Monday, October 17, 2011

Star Network and The Art of being Patient




A couple of nights ago, I sat down to watch Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara on Star Plus at 9pm. 

It's a good movie. I had seen it earlier. Parents had not. We sat down, hoping for a good time. 

Little did we know, the channel would decide to play spoil sport. 

The movie began on time. They were showing the movie with adverts coming after every 15 mins or so. The length of the advert was around 3-4 minutes. It seems very short to us and we were pleasantly surprised. 

Slowly and gradually, in a way that only a few would notice in the beginning. The duration of the adverts began to increase. From 4 to 6 to 10 mins. So by the time it was around 11:30, the channel showed us 15 minutes of movie and 10 minutes of adverts. 

I started getting irritated. It was not because they were trying to fool us and getting away with it but it was because they were spoiling the charm of the movie. 

Right when I thought it could not get worse, they started showing less of the movie and more of the adverts. I was totally like WTF! 

For every 10 minutes of movie, I was made to sit through 15 mins of annoying and repetitive adverts. The movie that was supposed to end at 00:30 am had reached the penultimate scene at that time. The adverts started then. I moved around the house, waiting for the movie to end. 

I am a fan of the last song 'Suraj Ki Bahoon Mein' that comes with the credits. I had seen the movie earlier and was waiting specially for that song. 

And what do you know, for 25 minutes they showed advertisements and then cut directly to a soap opera!! :| 

I was angry. How can they cut out the last scene and the credits? I mean, does that not violate any rights of the people who worked for the movie? [tried looking for a law, couldn't find anything]

My dad, who had been asking me not to reveal the plot since the beginning, now wanted to know how it ends. :D

I spent the last 30 minutes of that night asking myself how ethical it was for Star Network to do this. 

Increasing the length of adverts in between, cutting movie scenes and not showing the credits of the movie. I am all for profit making but not at the cost of quality. I wish Star was more careful.

I am one dissatisfied customer. When I pay for a movie, I want to see it completely and without some Network trying to pull a fast one on me. So I thought I would write a post about it. Everyone who thinks this is something sad and should be stopped, share this post or atleast the contents. 

Dear Star Network,
Hum aapke customer banenge na dobara.
Sincerely,
Guy with unlimited internet and limited time. 

Sunday, October 9, 2011

The Courageous Heart

Meet Irene Sendler (1910-2008)



She was a 98 year old Polish Woman at her time of death. During World War II, Irene worked in the Warsaw Ghetto as a plumbing/sewer specialist. She dedicated herself to smuggle Jewish children out. Infrants were carried in the bottom of the tool box she used and older children in a buriap sack she had in the back of her truck.

She also had a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kid's and the infants noises. Irene managed to smuggle out and save 2500 children during this time.

She eventually was caught and the Nazis broke her legs, arms and beat her severely. Irene kept a record of the names of all the kids she smuggled out and in a glass jar buried under a tree in her backyard. After the way, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and reunited some of the families but most had been killed. She then helped those children get placement into foster family homes or adopted.

In 2007, Irene was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected.

Al Gore won for presenting a slide show on Global Warming.

Sometimes, good work done by people is not appreciated properly. We can't get her the Nobel Prize but we sure can spread the news of her good deeds to as many people as we can. Share this information with your friends.

Thank you.

P.S: There was a movie made on her named 'The Courageous Heart of Irene Sendler' in 2009.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Only in Law School

It just occurred to me that I have been in law school for almost 7 semesters now and I haven't written a 'Things I learnt at law school' or a 'Only at a law school' post. I am surprised.

7. Seven. VII. Semesters. That's a very long time. It has been a roller coaster. I won't go into details because that would reveal the mega post I have planned for after I complete law school. I'll just give you a few pointers.



Here goes.

1. People will start fearing you as soon as you get into a law school. I am talking about all your other non-law friends.

2. The fatter the course handout the more satisfying the feeling after you complete it in one night. 

3. Friends are few. Find them. Keep them close. Don't worry about enemies. They'll try to come close as well.

4. Food at home becomes tastier. A lot more tastier.

5. Sleeping is a luxury. Unless you are in class. Then its an art.

6. Contrary to popular opinion, your love for books will go up, albeit only for the non academic ones. 

7. Arguing over trivial things will seem like a hobby. Everyone around you will do it and enjoy it. 

8. You might be inclined to make contracts for everything from asking your girlfriend to give more time to you to making a plan for a trip with your best friend to the procedure and sequence of going to fill water bottles. 

9.  All your non-law friends will think you are like God and can save them if they rape someone or kill someone. Tell them you will. It makes them happy. :P

10. You will keep food locked up but will keep your Macbook Pro out in the open.

11. You will be able to say 'briefs' our loud without being embarrassed. 

12. You will tell people that you will sue them if they did something and then laugh in your head about how you can never do that. 

13. If you tell anyone you want to become a criminal lawyer, they will imagine a gun stuck to your belt.

14. You will learn how not to be afraid of fat books because you know that 'sabun ke shakal mein, ye to hai jhag'. #Delhibelly

15. Your creative writing skills will improve. Exams will be the reason.

16. You will try to prove everything, irrespective of how unreasonable it sounds. Just for kicks. 

17. Friendship over mutual hatred is common place.

18. Relationships for some people are like class coordinators. They change every year. 

19. Multi Tasking will become a necessity.

20. You will learn that you are not as awesome as you thought you were. 

Phew, I think I mentally went back to the first semester to write down all this. I am sure you can come up with some as well. Please do share. :) 

To end it, I give you a picture: 



P.S: No, I did not take permission to use these pictures. Sue me!


Monday, October 3, 2011

Why do we write?



I don't think anyone can give a straight forward answer to that. Atleast not a simple one. I can't answer for everyone. I can only tell you why do I like to write. There have been times when I literally crave about writing something. I am in such a mode right now.

Anyways, I write because...

it gives me a sense of satisfaction
it gives me a sense of purpose
it gives an outlet to my emotions
it gives me an opportunity to check how well I can put my thoughts into words
it makes me feel alive
it makes me feel like a child again
it excites me
it intrigues me
I feel connected to words
I feel writing is the second most effective mode of communicating an idea after face-to-face conversations.
it helps me draft better :P (Yes, law students always think about drafting)
it helps me satisfy my unending urge to talk
it helps me think differently
it lets me know what people's opinion
it makes me feel like I'm giving something to the world which has taught me so much

But most importantly, I write because it makes me happy!

"Write from your heart, write from your soul. Make the best of your talent, and don't ever let it go. Not for anything."

Keep writing. :)


Sunday, October 2, 2011

Gandhi and the other side of the story!

We all have heard Gandhi's side of the story. We all consider him a saint. One of the major reasons for it is that since childhood, we've been told he's almost as great as God himself

I have met only a handful people who have told me that they are not a Gandhi fan. I guess a lot of us don't talk about it because of the fear of being looked down upon. I mean, how can someone not like Gandhi? 

Well, one of the good things that a teacher of mine has taught me is, look at both sides of the issue. You are a law student, not a news channel.

So, today when I see all kinds of social media going gaga over the Mahatma, I decided to look for answers.


Read it completely with the comments, before continuing with this post. 

So, the guys who killed him had their reasons. Pretty strong ones at that. About Gandhi manipulating the media, I guess we have seen a similar example very recently with Anna Hazare. In a way, he is the new Gandhi. 

Gandhiji's principles of Non-violence and Civil Disobedience were not new. They are not Gandhi's principles. They are principles which he choose. 

I think people sympathize with Gandhi because all his 'sufferings and pain' have been well documented and broadly showcased. Humans have a tendency of doing that. We can be guided. We have been guided. 

Also, the whole "Hey Ram" controversy is also a big thing. There have been eye witnesses who have told the media that Gandhi just died. His being secular is also a question of debate. I guess he did not discriminate between people based on their religion. He only knew two kinds of people, one group that would follow him blindly and the other than won't. 

I have talked to people about this topic and they have told me these things:

"Majority of his followers were lower caste people who were ignored by all sections of the society. They followed him because he projected himself as their savior. This is basic human nature. If everyone hates you and later on your find someone who thinks you are kind of okay, then you will obviously respect that someone. After he had a crowd, he targeted the leaders. Leaders supported him because he had the support of a lot of people. Nothing looks better to a politian than a large crowd of hapless people ready to vote for him if the politian supported Gandhi." 

"What's with Jawaharlal Nehru being made Prime Minister? I mean, didn't Sardar Patel do all the hard work of reuniting the entire country? Or was he not charismatic enough for capture the imagination of the recently independent state?"

"He was a master manipulator. He took the issue very close to everyone's heart and then used it to his advantage."

"If we believe that based on our actions our Karma gives us what we deserve in life then him being shot dead is something that tells us a lot about the things he might have done."

These are just the ones I distinctly remember. There are a lot more of these. Ask around with a open mind and you will be surprised. Let me clarify, I am not anti-gandhi but then neither am I pro-gandhi. I just know that something is amiss. 

On this Second October 2011, I want you to sit back and think about the life and events of Mahatma Gandhi. A man, who could lead capture the imagination of such a huge and diverse country was surely awesome. Let's just make sure that we don't forget the other side of the story. 

To end on a lighter note:




P.S: The Facebook display picture of this blog's fan page is also related to Gandhi, go check it out. :D
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