion. And the truth is the over population is asymmetrical across the planet. Poor countries are more populace than rich countries. China used its government and socialism to curb the birth rates. It is debatable the way they tried it. I am sure there are better democratic ways to get there. But China results are attainable and their progress towards prosperity is real. I would certainly not like governments and lawmakers deciding how many children one should have. Being a feminist, I am fully supportive of woman's right to choose. Every woman should be educated enough and free enough to think it through. Pity on those celebrities and politicians parading their herd of children. Nothing impressive there... Sorry, world is better off by ' less than more' !

Predicting Dow Jones year end finish

This is the routine exercise I do with my investment buddies. Predicting the finish for the Dow Jones Industrial average for the year end. Purely speculative projections..In other words, just a way to figure out who has the best chance to win the lottery... After all, stock market has become more of a gamble than anything else we learnt in school. Beginning of the year, all of us were riding on the wave that the Dow was sure to cross 13000 and more by year end... Funny it seems like a distant memory in today's dire scenario. So all the big bulls have been tamed and with the new reality, we decided to play the game all over again and revise the numbers. ( This is not cheating, trust me) Utterly optimist ( that's me) is projecting it finishing at around 10000. My best buddy the Realist has it at 8000. The F&O Queen (proven bear who is making short term gains on falling market even while the real portfolio is tanking) has it at 7500. The Guru has it at 7000 ... The rest of the group is scattered in the middle .. The +/- 50 points will be considered winner... So with 59 days left for the year end the game is on. Join us if you like. Just for fun... I know I am a long shot considering the current downward trend... Lets see .... PS. The winner will get to pick the next big lottery numbers ;)

Big Win !

As much as I was tired of it towards the end, I must say, it was an overwhelming political drama last few months. Being the political junkie, I was glued to the TV on the election night. Not too much anxiety over the results but just the ambivalent perspective towards the next president. It does feel right that Mr. Obama pulled it through convincingly.. In the end, it was the perfect storm of economic turmoil that helped him sail through the victory. In my day to day life, I don't think it makes any difference whoever won. But this time the excitement was around the way the status- quo was challenged. ... It was very impressive to see the rise of an articulate, ambitious and charismatic Obama inspiring millions with his message of hope and change. It is inspiring to see that the change can happen in the kaleidoscopic demographics of America. Anything is possible in democracies. Now having seen two of world's largest democracies at work, I must admit, it was quite a spectacle USA put on ! Hats off Obama ! Hats off USA !!

Celebrating Womanhood during Diwali

When I am explaining my non-Indian friends what's Diwali, there is something that makes me subtly proud. Being a woman, the last two days of Diwali celebration are very special to me. The days of Padva and Bhaubeej. The days to celebrate the essence of being a woman-honoring the contributions of a wife and a sister. When I tell my non-Indian friends about it, they are jealous that they don't have anything special for a wife and or a sister ( Valentine day doesn't count, its for lovers) I am happy to see that centuries ago, despite being predominantly male dominated, my culture decided to acknowledge the contributions of the women. The joy isn't about getting gifts or stuff like that. Gifts are very secondary. Besides, now a days, there isn't much left in gift giving and receiving..everyone has everything..plus a good percentage of these wives and sisters now are capable of earning and can buy whatever they wish.. That's not the whole point. Getting acknowledged is.... I understand, that it still tilts little male oriented , in the sense that you still have to have a husband and a brother for these days but still centuries ago, when they decided to have these special days as part of our festival of light, they covered a large chunk of the women population. And I am thankful we at-least got that. I am a feminist but not the fighter type. I have come to realize that you can gain substantially by negotiating and compromising than fighting. More of the democratic way than the autocratic. I grew up in the house where being a daughter was nothing less important than being a son. And growing up with two smart sisters was icing on the cake. In a way, I never had to fight the gender bias . There was no inherent inequality either. I am proud to be a daughter, sister, wife and now a mother but more importantly I absolutely love being a woman. That's why these two women centric holidays make my Diwali very special... Let's celebrate .. Cheers to Womanhood!