Rain Man

Rain Man is a 1988 Hollywood comedy-drama starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in lead roles. Despite being a couple of decades old, even today the movie hasn’t lost its appeal and appears to be as fresh as the morning dew. The context and the theme is such that one can easily relate to it even in the present day and I dare say even in the future days to come.

Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) is a rash and selfish young man, and a car dealer who doesn’t hesitate being unscrupulous. When he hears of his multi-millionaire and estranged father’s death, he rushes to Cincinnati to settle the inheritance and is only too shocked to discover that the major part of the estate has gone to an institution and he was left only with a car. Some investigation reveals that the he has an autistic older brother, Raymond (Hoffman) hitherto unknown to him, who lives in the institution which received his father’s estate. Determined to get his fair share Charlie embarks on a journey which begins with abducting the brother with an intention of claiming his share. This cross-country journey in their car is nothing short of a revelation and a beginning of a bonding between the brothers. Raymond, though devoid of any apparent display of emotions, has a razor sharp brain, capable of doing complex mathematical calculations and a memory that could recollect stacks of statistical data. Charlie’s selfish streak shows up when he is seen making use of his brother’s extraordinary capabilities, in casinos to make piles of money. But what is moving in the story is the change of heart that Charlie gradually has. Raymond is afraid of changes and follows a repetitive routine in his daily life, which exasperates Charlie. From being annoyed with this, Charlie slowly begins to understand his brother and even grows to become protective and begins to love him. It really touches you, when Charlie realizes that he does vaguely remember the memories of his old brother when he was a child. He had an imaginary playmate and friend all through his childhood whom he called ‘Rain Man’, only to realize now that it was no one else but his own brother ‘Raymond’. And the revelation as to why the brother was sent away to an institution also changes Charlie for the better.

The exploration of fraternal ties and emotional bonds between two brothers has been amazingly and touchingly portrayed. Charlie’s change of heart and character is what probably their father wanted when he left Charlie with nothing from the estate but a car. Watch this movie on a lazy weekend and enjoy the emotional and enjoyable journey that this multiple Oscar winning movie takes you on!

Köln Carnival

Did you know that Eau de Cologne or just Cologne originated from Cologne, Germany? Well, I didn't know until we actually visited Cologne! Cologne had been on the cards for some time, but we decided to postpone it until the carnival week which started sometime towards the end of February. The Karneval is supposed to be the German version of Mardi Gras, and a chance for people to party wildly! Situated on the river Rhein, Cologne is the fourth-largest city in Germany in terms of inhabitants after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich.

We arrived in Köln on a wet Sunday noon. Just before the train pulled into the central railway station we crossed the river Rhein, and across the river we were greeted by the sight of the magnificent Köln Cathedral towering high above. It almost took our breath away. On alighting from the train we were came across huge crowds of people dressed up in costumes! We too had brought some props - devil's horns, pirate hats etc. But our preparation looked miniscule before the riot of colours that lay before us!

We got out of the station, and decided to take a peek into the Kölner Dom - the cathedral which we saw from the train. It was an awesome piece of architecture! Its towering height, and beautifully carved interiors captivated us. The peace and calm that prevailed inside the cathedral was soothing. Next we picked up some maps from the tourist information center. Because of the carnival most of the places of tourist interest like the museums were closed.

We walked around in the city, looking at people dressed as flowers, butterflies, superman, fairies and even ghosts! We walked toward the bridge to take a closer look at the river. It got windy near the river side but the skyline looked really beautiful. Coming back towards the city we decided to take our places before the processions began. It was beginning to get crowded with more and more people pouring in. We also bought some Pommes Frites (French fries) to feed our hungry selves! We perched atop some seats placed higher up on some temporarily created covered platforms on either side of the road. There began our wait for that day's parade - which was supposed to be the school children's procession.

It was the most in terms of variety and combination of colours that I had ever seem. Groups of children, accompanied by adults were dressed up in costumes and carried floats depicting a variety of themes. The atmosphere was vibrant, with the colourful exhbits, and people in the parade throwing chocolates and other little items to the people sitting on either side. We were so high up that we barely managed to get a few toffees. Children sitting closer to the road carried away bag loads of chocolates and other gifts!

After a couple of hours, with the procession still going on, we decided to stretch our legs and explore a little bit more of the carnival city. We were a group of 3 girls and 3 guys and the girls seemed to be more enthusiatic about trying out new things :) One such thing was the Kölsch beer which we had heard much about. In the crowds the guys somehow managed to get lost and we 3 girls merrily headed toward one such stall with served the Kölsch beer. I was told that it wasn't as bitter as the normal beer, but somehow couldn't agree! The huge mug that each one of us got was too much, so had to pour away a quite a bit into the drainage :( We also managed to locate a souvenir shop and I got myself the famed Eau de Cologne from Cologne!

Time was up, and we started getting calls from the guys asking us where we were! Well, they had already reached the station and were waiting for us. So deciding not to cause anymore grief to them we headed back to the station and boarded our train back to Frankfurt!

Heidelberg calls...

Having arrived in Frankfurt in the middle of the one of its coldest and snowy winters, there wasn't much hope of successfully accomplishing any travels immediately. Every weekend we would check weather conditions, and drop any plans that we would mentally have of going out anywhere! But, thanks to AVK, who visited Frankfurt all the way from London just for a weekend, we finally decided, enough! Now we have to plan something, atleast for someone who is coming all the way from London through Paris by train(having missed his direct flight from London!) and hence would make it to Frankfurt only on Saturday evening! So it was decided... Heidelberg it would be on Sunday, the 1st of Feb 2009!

We were a group of 5 which ensured the maximum utilization of the Schönes Wochenende Ticket ('Happy Weekend Ticket') that we bought. Early on Sunday morning, we climbed into one of the Deutsche Bahn's regional trains (RE and RB) and took a one and half hour ride to reach Heidelberg. How chilly it was! To add to our misery it was raining when we arrived... Despite all odds we braved our way out of the railway station to look for a map or some kind of a guide to help us explore the little castle city.

Soon we realized that it being a Sunday, the tourist information office outside the station was closed! So we just a bought a group ticket for the local transport and studied the huge city map outside and headed into the city. We decided to walk since it was quite picturesque and we had heard that the castle was within walking distance. We passed by a lot of amazing architecture and through the old town with narrow lanes and small buidings. Finally we came by to somewhere near the base of the hill (Königstuhl) on which the castle was built. It was such a steep climb all the way up to the castle, but we enjoyed it - clicking pictures on the way and stopping for short snack breaks. Once up there we bought the entry tickets and began exploring this 'fortress'. The view from high above was breath-taking. No photograph could capture what we were experiencing from up there. The old city, the river Neckar on which the city lay, the bridge across the river, all were a feast to our eyes. It was getting chilly up there so we decided to come down after buying some souvenirs. On our way back we visited an old church and also took some pictures in the town square. Next on our list was Alte Brücke (old bridge) and Brückentor (Bridge gate). As we came closer to the river, it began to get windy and all of us were dying to get back into the comforts of some warmth! But our attention was captured by the 'Heidelberg Monkey' which was a brass monkey with the face like a mask through which we could put our heads in and pose for photographs! One by one, all of us took turns to get our photos clicked :) As we crossed the bridge we took more photos, admiring the natural beauty, but also simultaneously deciding to get into a tram or a bus for some warmth! So we did, and took a ride through the entire city, crossing the river a couple of times! Then it was time to head back to the station with darkness almost about to descend!

At the station AVK treated all of us to butter pretzel which was one of the most amazing snacks that we had ever had. Back in Frankfurt all of us were really tired and headed almost straight to bed having spent a really worthwhile day!

Us: Poonam, Sudha, Nishit, Karthik (AVK) and Sukanya

Celebrating the spirit of India in Frankfurt – Durga Puja 2009

If there is a place where there are grandiose festive celebrations, idols larger than life, dance and music, then it must be India! But far far away from India, in the country of Germany, festive spirits are kept alive by the bunch of the Indian community present.

Durga Puja – the biggest and grandest festival in Bengal - was brought to life this year like the past 26 years, by the Rhein-Main Bengali Cultural Association of Frankfurt at Saalbau Gutleut. A beautifully decorated idol of Goddess Durga along with her children Saraswati, Lakshmi, Ganesh and Kartik were placed on platform for worhip. The scale was miniscule when compared to that in India, particularly Bengal, nevertheless the effort put up was by any means Herculean which culminated in a spectacular show.

It was mix of crowds that the occasion presented, with not only Bengalees, but people from various Indian communities and also some Germans who participated. Men, women and children dressed in colourful traditional attire bowed before the Goddess to take her blessings. Everyone was invited to join in the celebrations of this autumn festival.

The first day of the Puja was MahaShashthi which began which the Shashthipuja followed by devotional songs invoking the Goddess Durga. The next three days were the main days of worship –MahaShaptami, MahaAshtami and MahaNavami. Each day began with the worship of the Goddess and then Pushpanjali (offering flowers to the deity). Every evening saw enchanting cultural programmes like classical and modern dance, music, plays etc. performed by the members or by troupes who came from India. Not to forget the delicious food that was served everyday cooked by the members themselves! The celebrations ended with the MahaDashami puja and the immersion of the idol with all the devotees praying to Maa Durga to pay her visit very soon next year.

Mesmerizing it was to see an Indian festival come to life miles away from India. The spirit of India is carried almost anywhere, where a few Indians get to meet, could we ever doubt that?

Long time...

It's been really long since I last wrote anything. I wouldn't be too wrong if I said that I was very busy. Yes, busy with work and travel. Travelled around, visting picture-perfect places about which I hope to write sometime soon. But for the time-being I have a photo of the night view of Frankfurt am Main, where I am residing at the moment, pasted in here.

Fashion

This was one movie that I had been waiting for quite some time now, and it certainly didn't disappoint me. It is also a film which saves Priyanka Chopra after a series of flops that she's had this year, and she's back with a bang. It's an all out female dominated film and the men are required for all the supporting characters. Madhur Bhandarkar true to his image of making 'realistic' films lives upto his reputation. It certainly won't come as a surprise if this film or the lead actor wins a National Award!
The movie traces the journey of an aspiring model (Priyanka) from a small town (Chandigarh) and her struggle to the top, her inability to handle success leading to arrogant behaviour and then to her fall and finally her rise back to being a supermodel. Through this journey Madhur shows the world of gay designers, the marriage of convenience between one such rich guy with a model (Mugdha), hints of casting couch, tranformation in attitide of models, and how they take up to drinking, smoking and doing drugs trying to cope up with the stress. Kangana plays an established model who is unable to cope up with the pressures - drinks, smokes and does drugs and finally succumbs. The newcomer Mugdha Godse has done pretty well for her first film in the role of a sensible and rooted model though not very successful one. The movie shows us the not so glamorous side of the fashion industry, the struggle and sacrifice and compromises involved behind all the glitz and glam. Priyanka and Kangana have displayed amazing acting skills (Kangana seems to playing similar roles of drinking-smoking-lost in life woman in all her movies) and I am quite sure this is one of their career deifining movies. Goes without saying it is a must watch!

Mumbai Meri Jaan

Mumbai Meri Jaan is a movie based on the serial train blasts in July 2006 in Mumbai. The films depicts the never-say-die attitude of the Mumbaikars even in the face of the most testing situations. Slices from the lives of 5 characters post the blasts are interwoven in this movie. The acting of each and every character is superb and at par with the superior script and direction. The story has been handled with utmost sensitivity digging deep into the various facets of human emotions which is bound to move you and leave you moist-eyed in the end. It effectively brings out how the same disaster can mean different things to different people depending on which side you stand - a victim or a mute observer. Over all it's a must watch movie and a meaningful one too in these times.