Spell Check

  We all take some long rides to and from work, and if you are not driving, there are various ways to while away time. Listening to FM radio and surfing the internet are what most people do. But I have lost interest in FM once I moved to Pune as I do not like the RJ’s, the ones in Delhi had a much better sense of humour. Anyone who has heard Anant and Saurabh (Mausam-Mausi fame) will agree. Being primitive in some respects, I do not have Whatsapp and prefer to use my phone mostly for short chats with folks and close friends, so out goes the second option. Albeit I am not asleep, the rational conclusion is that I simply daydream on my journeys.

  Not entirely true. I have embarked on an interesting pastime, reading banners and signs above shops, and messages behind trucks or other commercial vehicles, restaurant menus, anything where the much revered English language is morphed to some alien tongue. Some are witty, some downright foolish and some are outrageously new additions to the dictionary. The best sign I have read behind a truck remains “Pi  le Rani, Iraq ka Paani “, spotted during a journey from Haridwar to Rishikesh on a cold December morning back in 2006.

   What is most interesting is the kind of spelling mistakes you come across on billboards and signs, and this is true in most parts of the country which rely more on local dialect than the Queen’s language. But what humor they induce into a dull day!! There was a time when my husband and I worked in the same organization in Noida, and took the same bus to commute to and from office. This was our stress buster during those journeys. Although the little ones have skipped my aging mind, the one epic mistake which still launches us into hysteric laughter, was on the signboard of an alcohol shop. They were selling “Child Beer” instead of the chilled variety, which most people would prefer. I wonder if paranoid parents launched an attack on the shop owners to save their children from seeing this advertising menace.

    Shop signs are very businesslike in other countries, and I bet there must be very few places in the world besides India where such variety in color, content and humor can be spotted. Imagine the dread when you find out you’ve been setting aside crores to invest in a “Raw House”. Whether these blunders are intentional or just mere oversight, remains a mystery. I cannot imagine how anyone would put up with a wrong spelling on their establishment’s signboard. It is sacrosanct. No doubt it provides some very good publicity to people like me, who hardly forget a shop where I spot something hilarious, like my next door property agents claiming to “Bye, Sell, Rent”. Got the joke, right?

Every few days a new eatery springs up in the neighborhood, and their menus get dropped at our doorstep. Take a minute to browse through them, and before you know, you are rolling on the floor, laughing. “Human” Style sauce might send shivers down the spine of anyone expecting Hunan sauce with their noodles, and poor “Mutton T Ghosh” might annoy the palate of hungry diners who ordered Mutton Rogan Josh.

Great artists are born of humble beginnings, like M F Hussain, who painted film posters before he became this art maestro we all know him as. Whether or not our signboard painters will have the same fortune is hard to tell. Indulge in this quirky game while you can, for soon you may be driving, and traffic may be the only thing you can watch out for.

Do we really need soaps?

       During my visits to my parents and in-laws in the past 2 years, I happened to notice that when tea was served in the evening, instead of the banter and conversation that we usually had earlier, now there was complete silence, broken only by the sound of sipping tea, or munching a biscuit. Crinkled eyes stared intently at the TV screen, emotions ran high and you could sense the tension in the atmosphere. Thanks to the great Indian dramas played out on the small screen, the daily soaps.

      As with all social media revolution, the home TV viewing scene also had its Big Bang in the past three decades, almost equivalent to the time we have been on the planet. So we, as a generation, have been fortunate(or otherwise) to be a part of this metamorphosis.What we knew as TV consisted of a single channel,and news was the dominant air-time owner.Most households did not have a TV set of their own, so often it meant a visit to the neighbors, where fathers would discuss politics, and mothers would talk about which news reader looked the most glamorous. Weekends would bring a few mythological serials, and children were supposed to learn about epics from those. We would watch with gaping mouths as Vikram chased Betaal,or the gods fought it out with their much specialized  arrows clashing in mid air, and the music reached its crescendo.Ramayan and Mahabharat became the cult TV serials, and such was their impact that people made obeisance to Nitish Bharadwaj when he appeared on the screen as Krishna.Humlog, Buniyaad,Yeh Jo hai Zindagi were the other serials depicting the common man's life, laughs and relationships.

      Come 90's and word spread that a new national channel was soon going to be provided. Soon, DD Metro hit the small screens and blew us away with new shows and a dash of glamour. Cable TV had bombarded  the Indian household, and everyone in the family had more shows to choose from. Children could watch cartoons and not the news, ladies had a new serial dished out every second day, teenagers had their music channels and for the news lovers, well, more news! Sindbad,  Potli Baba Ki, Chandrakanta, Shaktimaan, Duck Tales, TailSpin- we as children were spoilt for choice. National Geographic and other channels satisfied the curious and answered several questions not even thought of earlier. Even a single room house had a TV set, and real and reel lives became more and more intertwined, till people began to dress, talk and behave like the people on screen. Advertising caught up big time, we hummed the jingles and wanted the things we saw;popular serials gave their names to clothes and jewellery, like Shanti's bindis, even boosting consumerism. Shocking revelations came to the fore, when we encountered illicit relationships for the first time.Violence was a part of some shows, we accepted them knowing real life is subject to such desecrations, it is not a perfect world.

      Regional channels were to follow, and they created their own version of the 'daily soap', now that it had come to be known by that name. A basic article of day-to-day use, which we couldn't do without. In an era of globalization. they came as a boon to the masses who were not well versed with Hindi, and grew exponentially of offer viewers a plethora of choices.Music shows, cartoons, all now had their regional versions, enabling people to appreciate the rich heritage and culture of the particular region.

      Amongst all this positivity, there had to be some devils lurking in the background. Although soaps brought us face to face with the harsh realities of social life, like jealousy, hopelessness and superstition, they took to the beaten track quite too often. Volume was immense, but there was not enough material to substantiate it. A serial would start off with a good storyline, which would be exhausted after a hundred episodes or so, but just to keep the TRP's high, some mediocre and repetitive twist would be introduced. Dead characters resurfaced, one wedding in the serial and it turned into a raucous 'Saas-bahu' saga, which off-course, had no end. And day by day the soaps went far from reality. People in them were never caught without gaudy make-up and false eyelashes, even at unearthly hours, no daughter in law was spotted going to office. Music channels offered more than music, and youngsters adept at uttering profanities found lucrative careers. Obviously, the creators of the shows would argue that these shows have a huge fan-base, and they make only what people demand to see.

     Coming back to the parents, TV is their only solace as children leave home to study or work. They watch serials all evening and spend the rest of the time discussing them. Some may be spiritually inclined and keep to the religious stuff, but even those do not spare promoting superstition and bashing all things global and 'western'. The content of most soaps are conflicts within families, that is what bothers me the most. While every relationship has its ups and downs, I don't think so much of plotting and planning goes on within a  normal household. It is true that reel and real life influence each other, and here our judgement and discretion  is being put to the test. So it is time to return the favour - when we were rebuked for watching too much TV as kids, I think an attempt can be made to encourage the folks to take a walk in the park.

Pune diaries - A road less potholed

   Life is not one smooth journey, there's no denying that, but need the roads echo that sentiment too? After spending 2 months here, I can claim that Pune is a wonderful city - with pleasant weather, lot of greenery, cosmopolitan crowds, good cuisine, and a rapid rate of urbanization, thanks to the arrival of the corporate giants.But the travel woes here are another story.
    All the gainfully employed people travelling to the IT hub of the city, Hinjewadi, have also gained a backache for free. Whatever mode of transport you choose, public tempos and buses, or two-wheelers and cars, the lunar landscape of the roads leading there seem to spare no one. Having arrived here during the monsoons, it was pitiful to see the conditions of the roads. It seemed as though the employees were returning from some paddy planting in the fields rather than an air-conditioned office, thanks to the dirt and slush on their clothes and shoes.Few of my friends were even discussing the number of times they had been splashed on by muddy water due to a passing car. I gathered that dry-cleaners must surely be having a jolly good business season.
     A petition to the mayor was doing the rounds, and as a responsible citizen witness to the plight of my husband and friends facing the potholed menace day in and day out, I signed it. It had come down to the corporates having offices in this area thinking about pooling in their own resources to construct the road. But that would only be a one-time activity. The civic authorities had to step in for the maintenance. And it is ironical, that the region which is generating the most revenue for the authorities remains neglected.At this time it was also brought to my notice that some areas on the outskirts of Pune city, Hinjewadi being one of them, were not under the jurisdiction of the city municipality but were taken care of by local gram panchayats, indirectly the cause of sparse funding and failed infrastructure.
     With the monsoons abating, we hoped things would look up and repair work would start.Wishful thinking!
Hinjewadi roads remain dried up craters, while those in some other adjoining areas have just been filled over with grit and stones, a new nuisance for pedestrians. Well, just a matter of time and these will be dispersed exposing the pockmarked surfaces again. It is high time that our petition reached the mayor!

Of Roommates and Conundrum

     They can be fat, slim, tall, short, dirty, sneaky, cheesy, serious, sober, geeky….I am falling short of adjectives here. People who have ever shared a room with a stranger know that you can never know-it-all, when it comes to roommates. I have a Seinfeld fixture, so cannot help quoting from it: 

“Jerry: They didn't have roommates in the middle ages.
George: How do you know?
Jerry: Well, for one thing, they didn't have apartments” 

Apartment or hostel, those of you who think that they are lucky they never had any roommates, let me tell you, you have missed out on one of life’s greatest adventures. It can be a joyride and a nightmare, all at once. It can churn out the best of friends and the worst of foes.

    Miss A and Miss X are allocated the same room in a hostel. Miss A believes they would keep their room spic and span, be entertaining guests, and be good friends. Miss X, on the other hand, has different plans. She wants to top her class, so she intends to keep the room messy and totally free of visitors. She devices a unique method to achieve this. She keeps her clothes and books on the table while she sleeps, and dumps them on the bed when she studies at her table. She throws chocolate and biscuit wrappers on the floor. Miss A is a cleanliness freak, so she’s miffed. She tries explaining to Miss X how her approach is wrong and how she ought to lead a good lifestyle. Needless to say, good advice is rather frowned upon, and Miss X lends a deaf ear to it. Miss A cleans up the room during the vacations, and shoots another e-mail ‘advisory’ to Miss X, warning her to mend her ways. She does pay heed this time, and marches away to another room, much to the delight of Miss S1, who is one of Miss A’s closest friends, also fed up of her messy roommate and looking to move in with Miss A.

     Miss A and Miss S1 move in together, and they live happily ever after. The happy stories aren’t that interesting, so I shall skip them for the moment.

       Habits are such strange things, they make or break a relationship, especially that with a roommate. Two people may be best of friends, but not necessarily good roommates. One may be an early riser while the other may like to stay up late, one may be very hygienic while the other may revel in messy surroundings. One may be loud and boisterous, the other introvert and shy. What comes out from all these combinations is rather spectacular. Generally, roommates have a lot of influence over each other, and may completely change each other’s personalities, for better or worse, as the case may be. A cheesy roommate may giggle and hug you for every thing you say, and you may start to do the same, even without realizing how ridiculous you both look to others.

     Gender bender – I have actually found more girls complaining about roommates than boys. Maybe it means boys are more tolerant, or indifferent. I do not wish to be a judge of that. Females, on the other hand, scrutinize every action of another of their kind. If a girl gets 20 calls in a day, she is either a cry baby talking to her mommy about every meal, every class - in short, every sob and sniffle, or a bimbo trying to attract attention.

      As the saying goes – “You can choose your friends, but not your family”..in most cases not your roommate either. You were destined to be together. Recall Miss A, who I told you about earlier. She passes out of college, works at a particular location, gets an awesome roommate (Miss S2) there. Happy story, so let’s move on.   

    She moves to a new city and is on the lookout for a place to stay. This time she decides to try an apartment instead of living as a paying guest. This would entail more freedom, she presumes. She rents an apartment along with four other girls. They are very friendly and make her feel at home almost immediately. She unpacks and settles down to sleep. Suddenly, there are noises, someone is crying; the pitch increases and so does the swearing. Moments later Miss A sees a light in the kitchen. One of the girls is burning something .She is terrified at the thought of a fire breaking out, or the gas cylinder exploding on her very first night in that house. She says a silent prayer and goes to sleep.

   It is a weekend, and people are relaxing. Conversation flows, and Miss A’s new roommate Miss Y, is too impressed with her. She starts discussing how many prospects she has met, each one’s salary, qualifications, and even goes through each one’s Facebook page. First Miss A is all smiles, but after the third groom, things start looking alarming. So she excuses herself to take a nap. Later in the day, she sees her roommate applying some strange looking ointments and oils.  A asks if she is taking some kind of beauty treatment, usually a favorite pastime on weekends. What comes next shakes Miss A to the core. Her roommate suffers from a serious skin disease from the past year, and she is depressed and even contemplates suicide at times. She has had several roommates, and considers it some kind of coincidence that most of them leave the apartment and move somewhere else. The disease, mind you, is ‘mostly’ non-communicable. For the next two months A is subjected to some of the worst experiences in her life. She tries to offer sympathy, but the girl seems to be adamant not to take it. What’s worse is that all the other inhabitants of the flat come up and tell Miss A they would have never taken the room if they were in her place, how ironical was that? A was going bonkers, looking for a new place to move into.

    It was a Sunday, and World Cup cricket championships were going on. Someone was fighting on the phone with their boyfriend, okay, routine stuff. Wait, what was that loud ‘bang’ and ‘thud’? Words which remind me of Tinkle “Kalia the crow” comic strip. Miss A rushes out to find one of her flat mates had slammed a door, and broken a rather large piece of wall. There was also a plate of food on the floor, with its contents up on the ceiling!

    Dear Miss A began to have serious doubts, were these people crazy, or was she herself too ‘normal’. Birds of a feather flock together, that was the case here, or how could anyone put up with such chaos. She decided she’d had enough. Sanity needed to be restored. A new residence was sought and finalized at war footing.

   Miss A now has a new roommate. It has been a month, and she is keeping her fingers crossed. They have a laugh now and then, and share some movies and music, but you never know when the tides may turn. Going purely by past statistics, that is.

   I now wish to list some annoying ‘roomie’ attributes, shared by Miss A, purely on her own discretion: 

-         Mentioning the word ‘Roomie’ more than once in a sentence.

-         Assuming that you both are the best roommates and showing off to others.

-         Being extra polite, saying ‘Thank you’ and ‘Sorry’ numerous times.

-         Asking permission every time to use your spoon, when you don’t need it at that moment.

-         Leaving their clothes on the pegs in the washroom, and leaving no space for you to hang yours.

-         Saying ‘sweet nothings’ to their boyfriends in a loud voice, when you are trying to sleep.

-         Telling their family members over phone how good a roommate she has got. They, in turn, calling you to check on their ward’s whereabouts.

-         Asking advice on six short-listed prospects and which one to marry.

    It would be unfair to some great people if the happy stories remained untold. Miss A urges me to write about Miss S1, her roommate in college. They shared a room for three years, and there never was a day of misunderstanding. They were perfectly tuned. Although their habits differed, they lived in perfect harmony. S1 was this mature person always offering support to A in tough times. They had a lot of fun, and were very proud of their beautiful room.

      Miss S2, A’s roommate when she had joined her job, was a cool customer. A vivid personality with many talents, she stuck by A through thick and thin. They have also bonded for life, although they shared a room for just over eight months.

     The chances of getting a good roommate are rather skewed, but they do come by. Have you found yours already?

Finding Forrester - an anecdote

   Movies, I believe, are a manifestion of imagination with a figment of reality. So often, it happens that we watch a movie and experience some kind of Deja vu."Finding Forrester"...is a movie about an Afro-American teen writing prodigy played by Rob Brown, who finds a mentor in a reclusive author,played by a grey-haired Sean Connery.Watching it reminded me so much of someone I was very close to.Since she is no longer alive,I was kind of apologetic that I had not thought of her for so long.

     We had moved house, and were still getting to know our neighbours, when the lady in question announced herself. She was an old frail woman dressed in a worn out saree, a white one with a red border.She looked ill,and walked with a limp.We actually thought she had come to ask for charity. She introduced herself as a distant relation of our landlord, and then unraveled some facts about herself which almost left us gaping in wonder.She lived alone, had retired from a senior position in a government department, never married, had studied medicine for a year before abandoning it due to health reasons.She had had multiple fractures, the reason behind her limp. She had been hit by a car and lay in hospital for months with none of her relations knowing or caring. She said with absolute frankness that she was guarding a lot of heirlooms, and people were forever trying to dupe her.We thought, like all old people, she had gotten a little delirious and irritating.She said that my brother and I reminded her of her grand nieces and nephews.

     The visits became frequent, and once she landed up with an oatmeal porridge for me.I was around 10 years old then.I desisted it, but as a polite gesture, I had to taste it - and to my great surprise, it  was yummy!She had prepared it with date jaggery, an awesome experiment.So my tummy sent some good signals to my heart.My 2 year old brother had correctly guessed that she was too old to be an aunt, so he suggested we call her 'Thakuma'(paternal grandma in Bengali).She was delighted.

    She would spend hours chatting with my mother, offering her some words of wisdom, telling her some medical facts, and sharing hundreds of stories. She seemed like an enclyclopaedia. This was the time when my parents were quite busy to help me with my studies,and once, my mother suggested that I ask Thakuma to clear my doubts.I was sceptical - she was so old, I thought, what would she know of the latest curriculum?Forget know, the lady was competant enough to give my teachers a run for their money.She corrected my grammar exercise and numericals with utmost precision and gave me some great tips.Another lesson in humility.

   She gave long sermons on the use of grammar and language,one discussion led to another,and I ended up writing loads of stuff.I would leave my notebooks at home when I went to school, and came home to find comments and suggestions scribbled in red ink on them.Informally though, she had become my mentor.For my now impressionable teenage mind, I could see beyond her shabby exterior.I started visiting her home, which was more like a storehouse for furniture with her tiny little kitchen, where she would cook up some tidbits for me.We discussed all kinds of topics,more like friends than anything else.I would actually look forward to her visits now.

    I was doing well in school, and she would always say that she looked forward to seeing me take the Civil Services exam.Around this time, she had another rough patch with her health, a fracture and she was confined to bed for a few months. We would go visit her from time to time.Our association was now almost into its seventh year, and there was some talk of shifting into a new locality.In course of time we moved, and saw less and less of Thakuma now.It was difficult for her to take the numerous steps leading to our new home, so she would call us.But she did not miss my 10th Board results, and landed at our doorstep with the newspaper announcing my results and a box of sweets.

    Two more years, and I got busy with my exams,tutions, and saw her once in a blue moon.I met her before leaving for my engineering course.She was not entirely convinced that I was sure of what I was doing, but encouraged me nonetheless.From time to time I would get news of her from my mother, she was totally bedridden now, and some of her relations had finally taken pity on her.And then she left us forever.

   It is strange how people you least imagine can leave their mark in your life.For her selfless affection and all the knowledge she shared, I dedicate this to her.And thank you CC, for telling me to watch the movie.

Same Bat time, Same Bat channel!!

No use, Joker! I knew you'd employ your sneezing powder, so I took an Anti-Allergy Pill! Instead of a SNEEZE, I've caught YOU, COLD! - Batman


The opposite of a girl is a boy! - Robin


Hahahahahaha...I just can't stop laughing.


In spite of the suave Christian Bale in  'The Dark Knight', or the immensely talented Jack Nicholson and  Heath Ledger as the 'Joker', the undeniable fact remains,  for me at least,  that the Batman 1960's TV series is the most enjoyable.  What stated off as a comic book couldn't have taken on a better shape. The shows biggest assets according to me are its dialogues,  then its characters and last, but not the least, the many complex gadgets and theories which, from a 60's perspective, were absolutely incredible. Some even seemed stupid initially, but the more episodes I saw, the more they seemed to grow on me.


Adam West(Batman) with his baritone voice and great physique, and Burt Ward(Robin) the still vulnerable teenager, are a perfect crime fighting pair. Far removed from their alter egos millionaire Bruce Wayne and his ward Dick Grayson, with the latter having to take piano lessons and have milk and cookies when not involved in any dangerous escapades :). Better known as  'The Dynamic Duo', they have their own moments of glory and peril, their sound wits and knowledge proving them superior to any adversary who comes their way. The chemistry between the two is amazing, and Batman never forgets to correct Robin and teach him manners, if  he  displays any  hot-headed or incorrect behaviour, even though it may be  trivial, thus underlying the message to young viewers. The following is a classic example:


Robin: "You can't get away from Batman that easy!"
Batman: "Easily."
Robin: "Easily."
Batman: "Good grammar is essential, Robin."
Robin: "Thank you."
Batman: "You're welcome."


Robin's pet phrase is "Holy" and ending with "...Batman!" and a whole series of these quotes has become popular like this one: 
Robin: "Holy molars! Am I ever glad I take good care of my teeth!" 
Batman: "True. You owe your life to dental hygiene."

Alfred their English butler plays his own crucial role of confidante and assistant, sometimes even giving Batman a piece of his mind.  He's the quiet unassuming kinds, who even dons on guises to help his crime fighting master in the most perilous situations. He is even stuffed inside a giant pie by one of Batman's arch enemies,  the Penguin. Among several of his duties are 'dusting the Batmobile',  'checking the Atomic reactor' and 'answering the Batphone'.


One of the cutest and lovable characters is Aunt Harriet Cooper, who is Dick's (Robin's) aunt. She cannot understand why Bruce and Dick are always so busy having their discussions and lessons in the library. She has many a  time been taken hostage by villains, being kidnapped or held at gunpoint, immediately resulting in a fit in which she comfortably drops down unconscious on a  couch and never hits the floor.


At the beginning of each episode, when the Police Commissioner Gordon and Chief O'Hara discover some felony in Gotham City, they have a discourse by which they always arrive at a single conclusion: 'Only one man can handle this crisis, and he is Batman'. So they pick up the red Batphone(which reminds me of a flaming tandoori chicken because of its red colour and transparent glass cover), and dial Batman. What the role of the police is, cannot be fathomed.


Arrive villains - complete  with theme-based hideouts and colourful gases to render people unconscious. They hardly kill people, but steal valuables and demand lots of ransom. I like particular actors whose names I've put in braces.
Notable villains included:
RIDDLER(Frank Gorshin) - Green leotard with question mark on chest, always poses riddles for the Dynamic Duo leading to   his crime. Awesome fiendish giggle.
JOKER (Cesar Romero) - the red-lipped and face-painted criminal, who makes a crime out of minor pranks.
PENGUIN (Burgess Meredith) - says 'Quack, Quack' and deals in umbrellas to hide his weapons of crime, Dressed in black and purple tailcoat, penguin theme restaurant owner as well. 
CATWOMAN(Julie Newmar) - the nimble and beautiful woman with a 'catty' mind for mischief, her gang members are called 'kittens' . She and Batman seem to develop a soft corner for each other, and Robin remarks 'Holy mush!'.
EGGHEAD (Vincent Price) - even the furniture in his hideout is shaped like eggs, and he eats eggs only from a particular farm, which eventually lead the Dynamic Duo on to him. Egg-straordinary!
MR. FREEZE - he cannot survive above -50 degrees centigrade, owing to an erroneous chemical reaction he conducted, and freezes over objects and people.


Each of the villains manages to get hold of Batman and Robin once in a while, and employs very complicated contraptions to take them to their death. They always manage to escape, sometimes with a little help from Alfred. You sometimes wonder why the villains don't ever kill them instantly, but ultimately are grateful for that.  Some of the gadgets employed to eradicate the duo include a giant hourglass, a Chinese water torment apparatus, a printing press, a candle maker, instant freeze, an ice-candy maker and an electric chair.


Thanks to his utility belt, which houses several miniature gadgets like the Batshield and Batterang,  Batman manages to get himself and Robin out of any life-threatening predicament. Some cunning villains realise this, and then it comes down to common sense alone. The Batcave, the duo's hideout and research lab, houses the Batmobile,  Batbike,  Batcomputer,  an atomic power generator, a giant city map where any location could be traced( speak about Google Maps) , a Bat-analyser(this could detect all the properties of any fabric, paper or metal and provide details (advanced X-ray scanner :)), and several other paraphernalia critical to the duo's activities.  It is most amusing to see Bruce and Dick slide down the Batpoles and emerge dressed as Batman and Robin, whilst you are left wondering how they could don the cowls, the tights and not to mention the underpants, all while on a ride down the pole...lol!  Another very interesting observation I have is that everything is so properly labelled, even one with "Secret fridge, do not open" :). When Batman and Robin leave the Batmobile unattended,  they replace the 'Ignition' label on a button which fires shots/flares so that they cannot help but be noticed stealing the vehicle.


Batman and Robin have no superpowers, they make use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, an indomitable will and intimidation in their continuous war on crime. But at times, they exhibit nothing short of the good old superhero style, when they work out that shouting at a particular frequency can shatter their sound trap, or work out which of 2000 hair-salons in the city is Catwoman's hideout by the sound of 3 hair-dryers in the background. Batman is also a mathematical genius, and even calculates bullets being fired on them by several machine guns at a time. Robin is left open-mouthed in admiration.


They are friendly denizens, and as they climb up the Batrope( horizontal screen inclined shot) to reach their enemies, they even stop by to chat with the people of the city. They also grace parties, with Batman performing a jig or two in some episodes which was hilarious, to say the least. It had me in splits. The narration by William Dozier(producer) is rhymed, and parodied the breathless narration style, ending many of the cliffhanger episodes by intoning, "Tune in tomorrow — same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!"


In the end, it is not the precision of the gadgets or every calculation that matters in the crime-solving job, it is the faith. And this larger-than-life series makes you do just that, believe.
Come on, Robin, to the Bat Cave! There's not a moment to lose! 


P.S: If after reading this, you get the inclination to watch, let me know.

Many things on my mind

        A mundane day - get through the assignments at work and chores at home, go to bed thinking "Why do I have to do this?". Last day of the month, cellphone beeps, salary credited to account, Woohoo! Shopping, movies, eating out, weekend plans chalked out. Reality check- however much my job sucks, I need it. Next weekend, no movie release, friends busy, lousy day. No doubt this has happened to each one of us. So I begin to contemplate "How much money does someone actually need to be happy?"   . Are our needs actually needs or luxuries. Well, there is no meaning left of the phrase 'Simple living and high thinking'. The most basic needs are not food, clothing and shelter but I-phone, MacBook pro, Blackberry etc., etc..I am not saying that a cupboard is a luxury, but where are we drawing the line,or don't we need to, provided the cushy jobs that we have landed, not by some super skill but by some miracle of globalisation called 'outsourcing'. Being on leave for almost a year now, I have, at times, had nightmares that Obama has actually banned all outsourcing, and billions of us in India have become unemployed. Ridiculous it may sound, but it is not virtual reality either, only an impending disaster. Then I begin to think, I could do something simpler in life, maybe that would give me less money, but peace of mind. What that would be, I do not know.

    The fact is, acquiring status and material possessions has become the be-all and end-all of our existence. When I was young, why, even now, I hear my parents speak to me of someone's else's plight, and what all are doing to chip in and help. Like the small pan-shop owner who lost his wife and is himself ill. With business at an all time low, he is struggling to make ends meet for himself and his two daughters. The people in his locality have made donations, and are now trying to ensure that his elder daughter gets a job to help her ailing father. "What are/ should be my priorities in life?", I begin to think. I see some friends who are involved in teaching orphans, or caring for destitute animals, and it makes me very proud, to think that they are giving back to the under-privileged in society a part of themselves. With family ties not what they used to be a few decades ago, even caring for parents or ensuring the education of siblings are no longer priorities for most of us, everyone is more or less independent. Selfishness is brewing big time, and most of our free time is either spent mulling over what we do not have, or thinking aloud on social networking sites.


   A medical study has proved that people who spend more than 30-40 hours per week on social sites need help. So what is this percentage...excluding the infants and elderly, illiterate and poor, non computer-savvy people like few of our parents, it must be definitely more than half of the India's total population. Come to think of it, companies who ban such sites deserve some credit. I never spent more than 2 hours per week on Orkut during my normal workday, but now, all hell has broken loose. With plenty of time to spare, a Facebook account, and no other creative pursuits at hand, I am spending more time planting and harvesting virtual crops than I do cooking a meal. After around 4 months of crazily pursuing various farming community goals, and landing with a frozen shoulder, I have given up, although the addiction seems to tug on and force me to play sometimes :-). I read the posts from friends and wonder, "Does our behaviour on social sites give an idea of our state of mind?". I would like to think this is true. Incessant status updates, repeating even the day's headlines, mild abusive outbursts, are people too involved or too lonely, given that all are having regular jobs. There are certain things which definitely are worth sharing, but are we getting an excess of others' minds...random quizzes and predictions, and worst of all, conversations have lost their personal and private nature. Of course we can message or call friends, but we seem to enjoy making a display of everything. Also,"are all the 247 people in my friends' list really my friends?". Agreed, there are juniors, seniors, some ex-colleagues, school and college buddies and also the few unknown personalities. But with how many are we actually in touch. It is no denying that without these sites we never could have united so many long lost friends, and I earnestly hope we are not neglecting those who are not savvvy enough(yes, there are a few of those). If someone does not put up their kids' photos on Facebook, are they not happy enough? This is just the point I wish to make here.


    Until a few years back, we took part in all celebrations and social activities but being present physically. Call it small-town mentality or whatever, going to someone's house uninvited was the norm, and people came to your house at any time as well. There was no call made to enquire if they would be at home, or if we would be disturbing them, just land on their door and knock. If they weren't around, we would go to someone else's house nearby, the idea was just to engage in some chit-chat and banter. "Why don't we visit people without informing nowadays?". There were few neighbours at whose homes we children would land up at meal times, and many friends who arrived suddenly and made a request for some special delicacy to my mother, and she would oblige, whatever the hour. You would be caught shabbily dressed, and your room would be far from clean, but nobody cared. Even with friends, a sort of pretence seems to have taken over. Or is it because we meet others  personally only once in a blue moon, that we want to put our best foot forward.


    As children, we always imagine what our future will be like, when we'll be all grown up and independent, and shape our lives the way we want. But as time goes by, I realise that I think more about the past than the future. Incorrigible me, I try to seek solace in Linda Goodman's prediction for the crab, who, she says, hold on to past memories for life. As a result, I feel that "Some people have better foresight than others". Little decisions have big outcomes, be it a decision of pursue further studies, or to change a job, or move to different city, you can very easily get caught in the web of things if you don't have foresight. One does not require a crystal ball to delve into one's future, but it is conscious decisions and foresight alone that pave your way in life. Or else icons in any field would not have been born, if one stuck to doing what their ancestors did.


    But is a person entirely free of the influence of their environment - our basic social studies knowledge tells us otherwise. "Can parents(background) decide our standing in life?". Obviously, from the economic standpoint, life poses fewer challenges up to a certain time if one comes from a well-to-do family. But in the end, its your ambition that decides whether or not you have a solid backing. If the son of a government servant set out to make films, there ought to be some hiccups. But no obstacle is too great, and people with sufficient will-power sail through. I put too much stress on 'self' because I try not to assign the responsibility or blame of my decisions on others, nor compare myself with anyone. This is me sermonizing to myself.


     'Where there is a will, there is a way', some wise soul said, and our elders have many a times quoted. People are immensely talented, they sing, dance, write, draw, click splendid pictures, perform martial arts, and play musical instruments. "So are people prodigious or is it just sheer interest to learn something?". I think one has an inclination towards certain things, which one pursues as a hobby. For most this is just one thing like reading novels. You just read, you don't have to be good or bad at reading. But the arts are a different domain. You give pleasure to yourself and much more to others, be it by singing, dancing or painting. And if you do more than one of these, you simply are exceptional. But no art comes to us automatically, it requires so much patience and practice. A good voice may be a gift from above, but learning the right notes and tuning it is just as important.


    These are just some of my thoughts that have come to mind more than once, trying to answer my own questions...