About the Blog

This is my diary....what I make sense of, around me. You'll find short prose on contemporary topics that interest me. What can you expect - Best adjectives? …. hmm occasionally, tossed around flowery verbs ?…. Nope, haiku-like super-brevity? … I try to. Thanks for dropping by & hope to see you again

January 24, 2016

Shadows and Echoes: The Unveiled Chronicles of Netaji Bose

The Veil Lifted: Reflecting on the Shrouded Legacy of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose


In the quiet corridors of power, a gentle rustling of pages has emerged, carrying with it the echoes of a past that's both turbulent and telling. The government's recent unveiling of classified documents on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose whispers tales of a man whose heroism, once unsung, now resonates with the clarity of truth, as we're confronted with a narrative pitted with the thorns of deceit and the shadows of manipulation.

It's a peculiar feeling to sit back and mull over the fact that while the country was lulled into a serene dream of Socialism, Panchasheel, and Non-alignment, the very fabric of our historical tapestry was being subtly re-stitched to favor the vision of a single narrative - a narrative that seemed to monopolize the very essence of the freedom struggle.

The indignation bubbles up, not solely at the suggestion that some might've whispered the title 'War Criminal' in the same breath as Bose's name - though that in itself is enough to stoke the fires of frustration—but at the broader realization of how his legacy was handled.

The Clash of Ideologies: Bose vs. The Pacifist Narrative


Bose's approach to freedom was akin to a fierce monsoon against the mild drizzles of the Congress's pacifism. He was no advocate for turning the other cheek. His was the conviction that freedom was to be wrested with might and mettle, even if it meant standing shoulder to shoulder with the Axis powers in the thick of the Pacific War.

It was not the gentle persuasion of non-violence but the thunderous strides of the Indian National Army that, as per the candid confessions of Clement Atlee to a certain Mr. Chaterjee of the Supreme Court, accelerated the British exodus, carving out the path for our very own 'Indie Brexit'.

To be branded a quisling by the British might have been a mark of their grudging acknowledgment of his potency, but one wonders whether the same fear gripped those who took the reigns post-independence. Was Bose's radical vision of nation-building and his reputation as a man of decisive action too formidable a shadow over the newly established order?

The Enigma of Gumnami Baba: Unraveling Bose's Final Days


The whispers of his survival, the tales of his incognito existence as the enigmatic Gumnami Baba, as meticulously pieced together by Anuj Dhar, resonate with the question: Why was the conclusion of his epic saga kept obscured? Was it merely political maneuvering or was it a sign of something deeper, a symptom of a collective trepidation?

Perhaps the answer lies in the musings of Henri Louis Bergson, suggesting that our present is but a mirror to our past, and within our outcomes are the seeds of their origins. In reflecting on the tangled skein that was Bose's end—be it through political machinations or a simple bout of bureaucratic clumsiness—we are forced to confront the possibility that in the grand drama of our nation's birth, we may have been less than gracious to one of its most fervent architects.

So here we sit, pondering over the declassified papers, as they settle like dust on the window sill of our nation's conscience, inviting us to revisit, reassess, and perhaps, to revere.



The Legacy in Hindsight: Bose's Influence on India's Departure from Colonial Rule


 

January 10, 2016

Star Wars - The Force Awakens: film review

Star Wars - The force awakens’ plot is a grand running continuum, in this episode Luke Skywalker, the last of the Jedi has gone into hibernation. He is ostensibly devastated by the back stabbing done by one of his protege-in-resistance. Meanwhile his bête noire, the evil first order has risen from total destruction of the empire and will not stop until it gets him.

In his absence his sister,General Leia Organa leads a brave resistance with the help of the republic. She needs to find Luke (her brother) and help restore peace and justice to the galaxy. She begins the search at planet called Jakku through an old supporter who has some clue to Luke's hiding place.And thus begins a grand adventure, with the evil empire led by Kylo Ren close on their heels.


star wars - the force awakens sketch for blog review



Star Wars - The force awakens is a movie set on a inter galactic scale, a creative potboiler that seems to have drawn from Star Trek, Men in Black and Avatar . Its about the good vs the evil fight in a far off Galaxy, and the pursuit of order and justice spearheaded by Luke Skywalker, the Jedi and the fight with dark forces led by the first order. This sequel (which is a running franchise) is probably a staging event for the return of the Jedi in the next installment (he appears in only one singular frame reserved in the end).
 

Why you must see the movie, Star Wars -The force awakens?

1. The size and scale of imagination is awesome, right from the space junkyard with massive space ship debris to the intergalactic gun (the fierce machine) which obliterates planets in one swoop

2. The pace is riveting. One big chase between the resistance and the first order henchmen for the micro chip that will lead to the missing Jedi

3. The next-gen Hollywood talent is in the offing. With people like Harrison aging (he barely seemed to hold himself together in the movie, i mean physically though) other leading characters actors (newbies) remind me of actors like Denzil Washington, Al Pacino.

4. The thrill of space ships zooming-in 3D at fourteen parsecs, and the life size scale of the space stations are breath taking.


Despite all the space razzmatazz the human element in Star Wars - The force awakens makes it so engaging;
a son (kylo Ren) who has drifted into darkness (evil ) because he believes his father (Hans Solo) was weak and foolish,
an ordinary space junk collector (Ray) discovers her true potential in pursuit of the good



The dialogues are crackling too, sample this
Kylo Ren: Look how old you've become.
Lor San Tekka: Something far worse has happened to you.


Kylo Ren ( who looks like the evil Bane from The Dark Knight Rises with a costume that resembles a Nazi Black Helmet and a cloak is not dead, it remains to be seen what supreme leader Snoke trains him up to in the next episode. But the old fox Han Solo sadly will be missed as the space smuggler meets a tragic end in the memorable father-son encounter

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