Gentle can be something you touch...

Gentle is something you touch
but you can't always capture it
Once you do
you don’t want to let go
a sensitive touch can make us forget the world
Is gentle something you touch
or something that touches you

the first time I heard this piece was in the Ariel advert. It was too beautiful and I had to know more about it. No such luck. All I could find was this poem written by one guessaurus. here it goes.. dont know which came first.Do you really want to read on?

Gentle Poem

Gentle
Satin
Against my naked body
Soft
Gentle
Shimmery
Clean sheets
Against my naked body
Soft
Gentle
Fresh
A rose
Against my skin
Fragrant
Gentle
Soft
A kiss
On my lips
Sensual
Gentle
Sexual
A finger
On my lower lip
Soft
Gentle
Ticklish
A whisper
In my ear
Soft
Gentle
Whispery
Like the wind
A caress
Against my soft skin
Sensual
Gentle
Tender
Eyes
Looking into my eyes
Deep
Gentle
Tender
Hands
Holding me
Comforting
Gentle
Soft
Skin
Against mine
Soft
Gentle
Together
Fingers
Running through my hair
Tender
Soft
Gentle
Reassuring
A kiss
On the crook of my neck
Sensual
Tingly
Gentle
Arousing
A hand
Down my back
Tingly
Tender
Gentle
Sensual
My hands
On my body
Soft
Sensual
Gentle

Casino Royale.. Hmm.. I have bonded well!

Since the day I heard Quentin Tarantino wanted to remake the 1967 James Bond Casino Royal, I have been keeping my ears and eyes open for not only am I a devotee of Tarantino but it would be a lethal combination to see him direct 007.

Well perhaps it was not meant to be and if that was not enough bad news for me, Daniel Craig is the new Bond. Daniel WHO? I didn’t like his male model Zoolander photo shots and somehow he was not appealing to the new Bond I had in mind. He is told to be 30 something but looks much older and was not “soft and dishy” enough like his predecessor Pierce Brosnan.

This evening I finally watched it. I know it’s nearly the second week but well I have some sort of life. The movie completely took me by surprise. First of all it’s not cliché. Well, thank God for that. Even Superman Returns was not cliché. Hmm.. maybe the producers are learning…

Here James Bond gets hurt. In fact I have never seen such a battered and bruised 007 in my life and the best part is that Daniel Craig grows on you..ah aww now I must behave. He has the look that says “I am no super human yet you can depend on me and above all I am not just a sex machine” which makes him look even sexier or perhaps I prefer it a little subtle.

For once, the focus was in the plot then high tech gadgets, visual effects and steamy scenes. I am wondering if “M” (Dame Judi Dench) is confused with her new Bond boy who had the audacity to break into her house and even steal her password. There was no Money Penny and no “Q” in the first 10 minutes of the film educating the audience about the cars, the watch and the lot. Btw, it’s not Rolex but Omega and he can’t be bothered if his martini is shaken or stirred. In fact he came up with some concoction and invented a new drink which perhaps from this instant can be called “bondini”.

Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) had a good role to play. Apart from her vague way of speaking and the bleeding red lipstick she is likable and there was some form of love in this one. Overall treatment of the film including the beginning credits was good which were done with playing cards in mind. I am not sure if the prologue was purposely done in b/w to pay tribute to the earlier film. I heard that the first chase scene was taken from a documentary where Londoners exercise and just run over roofs in the city. Yes, we are a bunch of weirdo’s. Madonna too used them for her music video “Jump”. Come to think of it I am not sure how much CGI is used in the bond sequence. Although my knowledge in cards/poker is limited I was still entertained and oh yes, how can I forget- the torture scene was indeed there. Wait a minute, the film was rated 12A. Gosh! They must be a tough bunch of 12 year olds to witness such a scene especially young boys else the next time they sit on a broken chair, they might jump. As for me, I enjoyed the scene ..na I am not a sadist but it was still great to see him naked. Well practically!

He is much more real, has this oozing raw sex appeal and is fantastic on camera.
10 on 10 Bond. Go for it.

Syrian Speaks.. impressive

Wafa Sultan is a secular psychologist of Syrian-American origin. Although she is quite well-known for her part in the the public discussion on the clash of civilizations her recent appearance on Al Jazeera has spread on the Internet like wildfire

Dhoom Again.. or maybe NOT

I first saw the Dhoom 2 trailer before they showed KANK in the HSBC special screening for NRI in Haymarket Odeon this August. Dhoom 1 didn’t appeal to me but I still wanted to watch Dhoom 2 as the trailer was fast, happening and a well made one.

First day, first show. Odeon Greenwich, I watched Dhoom 2. It would have made no difference if the film was called Hrithik or Dhoom 2. The film opened with him and his fantastic Dhoom Again song (this guy moves like he has rubber attached to his feet), he carried the film all along and you come out of the theater with him in your mind and the flesh of course! There was too much of it everywhere.

The first few minutes of the film was in English and Hrithik Roshan with his Greek God looks could easily get away as a Hollywood actor. The introduction of Uday Chopra and Abhishek Bachchan in the back waters of Kerala or was it Mudd Island was over the top and fell flat compared to Hrithik’s Namibia opening sequence.

More importance in colour, texture, set and light was given to Hrithik and undoubtedly this is the best he has looked so far. And surprise surprise, he can act too. For once a star-studded guy is not afraid to get into character roles. We have seen it in Koi Mil Gaya and you shall see more here.
Unlike Aishwarya and Abhishek’s chemistry in Umrao (Bei)Jaan, I have to say that the screen chemistry of Hrithik and Aish is going to stay. It reminded me of Abhishek and Rani Mukherjee. Aishwarya Rai, with her fake tan was trying hard to look sexy and how can a director approve a song called “Crazy Kiya Re”… Fu…..nny guy! but she has worked hard to get that shape.

While sharing the screen with Hrithik, Chota Bachchan looked like a side actor and the kajal and whole white shoes dance sequence didn’t help either. Rimi Sen is seen in many blockbuster movies yet we cannot remember if she was in any.
Bips ( Monlai / Sonali) and Uday Chopra were side kicks and gave us something to chuckle for.

Apart from the fantastic Brazilian location, there is neither story line nor any message in this film. But if you like to watch babes, bikes and Hrithik’s six packs, even a lone nerve going down his hips along with the action packed stunts and of course a smooch, go watch the film . Otherwise it might be well worth waiting for the DVD.

Bafta Goes Bollywood

Pratibha (Parmar) invited me to join her to the Birmingham Asian Mela. She will be interviewing Kajol and Ajay Devgan and perhaps Saif Ali Khan too. Come over, It will be fun, she said. I will put your name as my guest.

Bafta suddenly wants to go Bollywood. They have been interviewing a lot of our stars this year. Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Masterclass with the ever-confident Karan Johar and honouring the big daddy of production houses- Yash Chopra

Birmingham is an hour and fifteen minutes by train from London. So it was a day trip for me and I asked Pratibha if I can bring my PD170 to film. Too chaotic and too strict about rights, filming and the lot. Drop the idea! Just chill for a change and go mad on the stars, the food and the mehendi.
It was an eventful day and I would like to write more about it some other time. Accept for the fact that I met the stars and pressed the flesh.. You know what I mean. Saif is a born casanova, grown into a matured actor and can converse well. The pedigree helps I guess. Ajay has a soul unlike his conceited wife, he smiles when your eyes suddenly meet- I know..sorry people! Its true when they say that certain people are better off not meeting. I actually thought the other way round before I met the couple. Kajol did the whole interview as though there was some kind of anger inside her ready to burst. Ajay was soft spoken, a hard nut to crack and spoke only in monosyllables.

On the other hand, Nasreen Munni Kabir has written books and researched in depth on Bollywood. It is refreshing to know someone like her and she even did a documentary on our baadshah Shah Rukh. She held some of the other interviews. The best of her interviews was with Aamir Khan. The more I see of the man, the more I fall in love with the actor in him. Watch his interview here

Want more Bafta Interviews:
Shah Rukh Khan
Yash Chopra
Preity Zinta
Karan Johar

a terrorist, an orphan, rebel and a poet - Mithinga Doimari

A friend of mine calls his Oxomor Kobi (Assam's Poet).
I am talking about Megan Kachari aka Mithingga Daimari, known to the world as the former publicity secretary of the banned militant outfit, the United Liberation Front of Asom, ULFA, who is currently serving his sentence in Guwahati jail as we read his poems.

He called himself Megan since the early 1990s when he turned a poet. A life led in deprivation and disparity in Barama, a hamlet in Nalbari district of Assam, though, had named him Jatin Das, way back, on May 17, 1967.

With many names, with many memories of his entire family being wiped off in secret killings, with many episodes of a life led in hiding, with hopes of living one day in an idyllic `janambhoomi' (motherland), Megan's poetry has that blend of guns and roses, of aches and joys, of belief and distrust, of loss and gain.

"Melodies and Guns", a book of poems edited by Indira Goswami was originally published in Assamese as "Memsahib Prithibi” written by Daimari. It reflects the mind of a man with a gun, and with a throbbing heart. His poetry catches the eye for its fearlessness and spontaneity.

The Down Stream Song

The bank, in the dawn
And far away, in the horizon
Was the glow of my rising red sun.

But where have I lost all?

Those fragile memories
Of my childhood and youth.
But how to see them, once again
Those treasures, dreamy and young?

The morning, and the noon
The afternoon, and now
It’s midnight.

Drifting…

Above me, this dark, black sky
Ahead of me, lie unknown waters
And around me, is an unknown voice.

Drifting…

In my own voice?

Manjeet Barua writes more about Magan’s poems

Mynta: a fusion between swedish ice and indian spice

MYNTA brings you a colorful mix of Indian vocal, African and Latin-American rhythms, Arabic sounds, Swedish Folkmusic and Cuban violin, together with Indian traditional instruments as tabla, kanjira, ghatam and tampura.

To listen/download their tracks like:
Song from Brahmaputra
Fuzzy
and Teabreak
click here

Sweden and India find a common place in music through the ears and imagination of the group Mynta. Founded in 1979, the group has created their own genre of music, while preserving the integrity and traditions of their root sounds. The Swedish-Indian fusionists define world music, by extracting the organic elements that runs through the vein of centuries-old musical histories.
MYNTA is led by the Indian musicians Fazal Qureshi (tabla) and Shankar Mahadevan (vocal). These virtuosos within the classic Indian musical tradition have performed all over the world with such musicians as Hariprasad Chaurasia, Shivkumar Sharma, and Zakir Hussain. Fazal is the younger brother of Zakir Hussain, who belonged to John McLaughlin's famous group Shakti, one of the earliest fusion bands in Europe.
Representing the Swedish alliance are veterans of the Swedish music scene - Santiago Jimenez (violin), Max Åhman (guitar), Ola Bothzén (percussion) and Christian Paulin (bass). Together the four musicians slant the music in the Nordic direction, inflecting a cool jazz feel into the mix.
MYNTA have come to be respected in the music world for years of making music that is honest and refreshing everytime. John Baxter of Option magazine praises the world-class performers for their expansive view of music: "Qureshi and Mikael Nilsson lay down some of the most electrifying percussion grooves I've heard in years; and in it's blinding, effortless speed, Max Åhman's guitar pays homage to John McLaughlin. Mix in Swedish hammered dulcimer, the Indian santoor and tanpura, and the North African saz and this becomes an exotic sort of orchestra. With groups like Mynta, it's clear that Scandinavia is turning out the most fascinating and enjoyable world fusion around.

Geeti Kobi

Since I was a child, I have heard his name literally being synonymous with anything creative. He was referred in the books we read, the lyrics we heard and the films.. well sadly I never got a chance to watch any but let me tell you, I feel psyched to be part of the same clan as him.

This sleek website is fanbloodytastic. Have a look. Parvati Prasad Baruva

Blood in My Valley

If you liked my 5 minute Assam video, you might like to watch the new (should I say BETA version)10 min clip.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGE. Please do not proceed if in doubt. Otherwise the filmmaker has kindly requested you to watch it with an open mind.