The Urban Fusion of Lingo

This has been published in The Hans India - A reputed daily in Telangana!

It is believed that approximately 4,000 or more new words are added to dictionary every year. What is truly incomprehensible is that Shakespeare alone contributed nearly 2,000 new words during his hey days.

Nonetheless, with most of our lives lived on internet, and lifestyles changing at the drop of a hat, there’s a dearth for neologism that best expresses contemporary thoughts and situations. Sensing this dearth, the urbandictionary.com, has come up with a gamut of thought-provoking words for new age living. Of course, all of them may not be appealing but some of them are truly worth giving a thought to.

Strictly speaking, these words are nothing but mashing of two dissimilar words together to create a new one. Such as, Shopaholic, Brunch, infotainment, Edutainment, etc. Killer combos that drive home the point succinctly. Known also as portmanteau words, a few of these are making the rounds on Internet as ‘24+ brilliant words we should add to the dictionary’. And guess what?! They are being lapped up by the ‘Generation Z’ for their ‘spot on’ impact. Well, here’s a list of ten for clearer perspective! 

‘Textpectation’. The word actually means ‘anticipation felt when waiting for a response to a text’. How many times have you anxiously waited for that text message from your boss or colleagues or girlfriend or boyfriend?! If you are unable to express this feeling, ‘Textpectation’ comes to your rescue.

Chairdrobe – don’t tell us you don’t get this?!  You must have left your clothes on the chair until it bundled up to be mountainous? Well, ‘Chairdrobe’ means exactly that:  ‘piling clothes on in the place of a closet or dresser.

‘Cellfish’ is another smart analogy to describe a person who is constantly chatting on the mobile, causing irritation to friends and those around. If you are not aware of anyone who is ‘Cellfish’, maybe you should pose the question to yourself?

Youinverse is a word that closely rides on the same wave as above. This means that a person has knowledge of only him or himself; their universe consists only of them. Have you a friend who lives in his own universe?  Well, you got a new word to introduce him to the world to.

Nonversation, means a completely worthless conversation; small talk. Sometimes, you have this vague feeling that the whole discussion was pointless – a total waste of time. Then, what you had was a ‘Nonversation’

Errorist means someone who repeatedly makes mistakes.  Sort of a substitute for the word clumsy but in a more impactful manner. Though the word may sound obnoxious, it does possess a certain energy. Know anybody who is an Errorist?

Hiberdating is when a person ignores their friends in favour of a boyfriend/ girlfriend. Nobody admits it, but every youngster does it. Well, you got the right word to describe friends who show cold shoulder when they are around their loved ones.

Internesting – the cocoon of blankets and pillows you gather around yourself whilst spending long periods of time on Internet. Many may outwardly deny it, but are inwardly guilty of this indulgence. Internesting is a world of its own.

Destinesia – when you get to where you were intending to go, but forget why you were going there in the first place. Sounds unbelievable?! But it does happen to travelers. They reach a particular place for a reason but are later dumbfounded as to why they have come there in the first place.

Carcolepsy – a condition where a passenger falls asleep as soon as the car starts moving. With many employees working in call centres, dozing off in the cars while on way to work or home comes naturally. To describe this phenomenon, Carcolepsy is the right word.

With the world shrinking into a global village and lifestyles evolving in a way nobody had ever imagined, need for vocabulary that could keep pace with changing times cannot not be ruled out. Thanks to creative individuals who keep inventing innovative words to make our lives cozy, colourful and temerarious. 

For a quick review of the e-paper, click on the link below:

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/521007/SUNDAY-HANS/14-Jun-2015#page/7/2 

Unlocking the Love!

An article I wrote for The Hans India - a reputed daily in Telangana

When Shakespeare wrote ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ he probably envisaged the day when ‘Love Locks’ on the bridge ‘Pont des Arts’ in France would forcibly be removed, causing agony to many a love bird. However, he wrote ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ as a comedy, but, this one, is a tragedy of sorts for the love stricken.

For years, tourists across the world have been attaching ‘Love Locks’ with emotional messages to bridges in France as symbolic acts of love. A few cupid-stricken lovers even went a step ahead and threw the key afterwards into the river below sealing the deal. The sentiment, though a ban on Love Locks on ‘Ponts de Arts’ stands good, still remains rife and the practice isn’t easy to stifle overnight.

In fact, a few allege that there are in excess of million ‘Love Locks’ on 11 other heritage sites in Paris, including a few on reputed Eiffel Tower itself. If ever a drive to clean up the city takes place, it needs to get to the bottom of the issue – like the bottom of river Seine too, where alone exist more than a million keys.

But how did this all begin?! Well, it all simmers down to a movie. A 2006 Italian adult novel-turned-movie created this practice in Rome. A couple of die-hard lovers hit the road to France and fanned the flames of this ritual in 2008. The trend spread like wildfire. Today, it is believed that  most of France’s sites have ‘Love Locks’.

However, there are many who oppose this practice as it possess a genuine threat.  in 2014, there was even a bid to discourage visitors and lovers (mostly they are one and the same) from indulging in this practice. Instead of attaching ‘Love Locks’ to bridges and other sites, they were asked to take selfies. But the attempt miserably flopped. Ironically, ‘Love Locks’ proved a huge hit. Since then, the practice became more rampant with a threat of it spreading to other European countries too.

Till recently, ‘Pont des Arts’ has had over 700,000 locks which is roughly  the weight of 20 elephants. Phew! Pretty hard on the bridge, right?. Owing to this burgeoning weight,  a section of the ‘Pont Des Arts’ gave away. Raising eyebrows and serious concerns over safety of tourists. That was the last straw! The city of Paris too had enough of these love birds being a burden on their heritage sites. The authorities  decided to take prompt action to  replace ‘Love Locks’ on ‘Pont Des Arts’.

These ‘memoirs of love’ will finally  be replaced with something less harmful and more appealing to tourists, ensuring safety for everyone. Of course, this also brings to mind another of Shakespeare’s play: ‘All’s well that ends well’.

For a quick review of the e-paper, follow the link below:

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/516103/SUNDAY-HANS/07-Jun-2015#page/8/1

A splash of color. A taste of life. A dash at being myself.

The inclination to trail in the footsteps of M.F.Husain has long been there. Unfortunately, for years, I splurged time doing nothing of significance. But the passion to indulge in at least one oil painting has been hovering on my head like the sword of …whatever the guy’s name is.

But the zillion dollar question remained: who would guide me into using paints. It was a baffling mind scramble. All sorts of questions popped inside my head. How much of linseed oil? What brushes to purchase? Where to get the canvas? Which ones are better: acrylics or oils?  Eventually, what do I do with all the paintings I would draw?!

Fortuitously, technology opened doors. While I was looking for answers, enlightenment portal, ‘YouTube’ beamed me to some remote place - a maestro’s chamber perhaps. He explained the artist’s role with regard oils and canvas - explicitly.  Afterwards, I was beamed back. There was a difference before and after this transmuting teleportation, I travelled as greenhorn returned as enlightened Buddha (That's got nothing to do with clothing, mind you!).

In other words, I was like Bradley Cooper taking the ‘Pill of enlightenment’ and getting a crystal-clarity on what sequentially needs to be done. Suddenly, everything fell into place like a gigantic Jigsaw puzzle.  I grasped I could wield brushes the same way a karate black belt holder would use a ‘Nunchaku’.

The African couple - my initial painting proved a super blooper. But, my guru, Brian Tracy whispered. ‘Don’t worry it’s your first. Learn from it’. A sudden change in perception topsy-turvied my discernment. I realized colors were original, but strokes needed to be sleeker. So, I began working on them. Brush contamination was a major challenge, but I overcame it with a smart move - by buying new ones.

Soon, I was doing lots of paintings. Though some of them were like what-the-hell-I-worked-on kinds, the others totally surprised me. Surprised me because they were blank for a long time. ‘Artist’s block’ a friend explained to me later. I was down with paints all around me except on the canvas. This went on for days.

To get rid of this block. I walked couple of blocks every day. Visited art exhibitions. Turned to YouTube. This time, they turned me away like an unwanted friend. Nevertheless, persistence is a good ally and I triumphed over this ‘Artist’s block’ by  initially drawing blocks, then graduating to squares and eventually sticking to circles.

Once I mastered these nuances, painting indeed became a delightful indulgence. Except, the parts, where oils stuck to clothes and colours wouldn’t leave my hands for days. But, on the other hand, painting did add colour to my life!

Today, I have paintings that could go under the hammer. Well, maybe not. However, on second thoughts,  they can go into a gallery as an exhibition. That’s precisely what I strategize to do.

A few enquiries revealed that you need at least 25 paintings to hold an exhibition…and I have done about 3 and half. So, here’s hoping my paintings will make it to the gallery by 2050. Wish me luck. I so badly need it. ;)

 

All Hail The Governator!

An article I wrote for Hans India - a reputed daily in Telangana.

Call him a body-builder or an action hero or a governor, you couldn’t go wrong because he has donned each of these roles with panache. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a truly multifaceted individual, scripted his career in an inexplicable manner without resting on his laurels. Known as the ‘Austrian Oak’ for his well-sculpted body, he conquered every major title in the world of body building. Of course, had he stuck to bodybuilding alone, his fame would have gradually faded into oblivion! Conversely, his decision to enter Hollywood had thrown open doors to a sky-soaring career. 

However, if you thought his climb uphill was easy peasy, you are dead wrong. For those who aren’t aware, here are a few interesting titbits. Initially, directors were reluctant about casting Arnold as a hero. They claimed that Arnold possessed an over-built body, an incomprehensible accent and an unpronounceable name. So much so, that in one of his earlier roles in ‘Hercules in New York’, released in 1969, his entire voice was dubbed. His screen name was deliberately changed to ‘Arnold strong’. When the movie flopped, he was not offered roles for a long time. Sounds unbelievable?! Well, that’s the hard hitting truth.
But what genuinely turned the tables in Arnold’s favour was his 1982 flick ‘Conan and the Barbarian’, where he donned the role of a protagonist. The movie proved to be one of the biggest box office grossers. The colossal success instantly shot him into the élite galaxy of super stars.

Having tasted his initial success, Arnold donned various roles with élan, delivering blockbuster after blockbuster. Terminator, the sci-fi movie, released in 1984, not only made cash registers ring but took youngsters by storm with its technological genius and riveting storyline.

Commando, released in 1985, was no less in terms of action. A run-of-the-mill storyline but truckloads of action saw the movie escalate to great heights of commercial success. Audience never had trouble imagining this beefcake beat up four guys at a time or spray bullets with an oversized machine gun. In fact, this very string of Arnold’s successes, had the directors, who once claimed he didn’t possess requisite hero material, queuing up at the doorstep.

What perhaps firmly established Arnold’s position as one of the bankable Hollywood super stars was ‘Predator’? In the movie, Arnold is pitted against an alien with super human strength equipped with technologically superior weaponry. As the alien strategically picks up and eliminates his fellow army personnel one by one, the onus of defending himself against this indomitable extra-terrestrial being is what keeps the Arnold fan at the edge of the seat. A slightly weird storyline but gripping action ensures excitement proportion is on a different plateau altogether.

Arnold’s assorted movies appealed to everyone. Be it the ‘Twins’, where his twin brother overshadows his personality and often puts him in a tight spot, or the ‘Red Heat’ where Arnold, a soviet secret agent, teams up with an American agent to catch criminals, or ‘True Lies’, where he is a secret agent, but keeps his profession hidden from his wife, until a few uptight situations unravel his identity…each of these hits never failed to regale the audiences.

Besides, there are numerous other successes ‘Total Recall’, ‘Kindergarten Cop’, ‘Jingle all the Way’, ‘Raw Deal’, ‘Junior’, ‘Collateral Damage’, ‘The Running Man’, ‘Batman and Robin’…which played to packed houses. These are apart from sequels of ‘Conan The Barbarian’ and the ‘Terminator’, which in themselves are runaway successes.

In hindsight, who would have thought that a former bodybuilding champion could fill the shoes of a thorough-breed actor so inconspicuously well? Not merely acting in few movies for a brief period, but for numerous movies for four decades! No trivial chore, right!

What perhaps endears Arnold to his fans is his shrewd selection of scripts and putting his everything into the role. Arnold may not be prodigious in the genre of drama, but he is unquestionably a choice pick for action movies. In fact, he carved his own forte in the filmy domain with some of his sharp one-liners, which spiced up the high moment a wee bit more!
His trade mark one-liners, spot-on situational, such as ‘I’ll be back’ from the movie Terminator or ‘You have been erased’ from Eraser or ‘If it bleeds we can kill it’ from Predator ‘what killed the dinosaurs? The ice age.’ from Batman and Robin, ‘Consider that a divorce’ from Total Recall …. Never fail to sit pretty in ones’ minds and add charm to his acting persona.  

No wonder his superb acting and punchy dialogues won him scores of awards, including:, Golden Globe award, MTV movie award, Prime Time Emmy Award, Razzie Award and others. The awards vociferously speak of his influential and aesthetically appealing works.
The multifaceted individual, who is fondly called as ‘Governator’ (a term coined using governor and terminator), truly knows how to impress on his audiences. Of course, with the new breed of actors taking over the mantle of delivering bigger hits, the competition, one can say, is quite severe for the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis and other troupers. 

So, here’s hoping that Arnold’s 2015 releases ‘Maggie’ and ‘Terminator: Genisys’, set to release in May and June respectively, will rock the fans and audiences the world over. He truly deserves appreciation for all his unassailable achievements.

 

For quick review of the e-paper follow the link below...

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/511218/SUNDAY-HANS/31-May-2015#page/7/2

 

A Strange Case of Billy Biswas

We, a group of friends, visit the Sunday book market at Abids on a regular basis. The reason being to rake in as many good books as possible before they vanish off the streets. Book hunting, for professionals haulers, is a game. Unfortunately, I am a greenhorn.  But, a few band members have become so adept, they could spot a phony from the genuine in a jiffy. They could spot a famous author among thousand unknown writers in no time. Call it talent. Or honed skill. Believe me, they are on a different plateau.

 

So, it wasn’t a surprise that Vinod, a good friend and fellow blogger, spotted ‘A Strange Case of Billy Biswas’ that was selling for a mere Rs 50 in a heap of books. I once read that this particular Arun Joshi’s title was listed amongst 100 books one must read before dying. I made a mental note but never thought could come across one so easily and at so cut-rate. I leapt at the opportunity. Vinod obliged even though he wanted to keep the copy. So, I traded fifty rupees for the book with the seller.

This was my first Arun Joshi’s book. I would say his writing isn’t exceptional but his thought line is near genius. In some places, I liked the description where he talks about a storm brewing and describes how people are running for shelter and details out a description of a paper twisting and turning in the air and eventually splashing in one’s face. You can’t overlook the author’s eye for such detail.  He is a writer who knows how to pick such things and string them in a story to give it profundity as well as a pleasing tint.

Moreover, the story grips you. You know you are being led into unknown territories throughout. Mental asylums, Anthropology, wild forests and other unfamiliar stuff. All through the book, he keeps the thread of suspense hanging and you end up taking the bait by reading few more pages even though you have other pressing engagements.

As for me, if possible, I like to read books at one go. Since I started the book late in the night, I could only finish one-third of it. Later, the book started pulling at my heartstrings. I was wondering how it will end, the story so far has been as weird as it could it get. Even though I was talking to my boss or the clients, my thoughts kept wandering back to the book wanting to know how it will end.

I tell you, if the curiosity killed the cat, mine almost murdered me! Anyway, having finished the book, I now feel at peace with myself, with the world and with Arun Joshi’s story. Phew!

 

 

Yesteryears' American Idol

I had hunted high and low for ‘Coming to America’, an Eddie Murphy starrer, on youtube but couldn’t put my finger on it. But some blessed soul decided to upload the movie recently, and I was treated to the most delightful time of my life yet another time. It’s a 80s movie, that had drama, romance and one action scene (If one may call whacking a robber with a cleaning stick, any action). A few parts of this movie, were actually plagiarized by our reputed Bollywood directors. But knowing the Bollywood directors, you can’t expect much either.

 

So, what makes ‘Coming to America’ interesting?! Hmm…the heroine was pretty! Of course, which heroine isn’t?  But this one was different in a way because a similar looking girl had a huge crush on me when I was in my teens. She made it quite obvious of this thing on many an occasion. For my own safety, I acted as if I haven’t noticed it, the girl got disappointed; must have thought I was deaf, dumb and mental and went away to a world where humans behaved like humans. The girl wasn’t bad either. But that was long ago. The film actually made me almost recollect the incident and I got lost in the labyrinth of ‘reminiscing of love’ for some time.

The movie stands a tad different because it stars our own Eddie Murphy, who wouldn’t hesitate a second to show off his pearly whites. That apart, he looks so young and dashing. The movie’s plot too was fresh as a rose. I could unravel the mystery of the movie in a jiffy but it wouldn’t be as good as watching it. So, I’ll spare you the trouble.

However, there’s this particularly lovable scene where the now famous actor Samuel Jackson walks in to rob the cash register. And presto! Armed with the most potent weapon any man could ever design – cleaning broom – our hero threatens the robber who’s actually holding a double barrel gun. And warns the robber in an impeccable English ‘Please refrain from using any obscenities in front of these people’ and further suggests, ‘I would be forced to thrash you’. Stupid guts.

Anyways, I am not going to break the suspense, if I hadn’t actually done it. But that’s some food for thought. Eddie Murphy knows how to turn a boring, drab, staid role into an appealing, beautiful and energetic one. The magician of the silver screen actually knows how to hold his audience under his spell.  So, don’t just stand hypnotized. Go watch his other movies that are equally arresting!

The Charming Debonair

An article I wrote for Hans India - a reputed daily in Telangana.

There’s a certain charm to his personality that holds the power to arrest the heart. At the same time, has the power to breathe life into a heart, dying for some adventure - spicing up the whole viewing pleasure to a decent degree. Ironically, James Bond dons all his traits like a true gentle man. How could we miss out on his standard attire – the black and white suit? And every time he cheats death, we know someone’s going to pay for it. As a viewer, you know it’s a big ‘bang’ for money.

Ever since James Bond took to the silver screen, we have had a string of gentleman, of significantly capricious personalities, impersonating him. Tersely speaking, Bond all these years might have had close shaves with death but in reality he never waxed old or deceased cold. He simply changed names… Sean Connery, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig.

So the onus of discovering who the best remains as unresolved as the Bermuda Triangle mystery. Although a decent line of actors have efficaciously donned the James Bond role, a close look at the contemporaries, will provide for a clearer perspective as to who’s the best. Of course, the oldies are goldies, but we are turning a blind eye to a few. Sorry folks!

A jog down the memory lane, and you have Sean Connery with his suave charm and mercurial wit. As James Bond, he displays a cunning personality with which he charms the enemy or charmingly outwits him. Of course, he doesn’t leave that decision to his foe. The call is entirely his. The former boxing champion-turned-actor hogs the limelight for his impeccable impersonation of Bond. An actor, who remains at top as the best Bond ever.

Roger Moore, fondly reminisced as the old Rog, had to fill the shoes of Sean Connery, who masterfully fleshed out the Bond character for a good many years.  The onus was not merely cumbersome but almost unattainable. Yet, he brilliantly side-stepped the aggressive bond attitude and lent his eye-brow raising one-liners, making Bond look shrewd with his sarcastic humour. His first four movies, if simply put, were awesome! As a Bond, he may not be a winner, but definitely is a strong contender.

Timothy Dalton, an accomplished actor, though he put on a spectacular performance in two movies, his career as James Bond got cut short. Certain other factors of 80s had adversely affected his movie career. His third movie which was on the cards then, just didn’t materialize. So, Dalton had all the charm but no firepower to prove his mettle! Great talent, sheer loss, since two movies can’t vouchsafe for the world of talent hidden inside a promising actor.

Pierce Brosnan, in a way, resurrected James Bond who was actually pretty much dead on his feet. His debut ‘Bond’ role in the flick ‘Goldeneye’ hit jackpot. Girls might have pulled their hair and swooned at this new OO7 as he had everything - charm, ingenuity and dynamism. In fact, he was the best Bond to grace the silver screen after Sean Connery. But somehow his other movies didn’t make the cash registers ring as much as his debut movie. Unfortunately, his charm eroded proportionately to his age. The directors were soon left hunting for the new cast.

When Daniel Craig was chosen to play Bond, the internet was ablaze with lot of hue and cry about the choice. Some cried he is too short, a few screamed he is too blonde, and a few others murmured he is too bland. There was unknown chaos. But guess who laughed his way to the bank?! Craig, of course. His portrayal as the bond had leveraged the bond quotient to new heights. Made him look mean yet real. Fortunately, both at the same time. This new role of ‘Bond’ was connected with the audience across the continents.

After donning the role for three successful movies, Craig is perhaps on the way to carving a niche for himself. With his new movie ‘Spectre’ on the cards, nobody knows whether he will soar the skies like an eagle or sink like a stone. But one thing, we all aptly know: he is still a strong contender for ‘The Best Bond’ ever. 

For quick review of the e-paper follow the link below...

http://epaper.thehansindia.com/492138/SUNDAY-HANS/03-May-2015#page/8/1