Saturday, August 25, 2007

Ratatouille - A riotous combo....


Hare and tortoise, Golden goose, Ugly duckling how many moral stories have we read from our childhood but we seem to have forgotten the message. For those of you who are gluttonous for money, power fame and fortune get to the theatres to see your blind spot. Pixar has become the Grandmother of the world coming up with wonderful Moral stories for adults and children. A must watch for all adults and the child in them.

Ratatouille is a movie for adults who've forgotten how to live it right and finish it happy.
A rat's (Remy)strong sense of smell changes the course of his life. His ideas of becoming a chef were opposed by his family and friends, but isn't that the case with many of us? But unlike us, he decides to risk and part way with his clan to live his passion. He now abhors thieving food from homes and living out of garbage cans and sewerlines. Destiny brings him to the world above the sewer lines and leads him to his guru Gusteau's restaurant in Paris.

Remy and Linguini (garbage cleaner) at the crossroads of life meet each other at Gusteau's restaurant. Survival is a problem for Linguini, while living passion is the mantra for the little rodent Remy. This explains why some people make it to the top unnoticed and stay there forever, and why people stay at the bottom, feed on crumbs and complain life is unfair.
The friendship with the garbage cleaner at the restaurant brings about a change in both their lives and to A cooking fiasco brings Linguini to the limelight and the friendship chord with the Remy makes the rest of the story move without much effort. It is tough to maintain balance when one has it all. Linguini and the rat go through typical struggles of life, love, power, and ego. But they soon realize it is honesty and humbleness that matters in the long run while recognition, fame and fortune follows. Villians like Anton Ego they get killed by their own action - what goes around comes around.

The movie ends with the dah!! moment. The rodent and Linguini has it all in the end. The formula is simple "It all comes to you when you live your dream without any pretense and arrogance."

1. The magic in the simple script and lessons through the little rodent attracts more adults than kids to the cinema hall.
2. Life is all about living your passion even if it means parting ways with your family and friends. When you are sucessful people will come back to you.
3. Values in life ensure sucess in the long run.
4. The constant struggle between the ego and alter ego makes the movie earthy and interesting. We all have such struggles in our life,
but we seldom listen to the inner voice.
5. Villians get taken care by their own action - what goes around comes around.
6. There is no shortcut to sucess. Honesty, hard work, and humbleness is the formula for lasting sucess.
8. Tough times and tough people don't last forever.
7. Anyone can cook - Life is simple and it is easy to get what you want provided you listen to your heart.
9. Life is all about receipes and flavors- the one with prejudice misses the flavor of life.

Did someone say Angels take themselves lightly and hence they fly?

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Menakes & Sabeels in the making....


It was Poothna, Bakasur, Banasur, Chatakasur and many more in the days of Dwapara yuga set out to kill Lord Krishna. Today their equivalents Sivarasan, Dhanu, Sabeel, Menake and many more as human bombs aka suicide bombers have taken many lives and many are on the loose to take innocent lives for a cause that they claim to be noble.

Though initially suicide bombers were restricted to LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam) in Srilanka, we are increasingly witnessing this cult adopted as a best practice by all terrorist outfits around the world.

Srilanka, once a peaceful country and home to Buddhist faith that abhors any harmto even animals is today a forerunner and breeding ground when it comes to terrorism school. Innocent kids are taken into guerilla camps trained and released back into thepublic for their mission.

Weekly LTTE suicide bombs cause heavy casualties. They are cheap and efficient: On average, suicide bombings kill four times as many people as other acts of terrorism. Up to 40 percent of these attacks are carried out by women.

The LTTE is considered one of the most ruthless terrorist organizations in the world, using extortion to raise upwards of $30 million a month from Sri Lankan expatriates.

Here is Menake's story, a suicide bomber who was recently arrested when her mission to strike down Srilankan Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake was foiled. She lives inisolation at Anti-Terrorism Division Headquarters in Colombo.

Menake explains her traumatic childhood, her life in the camp and her decision to turn intoa suicide bomber. Today she pleads for atonement an opportunity to live the life she mighthave had before, if she wasn't going to kill herself. Vist the link below to read how Menake became a victim of circumstances.....
Remember there are many more Menakes' and Sabeels' out there.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Mouse trap plays havoc in India


The land that once upon a time lived by Manu Shastra, a book of rules for the society, today has books on how to deal and cope with with Divorce. These are the changing times, You tubes are more productive than fillopian tubes and seminal vesicles.

There was the time when divorce was considered a stigma in the society and only the upper classin the society had the guts and gumption to break away from the marriages. There was also a time whendowry harrasment and in-laws wars were cited as reasons for seperation. But the scene today iscompletely different. More than the upper class the Middle and lower middle families taking to familycourts. Multiple incomes, over ambitious and career oriented youth, nuclear families and fast paced lifestyle among many other personality traits and ego wars seem to threaten the institution of marriage in India.

Apart from Diabetes, AIDS,and Cardiac problems, Divorce has also been added to the list of diseases threatening the Indian population. Our Minister for Health has a lot of work to do in the IT field.

Metros lead the pack with Delhi and Mumbai topping the list. Conservative Chennai and Kolkotta are not far behind in the race to family court. Punjab, Haryana among agricultural states inIndia has seen a sharp increase in divorce rates.

When we thought that literacy and education can bring about change in individuals and rewrite their fate, yes, theirfate was doomed. Kerala, a state with the highest literacy rate in India are also leading the bandwagon.

Which professionals top the divorcee list?
Dr S Nambi, former President of Indian Psychiatrists' Association, feels that software professionals are paying a heavy price for the hefty pay packets and lavish lifestyle that their jobs offer.

As IT field is a brain-taxing competitive job, the professionals get into emotional problems, which reflect on their marital life. Due to mental fatigue, many develop difficulties in sexual activities which also result in broken marriages, he says.

"Around the age of 28, they become hyper sensitive. By 35 they are mentally tired and worn out," remarks Nambi, whose clinic is thronged by several such couples for counselling.

Geetha Ramaseshan, an activist-advocate, says the IT revolution has changed the way in which the younger generation looks at the institution of marriage. Influenced by western culture, they perceive marriage only as a matter of convenience, she feels.

Mouse replaced spouse:
Computer jobs have wrecked bedrooms.Stress, pressure cooker job and fast paced lifestyle has turned software professionals asexual.Lack of libido and impotence among IT professionalis also stated as one of the main reasons for divorce by women. Has Vastsyayana got any fix for this?

The west has not only outsourced the business process but also their lifestyle and problems.Nasscom,an industry body that boasts about Indian IT exports must also look at whatadd ons come with the dirty dollar. When the econimic engine in India started the divorce engine also got started.

What is the scene in Chennai?

Have you heard about Chennai being the diabetes capital of India. 16% of adults areblessed with diabetes and it has more Diabetics than in New York city? Well just wait, Chennai has more reasons to feel proud.

The Chennai city and its suburbs are home to over two lakh IT professionals and BPO employees.

The total number of divorce cases filed in the city last year was about 3,000. However, the 3,000-mark has been crossed this year by the end of June itself, she adds.

40% of the divroce cases filed in Chennai are by professionals in the IT/ITES sector.
There is a sharp increase in women who file for divorce.

75% of divorce cases are filed byyouth in the 25-35 age group.

Who is cashing in on the divorces?

As always it is the market demand that drives innovation.

Certainly family counsellors are busy patching up crumbling marriages, and lawyers are busy running up and down the steps of court.

The internet millionaires are again winning sweepstakes with second innings portals for divorcees,widowers and widows.

Astrologers in street corners have come up with special service offerings for second marriagehoroscopes.

Music companies had sucessfully cashed in marketing music for heart, diabetes, expectingmothers will soon cash in on impotence "Music for the divorced".


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