From shadows to the stars

My interest in good movies started when I was a dorky 16 year-old. (I define “good” as movies that have good acting, an interesting plot/ narration and are well shot. Though I generally watch a lot of drama movies, I also enjoy films from genres such as black comedy and war to name some) I watched a lot of movies that feature regularly in ‘Greatest movies ever” and other lists. Now, as a 22 year old (still dorky) adult, I am rewatching most of these movies. To understand some of the more complex movies, I think it is necessary. A 16 year old kid doesn’t understand the complexities of a film such as Apocalypse Now. Especially if that kid grew up watching typical Indian films which do not have even moderately complex plots. Then I got thinking about this. Is it a bad thing to have too much too early? Would you be able to appreciate the finer aspects of films or any other art form or just life in general if you have too much too early?

For the past couple of months, I have been jobless. Quite literally. Living in my parents' home near the outskirts of the city, I have been passing time by trying to observe and capture (capture with the lens, not literally capture them) the various species of birds that are present here. Though the mission has been a decent success (have managed to observe over 35 different kinds and photograph about 20), what has intrigued me the most is that the caste system has made its way into the naming of the birds as well. Consider this bird. It is called the Brahminy Myna. Why Brahminy? Because the feathers on the back of it's head resemble the pony that is characteristic of Brahmins. The above bird is called the Brahminy Kite. No, it doesn't have a pony as well. This kite, in contrast to other commonly found kites, is fair. This again is a general characteristic (although not exclusively) of Brahmins. Hence the name. Guess what this birds name is? The com...

Everytime I go to one of these late night weddings of distant relatives and vague acquaintances, I come away feeling downright dirty. This type of wedding is generally scheduled at about 2 pm, right, so most - about 90% - of the attendees stay only for dinner. Eat your stomach's fill, stand in a queue of 100s of people who, just like you, are waiting to get on to the dais and wish the happy couple (or not so happy maybe, but we'll get to that later) to say hi and get the hell back to their house, never to see them again. Doesn't that feel dirty? For about 90-95% of the guests, its a very mechanical transaction. The guests dont have to come, but they do anyway. The guests shouldn't have been invited in the first place, but they are, beacause - yes - of some stupid, made up, misplaced obligation. I don't get the point. Why would you invite people who are barely in your social circle to your wedding (dinner)? Its supposed to be an intimate moment, not some sh...