Script-Reading Sessions

Techies - if you have come to this page while googling for Java Script or HTTP Sessions - please don't read any further ! This post doesn't have anything even closely related to such computer terminologies.

This post is about script-reading sessions that a drama/theatre group usually conducts before kick-starting the practice for the drama. In Bollywood, it is common for a director to conduct such sessions with selected actors and unit members before taking the muhurat shot. In her book Sholay: The Making of a Classic , the author Anupama Chopra gives an interesting account of how the Salim-Javed duo used to narrate the script to the cast of Sholay. Powerful script narration techniques can go a long way in breathing life into every character in the drama.

On Saturday, we (the script-writing team of the dramatics group) conducted a script-reading session of our forthcoming play. It was a culmination of almost two months of on-off-weekend-efforts that the script-writing team had put up - an effort that saw us transform a simple one-paragraph idea (meme) into 15 scenes spanning 26 pages of a Word document.

When we started the script narration, we kept our fingers-crossed. The questions - have we done a good job - repeatedly came to our minds. As the session proceeded, all such apprehensions were put to rest - actors were getting engrossed in the script and were actually relating themselves to the characters that had been etched on paper ! The occasional applauds and appreciations that we received while moving from one scene to the next were a big confidence booster to the writer-personality within us !

The session ended on an upbeat note with actors taking print-outs of the script and having discussions on which roles were the juiciest ones. For me, this will go down as one of those memorable Saturday mornings. The thrill associated with such successful script-reading sessions is equivalent to the thrill that a cricketer gets on smashing a ton in one-day games. It just cannot be described in words !

Table-Tennis is here !

After carrom and the gym cycle, today was the turn of the Table Tennis facility to arrive at my new office location. Post-lunch, we inaugrated the TT table and it was good to be part of the inaugral game :) ...
Just came back after playing 3 rounds of my favorite recreation game !

Those DDLJ Days

Today, the movie starring my favorite actor celebrates 500 weeks of uninterrupted screening at Maratha Mandir theatre, Mumbai. It is also an apt occasion for me to recollect memories inseparably associated with this magical movie !

If my memory serves me right, DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge) was released during the Diwali of 1995. The entire nation was still recovering from the charm of Hum Aapke Hain Kaun... ! The popularity of Madhuri Dixit was at its peak. The songs had mesmerised everybody and the popular tunes of Didi Tera Dewar Deewana occasionally rented the air in the alleyways. The strategy of the production houses to delay video casette releases and prohibit cable TV broadcasts had worked wonders. Audiences were again entering into the movie halls ! Needless to say, expectations from Bollywood were at an all-time high !

Yashraj Films clearly knew what the masses were looking for. They stepped up their nation-wide pre-release publicity drives. One of the eye-catching posters of DDLJ depicted Raj and Simran hugging each other in the backdrop of a mustard field and inviting audiences to watch the movie with the tag line - Come... Fall in Love. Yashraj Films also acquired a prime-time slot on the national channel - Doordarshan - to telecast The Making of DDLJ. Since this was something very unique in the history of Indian cinema, it attracted a lot of attention and I remember recording it on our VCR. If you have missed it, watch-out for NDTV's re-telecast of the making episode in the coming week.

As for me and my friends circle, 1995 was our first year in junior college. We were undergoing metamorphosis into young adults and we were desperately trying to shed our school kid image. As we recall them now, those were our crush-prone days. So when we first listened to the music of DDLJ, it set our senses ablaze and injected a mystical feeling of elation. The beautiful lyrics accompanied by the sweet strains of the guitar mischievously tickled our hearts and soon we were all whistling to the tune of Tujhe Dekha to ye Jaana Sanam...

Following the hype and hoopla, the movie opened to full houses all over India and audiences got more than what the posters depicted. It literally took the audiences for an entertaining trans-continental ride around the world - starting from cold surroundings of UK and reaching the lush-green lands of Punjab via the exotic locations of Europe.

The characters in the movie managed to captivate not only the Indian audience, but also the NRIs living in UK and USA. Every role had its own importance in the movie and helped in moving the story of Raj and Simran to its logical conclusion. The wedding months of November and December reverberated with tunes of Mehndi Lagake Rakhna... . During the college annual gatherings, it was common to see an item with girls were dancing to the beats of Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye. Boys did not lag behind either. They too were trying hard to wear the cool-dude persona of Raj. One of my college-mates actually suggested that if you watch the movie with your girlfriend, by the end of the movie, she will definitely propose you ! Whatever the purpose, people kept watching the movie again and again. Because the movie was a full paisa-vasool film ! Not only for the audience, but also for the distributors.

Post-release the movie changed the careers of the star-cast and catapulted them to glory. The SRK-Kajol pair joined the club of most popular leading pairs in Bollywood. We saw a simultaneous rise in the fortunes of both Kajol and SRK. Especially for Shahrukh Khan. After excelling in negative loser type roles and playing second fiddle to leading heroes, SRK for the first time had got an opportunity to potray a happy-go-lucky chocolate hero. He gratified his fans by playing the role with style and grace. He was well on his way to become the Badshah of Bollywood !

The movie also received rave reviews and went on to win numerous awards and also gathered a huge fan-following. One review comment, that I vividly recollect, sums it all - if HAHK reminds you of a Gujarati Thali, then DDLJ serves you an inter-continental buffet !

If you want to read more on what the fans of DDLJ have to say, visit this link.

IT Industry in Goa

Since Goa will soon become my second place of residence, I have been reading up a lot about Goa these days. Today my curiosity led me to the official website of the Government of Goa (http://goagovt.nic.in).

The order of links on the left hand side of the welcome page caught my attention. Why is the link to Information Technology placed ahead of the link to Tourism ?

Given that Goa is trying to catch-up with other IT-investment-hungry states, may be it reflects the strong desire of state government to turn Goa into the next high profile IT-destination.
If you drill down into the IT-related links, you will find out that the state government has instituted a variety of committees and has chalked out a number of grassroot level programs (MahitiGhar and ShikshaNET) to make the state IT-enabled. The orders and circulars section and the final draft of IT Policy on the website make an interesting read. I sincerely hope Goa does a good job of IT ! All the best, Goa !

However, the media seems to be maintaining a mysterious silence around this initiative. The only time it highlights Goa is at the time of New Year by coming up with a supplement on Goa beaches and the celebrities planning to visit Goa. It perhaps is more interested in the political turmoil, Page 3 parties and tourism related happenings in Goa. A Google search on this initiative, pointed me to an old 1999 article published by Rediff.

Also, I haven't yet heard of plans by any IT big-wig to set up their development centres in Goa.

So today, I casually asked one of the trainees from Goa on why well-known software companies shy away from opening their development centres in Goa. Pat came the reply - Probably they don't want to come to the sea-shore and lose their offshore advantage !

Momentary Knock-out

Almost every profession, introduces a new set of terminologies and phrases into the English language. The software profession is no exception. So while it has definitely contributed a host of new terms, it has also widely redefined the connotation associated with English words like 'compile', 'build' and 'link'.

I remember how Computer Science students of a local engineering college had used this redefinition to conjure a catch-phrase for their T-shirt. The T-shirt proudly announced: We compile the past, link to the present and build the future !

This redefinition may seem innocuous in professional life, but let me warn you of the potential embarrassment it can cause if used in the context of day-to-day life in the presence of non-techie people.

Let me take a case in point. Yesterday I met a friend and casually enquired about one more friend who had recently been admitted into a hospital on account of viral fever. I asked him a simple question - So when is he going to be released ?

The last word of my question caused a momentary knock-out, something very similar to what the hero of the Tata Indica ad experiences each time he tells a lie with confidence ! Are you still puzzled - then you might be one of my techie brethren. Read on to find out the reason for my knock-out !

Release - is a word that software engineers use with alarming frequency. Sometimes it motivates them and sometimes it scares them. This time it scared me out of context and got images of my English teacher in front of me. Chetan - you are using the wrong word ! For God's sake, he is not in prison. He is in a hospital and people get discharged from a hospital and not released !

My friend probably sensed my goof-up and answered with a smile - he will get discharged tomorrow.

Experiencing Nostalgia

On Saturday, while taking a walk around the new office premises, I chanced upon PMT bus no. 78, that goes to Marketyard. The nearby bus-stop beckoned me to alight the bus and encouraged me to make a surprise visit to the place of my old residence. So as if under some trance, I sprinted towards the bus-stop and boarded the bus just before it could leave.

I occupied a window-seat and asked the conductor to give me a ticket to Marketyard bus depot. As the bus raced towards Marketyard via Swargate (recently rechristined to Rajashri Shahu Maharaj Bus Sthanak), I could already sense waves of memories, representing the past decade, rushing towards the shores of my mind.

In a matter of minutes, my destination arrived.
As I alighted the bus, the sight of the depot and the familiar odour of diesel, reminded me of the endless hours I had spent here waiting for bus no.41, bus no.11, and bus no. 140 during my school and college days.

The area, which more than a decade ago, wore a deserted look, has now undergone a sea change. A variety of new shops and stores have now mushroomed in the vicinity thanks to people purchasing flats and moving into the sprawling Gangadham complex. The cemented road connecting Bibvewadi and Kondhwa is now the life-line of the area, supporting the numerous businesses that have sprouted on both sides of the by-pass. Housing complexes, hair-cutting saloons, ice-cream shops, video parlours, boutiques, fast-food centers, restaurants, general stores, chemical shops, garages and dispensaries lining the road not only highlight the commercial value of the place but also indicate the changing life-style of people living in the area.

So as I cruised along the road with wonder and amazement, my eyes tried to spot the shops I used to visit. I wondered, is this the same road on which, I went for regular-evening walks with my brother, discussing the events at school and college and pondering over the uncertain future.
I carried my thoughts forward into the compound of my old residential building. The boys playing in the verandah reminded me of the post-homework hours that I had spent here kicking football and playing galli-cricket.

My recollections were interrupted by a familiar voices saying - Desai-ncha mulga aala waTtoya - Kay re kasa aahes - aaz achanak ikde kasa kay ? The voices belonged to my mother's friends - Kakus of the colony. Though they had grown older, the tone in their voices carried the same warmth and affection as before. As usual, they were sitting on the katta near the building, enjoying the evening breeze and chatting in chaste Marathi. With my arrival, they found new topics for discussion.

They started with their customary question Tu Vijay, ki Chetan ? - Amhala tar bua kadhich lakshat rahat nahin ! (Are you Vijay or Chetan ? we can never make out.). After convincing them that I am Chetan, they renewed their interrogation with questions regarding whereabouts of my dad, mom and brother. They were pleased to hear about my Dad's transfer to Goa and started telling me everything they knew about Goa ! Finally their description concluded with - Aai-la sang, kaljee karu nakoos, Goa ekdam surekh zaga aahe ! (Tell your mother, not to worry - Goa is a very beautiful place). Listening to their conversation, ideas of new Goa Tourism promotion ads started germinating in my mind.

Saying Punha bethuya - I took their leave and started walking towards our first-floor flat number 7. While climbing the steps, black-n-white images of two school-children appeared in front of me. They scrambled up the stairs, covering two-steps at a time and started ringing the door-bell of flat no.7. An angel figure opened the door taking them inside with motherly love ! On the eve of Mother's Day, I had just met my mother ! Khushi ke aansu nikal pade !

Since it was a surprise visit, I did not have keys to the flat. In a way, that was a good thing. Otherwise unlocking the door, would have opened another can of memories.

Let me save those cans for some other blog post :) and put an end to my surfing on the waves of nostalgia before the present moment turns into past ! Someone has rightly pointed out - Nostalgia is like grammar. You will always find the present tense and the past perfect !

So, How is the new place ?

As mentioned in my previous post, my work place recently shifted. And many people have been casually asking me this question - So, how is the new place ?
Let me try to answer it here briefly.

About the location
It's good. It has a more serene location unlike City Mall which was just off the road ! There are also some good restaurants around. For fish lovers there is Nisarg and for decent veg food there is Samudra near Nal stop.

About the workhall
The interiors of our workhall are much more pleasant, the entire flooring is carpeted and the cubicles walls have a steel finish giving it a more trendy look ! Wall paintings and artificial potted plants add to the ambience of the workhall. On each floor there is a lounge for taking coffee-breaks. The coffee-machine out here has 8 attractive options - White Coffee, Black Coffee, Mocachino, Capuchino, Chocolate, Hot Soup, Tea, etc... and so far all of them work ! Hot Chocolate is the most popular drink out here !

About the caterer
It seems he is experimenting with us. Y'day he tried a wierd combination - Chinese + Pav Bhaji + Mug Dal + Rasugola. Hope he gets better or he may get changed !

About recreational facilities
The carrom-boards have arrived and now we are waiting for the TT table & multi-gym.

About my cubicle
It's a cosy little cubicle tucked in the corner, just next to the window. So this time I have a window seat :)

Poem for someone special

It was almost the end of the working day,
When I first met you in the corridor leading to the stairway.
I asked myself,
Did I meet someone special today ?

As I kept meeting you in the months of winter,
Your simplicity always put me in wonder,
And my mind became your silent admirer.
I asked myself,
Why am I thinking about a stranger ?

One fine morning, as I watched the sun rise,
And thought of all special people in my life,
Your face appeared as a pleasant surprise !
I asked myself,
Whether telling this to you would be wise or unwise ?

In the evening, as I pondered over the questions above,
And watched the sun set out of the window,
A message appeared in the twilight glow:
"If you think someone is special,
You should let that person know,
For, there may never be a tomorrow."
(Kya pata - Kal Ho Na Ho :)

Copyright (c) 2005 Chetan