10 MOVIES to see before you fade way

There are few masterpieces which come along with time that find their way to the Cult
section of the movie buffs.
Now this is not a list of Top 10 movies or an effort of any of that sort. It’s purely a personal discretion of the movies you would want to see before you fade away. For the sheer diversity and genres they cover. They may not be the run of mill hits or timeless classics but a surreal experience which you live for those very 90 minutes or so.

Schindlers List – Steven Spielberg at his best with this holocaust drama. His Jewish sensibilities are brought out profoundly in this movie about a group of Jewish immigrants saved from the atrocities of Nazis by Oscar Schindler’s patronage and industries. Based on a true story Liam Neeson gives a performance of his lifetime. The movie is an eye-opener for those who are not aware of the plight of the Jewish people during the Second World War.

Star Trek & Star Wars – If you are a science buff these two are the holy grail of sci-fi movies. Both of the movies were way ahead of its times , with their sound & visual effects and characters like Spock , Darth Vader , Luke Skywalker , Zedis etc have became folklores. They have not only captivated audience since the 70’s but have led to a new industry woven around them , with the merchandising ,television series and a franchise still spellbinding audiences.

Black Hawk Down – This is vintage Ridley Scott and one of the best in the War genre. US Delta squad and battalions find themselves in the middle of Somalia – which is infested by civil war and mass killings to an extent of genocide. The camaraderie between the soldiers, purpose , morality and ethical implications of war are brought out beautifully by Scott. Josh Hartnett and Eric Bana give one of their best performances. Watch out for the beautifully cinematography and breathtaking war sequences.

Fight Club – You talk about movies which have become folktales and cult in their own right this movie epitomizes all those emotions. Voted as the best Guy movie , this is the best in dark thriller genre. A ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a slippery soap salesman channel primal male aggression into a shocking new form of therapy. Their concept catches on, with underground "fight clubs" forming in every town, until an eccentric gets in the way and ignites an out-of- control spiral toward oblivion. Edward Norton and Brad Pitt at their very best. Highly recommended for the guys.

Before Sunrise / Before Sunset – This is for the romantics, one of the best in the genre. American tourist Jesse and French student Celine meet by chance on the train from Budapest to Vienna. Sensing that they are developing a connection,

Jesse asks Celine to spend the day with him in Vienna, and she agrees. Passing
the time before his scheduled flight the next morning. How do two perfect
strangers connect so intimately over the course of a single day? What is that
special thing that bonds two people so strongly? As their bond turns to love,
what will happen to them the next morning when Jesse flies away? The sequel
continues with the story of Jesse and Celine in the second installment and it just
gets better.

Shawshank Redemtion – Voted one of the best movies of all times, this is a story of Hope , Justice and faith which even transcends boundaries of time. Based on Stephen King’s novel Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufrane, wrongly imprisoned for 20 years for the murder of his wife. The story focuses on Andy's relationship with "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman, in probably his best role) and his attempts to escape from Shawshank , great performances and cameos all around.
The last 10 minutes of the movie will leave you with a big smile and a tear in your
eye , so powerful is the narration and rendition.

Lost Stock and Two Smoking Barrels – One of the best British comedies ever made, from the house of Guy Ritchie. This is the best comedy, humour & wit can get in cinema. The characters and the circumstances are the winners in this movie, 4 diverse personalities who befriend each other , a treacherous Money Lender , a comic Drug Lord , two buffoon thieves and a group of students growing ganja and how their lives intersect.
It will make you laugh and believe me there’s no stopping.

Good Will Hunting – Based on original screenplay by Matt Damon / Ben Afleck , it’s a personal favourite. Will ( Damon ) a cocky , troubled young man plays a mathematical genius working as a janitor at MIT where he stumbles upon Robin Willaims ( in one of his best performances ) who helps him figure out a way in life and a path of self-discovery he embarks upon.
One of the best in personal drama and every young individual will relate with this
flick, as we will see flashes of our very own genius and how we made our way to
where we are today.

Godfather Series – One of the best in the Crime noire, Copolla’s classic brings out the story of Sicilian mafia and Corleone family. Adopted from Mario Puzo’s original novel this is a masterpiece with stellar performances by Al Pacino , Marlon Brando , Robert De Niro & Robert Duvall.
The ways of mafia, rivalry, loyalty, family, promises and values are the themes
explored in this saga with the trilogy. Have inspired many movies across the world ( Sarkar etc ) made on the same lines but none close to this magnum opus.

Pulp Fiction – No discussion on cult movies can be complete with the mention of Quentin Tarantino. This is his best till date. Like any other Quentin movie its in chapters and tells different stories. This resurrected John Travolta’s career and has one of the best performances by Bruce Willis and Samuel L Jackson. Watch it for its Oscar winner storyline.
This is vintage Tarantino at his best.

Few which came close but missed:-
Departed
Donnie Darko
Munich
Forrest Gump
Saving Private Ryan
Rocky
Rear Window
The Bridges of Madison County

Remains of a Bruised Bond

Since ages human beings have been interdependent on each other for emotional, physical,spiritual and intellectual growth & satisfaction.

This has led to Progress, Prosperity, Comfort and Humane Pleasure.

Progress & Prosperity in terms of collaborations by scientists, artists , philosophers which led to creations of modern feats in those genres.

Comfort in terms of the emotional satisfaction and a lifestyle where collaborations
facilitate development enriching human life . A good example is the invention of
Computers and developments that followed suit impacting various sphere s of human life.

Finally , pleasure which is a manifestation of all these acts. Moreover from the emotional bonds we share with our family, loved ones, friends and fellow individuals. This keeps us humble , satiates our emotional realm and makes us more humane in today’s materialistic world.

But from the days of Adam and Eve human has been subjected to Greed. This lead Eve
to eat the forbidden fruit and fall of mankind started that very day. Greed always leads to immoral ways of deceit and makes the human bonds acerbic.

The first victim was the eternal bond between human and god.

Today when technology and lifestyle have done wonders to our life. We have things we need for a sustainable and comfortable life we tend to undermine Humane Bonds and relationships.
Greed and Hunger for success, fame, money, acclaim and all material things have
left us more or less no time for that phone call our ailing parents were expecting, for that reunion you had planned with your school buddies, for that visit your sibling was expecting when she was with a child, a collaboration which your college friend was expecting you would take forward for the next Google / Apple and so on.

We were after something which was momentary and gave us instant gratification. Did it ?
To an extent yes it did.
But what did we loose. We lost all that was humane and pure.

We lost that humane touch, the bonds we would have made , the feats we would have
achieved , the smiles we would have been responsible for and the collaborations on
which we would have embarked upon in the greater quest of glory.

We are to be blamed, we stretched the bonds.
They lasted Long as they were strong.
They finally broke one day.
& took all that was good and pure away.

Inside Job - How bankers caused the financial crisis

( A Movie Review)

If we look back at the last decade that passed by (2000 - 2010) and the phenomenon(s)
that impacted our lives the most, we may come up with various incidents. War against
Terrorism, Emergence of strong India & China, Fight against Corruption, Globalization,Coming of Age of Apple products, Rise of Internet and Social Networking etc.

But if I have to pick one out of these many compelling incidents it has to be the
Economic Crisis and Meltdown of 2008-2009. It shook the world and impacted the
stock broker from Wall Street to the fisherman in Japan.

Big financial giants who had ruled the roost for the past 200 years collapsed in a near catastrophic event and bankruptcy was filed by one and many. People lost jobs, homes,families came on streets, unemployment was rampant, and industries were in record losses, economies collapsed, Credit Ratings went tumbling down, and the tremors can still be felt in the Euro zone.

Charles Fergusson an Award winning documentary film maker brings to us an attempt to
answer these questions with his latest Oscar winning Documentary “Inside Job”.

The documentaries is shocking, brilliant, insightful, and profound and at the same time an eye opener.
Narrated by the ever brilliant actor Matt Damon, it explores the root cause of this
economic plague and unravels the Greed, Irregularities and the Credit mess which the
collective actions of economic policies and activities brought about.

The film's first half-hour is absolutely dead-on. The explanation of what happened is
a chilling re-run of all the events that led up to the financial crisis. It also showed very accurately the denial by everybody inside or outside the industry that such a crisis was even occurring – even up to the last minute before Lehman's bankruptcy.

Inside Job clearly catches some of the anti-banker mood, and the public is quite right to be outraged at how banks refinanced at the taxpayers' expense and paid outsized bonuses.

The movie intelligently brought out well the "capture" of regulators, politicians and
academics who all became cheerleaders for the continued deregulation of finance that
began under Ronald Reagan and that culminated in the great crisis. Massive re-regulation is required to ensure that finance is safely locked up in a straitjacket again.

It further goes in depth to explain the various cause and affects like the recent market instability caused by many factors, chief among them a dramatic change in the ability to create new lines of credit, which dried up the flow of money and slowed new economic growth and the buying and selling of assets. This hurt individuals, businesses, and financial institutions hard, and many financial institutions were left holding mortgage backed assets that had dropped precipitously in value and weren’t bringing in the amount of money needed to pay for the loans. This dried up their reserve cash and restricted their credit and ability to make new loans.

There were other factors as well, including the cheap credit which made it too easy
for people to buy houses or make other investments based on pure speculation. Cheap
credit created more money in the system and people wanted to spend that money.
Unfortunately, people wanted to buy the same thing, which increased demand and caused
inflation. Private equity firms leveraged billions of dollars of debt to purchase companies and created hundreds of billions of dollars in wealth by simply shuffling paper, but not creating anything of value. In more recent months speculation on oil prices and higher unemployment further increased inflation.

The movie is a triumph of cinematic genius and a must watch especially for practitioners in the Banking and Financial Industry.

Comprehension is the first act of Awareness and this movie helps us comprehend the
bigger picture behind the crisis.

This is one story that needed to be told, hats off to the brilliant Charles Fergusson for doing so and with style and substance.

Title – Inside Job
Year - 2010
Length – 120 min
Director – Charles Fergusson
Cast – Matt Damon (Narrator)
Imdb Link - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1645089/

Improvement through Awareness

This is not just an article.

This is a thought and an effort to be an AWARE individual. An individual who is not
only aware, but finds a broader perspective for perceiving things around him by being
vigilant to his/her environment.
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The Ground Reality
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We are a part of IT / ITES / Services workforce whose efforts are making India proud by leaps and bounds.
The effects are seen from growth in GDP to the comfortable lifestyle we are able to
afford today.
How many of us own cars, flats & have all the consumer products which we all see on television everyday. They keep on increasing and we keep on buying. A vicious circle.But then there’s nothing wrong in it. It’s the economics of demand & supply.
Hence life’s comfortable.
We have a prosperous family and loved ones around. We are socially, physically, mentally, professionally & economically doing well. So this more or less completes our life.
But is there something else to the story?
The thing’s that missing
My 7th grade English teacher Mrs. Raina introduced me to a lot of words one of them was called “Proactive”. I instantly liked its connotations. She used to say you got to be proactive in life. Those were the days when you believed in what teacher’s and elders told you.
I believe today we are being just reactive to the things happening around us and not being
proactive.
Maybe because we are not Aware. We read the events and listen to news but we miss the story. Is it the prerogative of newspaper / media to hand over the happenings? I don’t think so.

We have a tool that has revolutionized the way we seek information. INTERNET which has indeed leveled the playground. Information is there to be comprehended in depth, varied opinion, criticism, facts,
theories which help us to build our own point of views.
Well I am not an expert but do believe in improvement and improvisation. So here are few things I recommend one should at least start to do to make himself more Aware.

Random Discussions at Work / Home – These are like steroids and have an immediate effect. Just gather colleagues and friends on a weekly basis and discuss random topics e.g. Performance of Barack Obama , Beauty of Kerela , Importance of Marriage etc. The trick is to choose topics from a variety of genre. This will help you to shed your ignorance and most importantly initiate a healthy discussion. Also you will see a diff facet of your colleague / friend / spouse etc.

Knowledge about your field: Always keep a pulse on your industry through newspapers , articles etc. Best option is to buy a Business World / Business Week monthly. It’s just a monthly thing which we all can afford to do.

Knowledge about your passions – We all are fond of something, Music, Dance, Cooking, Movies, and Painting etc. Learn about it and make it a point to practice it.For just one reason it will make you happy.

Visit Wikipedia regularly – Imagine those days where we looked for information on movies / people / books / events and we had no clue where do search for it. The world’s biggest library is just a click away. The great part is it’s very precise and linked. You can navigate from the page of Mahatma Gandhi to Drug trafficking in Columbia. So go out there are satisfy your curiosity.
Online Newspaper – Pick up an Online newspaper, and just go through each section from Politics / Entertainment / Sports / Events / World etc. Believe me it takes less than 30 minutes to go through it on a daily basis. Prefer Hindu as its still means business today.
Special Mention ( my personal choice ) Read Swaminomics (by S.A.Iyer ) and Siege Within ( by M.J.Akbar) . They come on every Sunday in Times of India. Cover a wide range of topics and very interesting read. You’ll be surprised how much you have learnt in few months.

Spend time with Children – This is a strange one but believe me they are really smart. The fathers / mothers know this. But pick up a kid (siblings / cousins /neighbour) and make it a point to spend time with them. You’ll be surprised how they challenge our awareness.
There can be many more but I am sure once we start doing this it would slowly but
steadily make a difference. I am not saying this would bring about a significant change, maybe most of you do this already or much more but it has helped me many a times in diverse circumstances.
There’s an old saying:
“The moment one gives close attention to anything, even a blade of grass, it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”

The efforts are towards a more AWARE you. Let’s give it an honest shot.
Cheers!!
Abhi

IN SEARCH OF GOLDA MEIR?

IN SEARCH OF GOLDA MEIR?
This Article was written long back just after the dreaded ATTACKS on Mumbai 26 Nov 2011

What follows in this document is not a story or a description of events neither a
solution to the prevailing problems which have surfaced lately.

It’s my subconscious speaking to me & it’s speaking vociferously……..
This has been since the day Mumbai was stormed by a dozen of unknown men. I
think, personally I am not the same person I was before this incident. I am a scared
Indian who finds himself helpless & insecure every second of his breath.

Few thoughts are consistently echoing in my mind from the past one week, I am
very sure this feeling is shared by millions of Indians today.
My views might not be endorsed by many, but I can say this with absolute certainty
that all lead to one pathway → VENGEANCE.

To many of us Golda Meir is an unknown name. Just 7 days back, it was same for
me. But this story is not about a name but; it’s about what Golda Meir represents &
why do we need to know & revisit her today.

Golda Meir was Israel’s first lady Prime Minister, she was world’s third
women Prime Minister, moreover the first to hold this office without any prior
family political connection. Her colleagues used to call her the ‘best man in the
government’.
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Circa 1974: Munich Olympics, West Germany
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A dark chapter was recorded in the glorious history of Olympics when the Munich
massacre occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, when 11
members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually murdered
by Black September, a Palestinian militant group with ties to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah
organization.
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Circa Nov’2008: Various places, Mumbai, India
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Mumbai the favorite hunting ground of the terrorists allegedly Lashker – e – Toiba
( one of the most active terrorist groups in South Asia today ) was again rocked by a
dozen armed men. They took hostage, fired aimlessly, threw grenades & destroyed

property worth billions. The toll was around 200 including foreign nationals.
Politicians keep on making frivolous statements & perky remarks even before the
ashes of the NSG commandos & the perished souls had not gone cold.

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The Act – Part 1:
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The massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics by the Palestinian
terrorist group Black September moved Israel to consider measures to deter
future similar actions. Soon after the incident, Prime Minister Golda Meir created
Committee X, a small group of government officials tasked with formulating an
Israeli response.
Operation Wrath of God was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad
( Israel’s CIA ) to assassinate individuals alleged to have been directly or indirectly
involved in the 1972 Munich massacre.

The committee came to the conclusion that to deter future terrorist incidents
against Israel they needed to assassinate those who had supported or carried out the
Munich massacre, and in dramatic fashion.

The intelligence came up with a list of 20 – 25 suspected individuals who somehow
had direct / indirect links with the Munich Massacre.

The dramatic assassinations by Mossad started in the year 1972 & continued till
1990’s.

It’s important to note that the Mossad hired banal officers & even civilians to do the
task. Most of them weren’t even experienced field operatives.
One thing that was common in them was that they were Jews & loved Israel – their
homeland.

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The Act – Part 2:
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It’s been one week since the Mumbai mayhem took place. & All we can hear is ( in
print , media & word to mouth ) portfolios being shifted & chief ministers being
replaced by their counterparts who see this an ideal political opportunity.

It’s not that nothing is being done, various top secret service agencies i.e FBI ,
Mossad , ISI ( ?? ) are been accosted for help & soon we will have NSG & agencies
at the state level.

But the point is :
• Is that enough?
• Are we prepared for the next attack?
• To what extent should we indulge & collaborate with these foreign secret

services, can we trust FBI or a Mossad. They are linked to us by diplomatic ties &
not by patriotic emotional bond that unites me & you.

& Most importantly !!!

Why will they not attack again??

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In Search of Golda Meir:
==========================

“The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.” – Golda Meir

“Every civilization goes through a phase when it needs to compromise on it’s ethics
& values” - Golda Meir

Israel is a very small nation in demographics & geography. Inspite of a turbulent
past it is presently the most sophisticated nation in terms of technology &
advancements. Hats off to the Jewish people who made it happen.

What would have Golda Meir done if she was the Indian premier is what I try to
imagine.

She would have made sure that intelligence & army would trace it back to the day
27th Nov’ 08 was being plotted in a dingy old room in Karachi or in a Terrorist
Training camp in cold freezing deserts of Afghanistan.

She would have made sure we have all the names in the room & all which were
taken & referred to be with us along with the photographs & their present locations.
Mind you each & every name.

She would have made sure that the brains behind the attacks would not only be
taught a lesson but the budding seeds they would have sown in youths & individuals
would feel a deep chill down their spine, even when they think of such acts in the
future.

She would have made sure that all the economics involved with these terrorist
operations be blocked at their origin. No money , no arms , no bombs thereby
paralyzing the whole infrastructure on which this industry is prospering.

She would have made sure that a common individual like me wouldn’t think twice
before taking a local train or maybe dining in a 5 star hotel.

She would have made sure that all the names would have been eliminated in the
most atrocious manner one could ever imagine.
Mind you each & every name.

We earnestly need a Golda Meir ….Don’t we ?

I swear in the name of my great nation that if we find one & she would require men
to undertake those covert operations in order to accomplish the missions & spread a
feeling of security amongst my fellow brothers & sisters.
I’ll be the first one to volunteer only because I love this country & feel proud to
called an Indian.
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Won't u ?
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