Education should be a right

No famous faces, No lucrative budget. Just a simple story with an incredible message. I just watched 'I am Kalam'. I have been to Rajasthan where the literacy rate is below the national average of 64.8 per cent according to the Times of India (Nov 19 2007) and I have been to Kerala where the literacy rate is 100% (which I found out last year myself). There is not much to be said about education, except that it is an utmost essential part of life and every child should have a right to it.

Every time I go to India, it is seeing young children at traffic signals selling toys and balloons instead of going to school that becomes the most horrible part of my trip. Yes, at least they are not begging on the street, but how much of what they actually earn goes to them? to their family? or even set aside for a school fee?

I am guessing what they earn just goes to day-to-day survival, which reminds me of the black and white hindi film 'Boot Polish' (1954 , directed by Prakash Arora). Set just after India's Independence it's about a brother and sister who are forced to live with their aunt, after their mother dies. The aunt forces them to beg in the streets and takes away any money they get. After their wicked aunt finds out the two have started a small 'boot polish' business at the local train station, she beats them up and throws them into the street. The rest of the story is about how the two survive, without begging. I give this film a 9.5/10 because it brought tears to my eyes. More importantly what I am trying to get at is, why in this day and age are children still being forced into this situation? Then again, whilst I was flicking the TV channels the other day, I caught a glimpse of 'World's Strictest Parents'. This world confuses me. I don't know if 'confuses' is the best answer for this, maybe mind-boggling? Let me narrow it down, Why in India are all children still not getting access to an education? Well, it's obvious there are a gazillion reasons, and which I won't go in depth for because this could get endless.

However from watching 'I am Kalam' It has confirmed my belief in that 'there is no such thing as destiny, if you believe in yourself than anything's possible'. After all, it's your universe, only you and you only can see it, change it and live in it.

I think I will give this film a 10/10, as it certainly did touch my heart.

Au Revoir!

8 Months On

'BAHAHHAHA' that was my reaction after reading my old blogs. So my last post was 8 months ago, I totally forgot I even had a blog. I think I stopped writing because I felt I had 'grown up' and that maybe, just maybe my mind had uncluttered itself. I think of 'writing blogs' as a way of recycling one's thought, it digests my thoughts and poops out the crap. Ok so the point i'm trying to get at is, reading your old blogs is like watching or reading a snapshot of one's life. It's hillarious at the thought of how you were at the time. Not that I've changed COMPLETELY but certainly I do feel that I have become maybe a tad bit more mature. hehehe, I think the ability to laugh at oneself is one of the finest qualities a person can have.

Ok so what has happened in the last 8 months?? For started I'm in Second year uni! I know can you believe it? Time literally does fly, in fact there is only about 6 weeks left of 2nd semester already! What else has happened? had my arangetram in april which was wonderful, started a new job, quit my old one, finally saved up enough and bought a mac and a canon 550D. This has made life a bit more easier, but definitely it's much more than materialistic things that make me happy. It's about making friends, laughing, discovering something new and embracing life. being grateful for everyday. what else? I think I've finally come to terms with the prospect of working in the creative industry, yeh it's going to be hard but it's going to be hard for everyone. Stepping out into the real world that is. I think that's what I feared most was 'not getting a real job'. However now, almost 2 years of my degree, I've realised those emotions are completely normal.

Ok enough of my life, i'll jump into the latest films I have watched recently:

Casablanca - This 1942 black and white film directed by Michael Curtiz , truly captured my attention. Particularly the cinematography of this film is impeccable, as it was filmed all in black and white, each and every shot was well thought of. However as the historical context of the story is based around WWII, it is difficult comprehend the desperation of the people in Casablanca. Nevertheless this can be said about many films in that are set in different times. I think I will give this fill-em a 8/10 , only because a 10 is saved for films that strike a chord in my heart. (that didn't sound so cheesy when I said it in my head) hehe.

2. Zindagi Na Milenge Dobara directed by Zoya Akthar (2011) . Ok, initially I didn't want to watch this AT ALL, no joke. One look at the trailer and I thought 'here we go, I think I know this love story' not again. However after being dragged to the cinemas and getting a theatric experience, It wasn't so bad. Yeh Hrithik looked Hot and for once Katrina didn't seem as ditzy, but I think it was the storyline that was well thought of. It was different, fresh and lively. Out of the three I think I would most probably go for either Farhan's or Abhay's character. Farhan because he's a funny fart and Abhay because he's a sweetheart (and a cutie). (btw ignore me for using their real names, honestly can't remember). I give it a 7/10, I loved the first half and also the songs. However once you start predicting the story, I lost complete interest because it becomes so easy to guess. Especially the whole 'each character faces a different challenge' yada yada yada..

Oh and also I wanted to point out that scandalous Kiss between Hrithik and Katrina! Who else thought it was Awkward? (i dont remember it exactly how it was, because I watched it so long ago, but I defs remember for sure it was heaps weird.) If Indian Films are goin to have a kissing scene, they should at least make it memorable! For instance great kisses include: Bridget Jones Diary, the upsidedown Spiderman Kiss, the end hug between elizabeth and darcy (no kiss but still sweeet) oks so u get the point.

Ok so I was going to ramble on about the stupidity of the film 'something borrowed' but I'm going to watch 'The Office' instead and have a good belly laugh. Maybe next time?

I will end on a quote by the Buddha -

'Do not dwell on the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment'