Big B (the not so tall one)

This Sunday, I went along with a friend to Alliance Francaise de Delhi on Lodhi Road, where cultural events are regularly held. The plan was to get away from the corporate scene for a bit and and take in some art. We decided to catch up a play, The Big B by the Pierrot's Troupe.

The play was heavily based on Munshi Premchand's Bade BhaiSahab, though the presentation had a very anglicized flavor. There were only 3 characters and the setting was the same throughout, the room shared by the two brothers around whom the story revolved. It was shown in flashback punctuated now and then by monologues by the protagonist who was an old man taking a walk down the memory lane. He was reminiscing about his school days when he used to share a room in the city with his brother who, though 5 yrs elder to him, was just 3 yrs senior to him at school. The play was a journey over the next couple of yrs as the brothers came closer. In class! :)

Some incidents were lifted straight from the original story , infact even some dialogues. Those turned out to be more entertaining than the rest. The acting was above average which made for a decent watch even though we had to pretend we hadn't heard the jokes before...

There is another review published in hindu which favors the play more than mine does. Check it out at http://www.hinduonnet.com/fr/2007/04/27/stories/2007042701330300.htm

Review Time: Chasing Harry Winston by Lauren Weisbereger

http://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Harry-Winston-Lauren-Weisberger/dp/0743290119

The fun-filled story revolves around 3 friends...poles apart from each other, the only common thing being... they are all about to reach 30.

Frail, pretty Emmy, who has just been dumped by her boy friend of 5 yrs.
Sophisticated, always-in-control Leigh! She has a great job, a great boy friend, and a great apartment. Her life is perfect or atleast that's what the world thinks.
Sexy, stunning Adriana, with a huge trust fund and no responsibilities, except looking great and having fun.

Emmy and Adriana make a bet that the loyal, commitment seeking, sometimes clinging Emmy should indulge in casualo relationships all over the world. After all, she's just been offered a job that will take her to every charming destination on the globe, why not make the most of it! On the other hand, wild cat Adi has to (gasp, OMG!) SETTLE DOWN with a diamond ring on her finger. And poor dear Leigh, why would she want to change anything. Atleast that what Adi and Emmy think, while Leigh can name a few or more... or maybe her whole life...

This year long journey in the lives of these 3 is light, fun and a good read. The downside is that you never get a chance to bond with any of the heroines. You like them, but you don't root for them. On the whole, a very good time pass!

And that makes it Larger Than Life!

Someone recently told me that I tend to concentrate on a problem much more than I do on the solution. I didnt like hearing that (obviously), but, even a little retrospection made me realize how true that was. And that is why any problem seems so big. I'm the one who feeds the fuel to the issue. By dwelling on the injustice of it all, I'm the one who's actually providing all the ammunition to it. Walking away might seem more cowardly that standing up for something, but we need to choose what is really worth standing up for. When I choose to walk away from a problem, I make a conscious decision of not giving it enough importance. One crucial rule of martial arts is "waste no energy". I think it is 1 rule everyone should incorporate into their life.

Death Valley

Wow! What an incredible experience. From mountains, to virtual lakes, to sand dunes, to mosaic... it was like flipping through the pages of a calendar, so many different vistas in 1 day!!