We Are Family

We Are Family is one film that I had been wanting to see mainly because it was bringing together Kajol and Kareena Kapoor after a long hiatus. The last time they had shared screen space was in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (K3G) in 2001 in which they had played sisters. So I thought it would be interesting to see how they would fare in a movie where they are vying for the same man's attention. Years ago in Gupt, Bobby Deol had Kajol and Manisha Koirala fighting over him and the expressions of the girls in the song Yeh pyaar kya hai... said it all. Sadly there is no such zing in We Are Family.


The film received commendation for officially acknowledging the original source. But for me this Indian take on the Hollywood movie Stepmom was a let down. Firstly, the writers are not couragous enough to set the story in India. The heart of Stepmom were the two kids. Jena Malone as the teenage daughter warring with her father's new girlfriend and gropping with the reality of her mother's illness was excellent. Liam Aiken when he tells his mother that he will hate Isabel if she wants him to was delightful and sweet. In We Are Family there are three children but not one manages to create ripples in your heart through either acting or plain innocence. Even the leading ladies do not seem to be delivering their best. Neither was I able to sympathize with Kareena Kapoor during her trials when having to take care of the brat pack nor did I shed tears as Kajol suffers through the dreaded disease. For what should have been a three hanky movie, a descrption I had read in a newspaper for K3G, is not able to strike an emotional connect with the audience.

The only point where my eyes watered a little was when I heard Shreya Ghoshal's beautiful rendition of the song Sun le dua. But here too I had a reason to grumble. The song should have had at least one more stanza. The sweetness of Shreya Ghoshal's voice leaves you asking for more. Despite the short length anyone who has had to see a loved one slip by, bit by bit, would still be able to relate to this prayer which they would have repeated a million times. So let me leave you its lyrics:

Film: We Are Family

Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Lyrics: Irshat Kamil

Singer: Shreya Ghoshal

Tu jo gayi toh soona hoga yeh jahaan
Pheeki pheeki hogi saari yeh daastan
Tumse judi hai har khushi
Tere bina kya hai yahaan
Chaahein tumhein hum maange tumhe
Sun le dua yeh aasman

Chote chote khwaabon ko aa jodenge
Yeh bhi vaada

Na tumhein ab chodenge
Jeena chaahe phir tere liye
Aaankhein na pherenge
Saansein meri tu le le bhale
Ab na tumhein jaane denge

__________________________________________________________

PS: Which did you like more - Stepmom or We Are Family?

Adit's website

My husband, Adit has launched his personal website www.aditlounge.com. Here you can read his articles which are meant to make the mind tick and the soul tickle. You have categories ranging from business and marketing to engineering and science to poetry. Besides being a good writer Adit is an avid photographer and has a passion for creating videos. So a section not to be given a miss is that of photos and videos where you can see his personal compilations.

I feel that as a whole www.aditlounge.com reflects the author's professional and personal interests.

Let us then give Adit a warm welcome into this exciting world. I urge you to visit his website. The reader is provided the option of leaving comments for any article, photo or video. Alternatively you can give your thoughts on the website in general through the guestbook. I am sure it will soon become a place where you will find yourself returning to.

The social network

A few weeks back I was having a discussion with a friend about Facebook (FB). My friend thought that for most people FB is about showing off and receiving praise. Some people are so active, may be addicted that they feel compeled to announce every few hours what they are doing - sleeping or working, which party they are going to, and which restaurant they are dining at. How many of us can do without sharing our photos moments after returning from a holiday? Both the word of mouth publicity of a good film and bad mouthing of tainted politicians linked to a scam immediately happen through FB. We practically express every happiness, displeasure, anger first to the world instead of sharing with the person concerned.

The upside is that in a small measure you get to be a part of people's lives who are living not streets but countries apart. The connectivity makes the world appear smaller than it is. Seeing others' achievements and activities fills you up with your own dreams. Agreed when everybody may be celebrating heavy snowfall and you are living in the hottest place on earth, you are most likely to end up cursing your fate however wonderful a time you may be actually having. But when you do eventually get to experience the same snowfall you appreciate it more.

On the other hand when your friends' lives are so in your face it becomes difficult to sometimes concentrate on yours. You no longer wonder how it is on the other side of the fence, but are actually able to see the greener pastures there. In this process what we forget to realize is that on FB we only see what we get and what we get is what is "chosen" to be shown.

Can we claim that we really know what lies beyond the stretch of green grass presented to us? Haven't we all at one time or another worn a happy face in front of everyone even when we are anything but that? Haven't we all at one time or another said that all is well even when things are messed up? You may have hundreds of names on your contact list but only a select few would know the real deal. As a corollary, the same can be said for each of those names on your contact list.

I recently came across a blog and initially felt a little pinch at its popularity. I was bewildered how could the author of the blog write something worthwhile, thought provoking and delightful everyday. But as I read more and more I learnt that he had gone through a lot of difficulties in life and is still trying to get over them. He had weight issues as a child and was laughed at. He was bullied in high school. Eventhough he is only 30 he has already had two unsuccessful marriages.

Long ago I had expressed my jealousy on my blog. What someone had commented then, I finally understand and believe now. Before we judge others and complain to God we should count the many of our wishes He has already fulfilled. We should tell ourselves that in time He will give us more as long as we ask in faith.

Thanking for the bad

A young woman was sitting at her dining table, worried about taxes to be paid, house-work to be done and to top it all, her family was coming over for Thanksgiving the next day. She was not feeling very thankful at that time. As she turned her gaze sideways, she noticed her young daughter scribbling furiously into her notebook.

“My teacher asked us to write a paragraph on Negative Thanksgiving for homework today.” said the daughter, “She asked us to write down things that we are thankful for, things that make us feel not so good in the beginning, but turn out to be good after all.”

With curiosity, the mother peeked into the book.

This is what the daughter had written:

“I’m thankful for Final Exams, because that means school is almost over.
I’m thankful for bad-tasting medicine, because it helps me feel better.
I’m thankful for waking up to alarm clocks, because it means I’m still alive.”

It then dawned on the mother, that she had a lot of things to be thankful for!

She thought again…
She had to pay taxes but she that meant she was fortunate to be employed.
She had house-work to do but that meant she had her own home to live in.
She had to cook for her family for Thanksgiving but that meant she had a family with whom she could celebrate.


A friend forwarded me this story a while back and I remember it bringing a smile on my face. We always thank God for the good things in our life but immediately start questioning Him for the bad. In tough situations we wonder why is it us facing the music. Sometimes even the simplest of chores appear burdensome.

The above story makes us realize that in our everyday worries we tend to forget what all we have been blessed with. It tells us that behind the difficulties we come across, there is a hidden good which we should try to recognize and be thankful and happy for. Instead of whining, we should look at the silver lining of the cloud. Like Thomas Edison who had once said "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." we should see the bright side of life.

Our Euro trip (2): Copenhagen

Continuing from where I left in my previous post, on 20th Dec my husband and I left from Munich for Copenhagen. When around the globe, flights were getting delayed and canceled because of heavy snowfall ours landed 15 min ahead of schedule.

We had booked ourselves at the La Villa Guest House. It is located on Rode Mellemvej, a short drive away from the airport. We were given a warm welcome by Vilborg, the lady who runs the guest house. She was sweet enough to make us some hot tea. The guest house is beautifully decorated and our room was a delight. It was romantic and like a honeymoon cottage. I would recommend anyone visiting Copenhagen for a relaxing holiday to stay at the La Villa Guest House. The only hitch is that they do not serve food. But just next to the guest house is a Kiosk and a few steps away a food store and a few more steps away a Pakistani restaurant by the name Kashmir Palace. My husband and I happily feasted on their tasty Donar Kebabs.














During the night of 20th Dec it snowed heavily and for the first time our trip got affected. The excitement that we had felt as we set out to do some sightseeing on 21st Dec, gave way to near disillusionment as we were faced with disrupted bus schedules and unresponsive taxi services. Unwilling to give up we made our way to the DR Byen/Universitet Metro Station. From there we took a train to the Norreport Station. Thereon we walked and walked till we reached the City Hall Square. Along the route we went through a market area crowded because of the heavy Christmas shopping sales. This and the snow on the ground made it seem to be an even longer walk than what is predicted to be a 16 min distance on foot by maps.google.com.

Still our timing turned out to be perfect because the moment we reached the City Hall Square we caught the sight of a Hop on-Hop off City Sightseeing Tour bus in front of us. Not wasting any more precious moments we bought ourselves seats on it. It was clearly not a tourist friendly day and the bus was practically empty. But we marched forth.

Our first major stop was the Rosenborg Castle museum. After spending some time there, my husband and I decided to follow the instructions given to us by our first bus driver. We stood in front of the museum gate waiting for the next bus to arrive. The supposed to be 30 min waiting period eventually became an hour. In normal weather conditions this hour would have been easy to pass. But somehow exactly then the temperature dropped more, the wind became still cold, and the snow even through our shoes and layers of socks was biting our feet very ferociously. My husband and I found a small protective enclosure in a wall and huddled ourselves. Quite a few people passing by thought of it as cute and gave us smiles, wished us Merry Christmas and remarked how Copenhagen was never usually this cold.

I was so happy when I saw a shiny piece of red trudging its way slowly through the traffic towards us. Looking at its speed it sunk in that if we got off the bus again, it might be difficult to find another one to hop on. So it was decided with a heavy heart to do all further sightseeing from the inside of the bus. We still managed to see some interesting points this way, such as, the Gustav Church, the Little Mermaid, Amalienborg, and the Copenhagen Opera House. We had planned to take a Canal Boat Ride but as luck would have it the frozen water played spoilsport.

Amalienborg and Gustav Church

The Little Mermaid (Courtsey: Adit Maark Yvon)

The Copenhagen Opera House

22nd December was as cold as the previous one and there was no improvement in the traffic situation either. Lazily we started our day after lunch. We took our now familiar route via Norreport to City Hall, where right across is the splendidly lit theme part Tivoli. It looked spectacular with its light displays, fun rides, ice sculptures, and cute cottages serving as eating and shopping joints. That is why Tivoli is one of the famous attractions of Copenhagen, a must see specially if you have kids. We spent a lot of time at Tivoli, walking around taking photos.

Night was approaching and we had packing to do. So we returned to the coziness of our room. Taxi services were playing truant and there was no guarantee one would arrive the next morning as per schedule in spite of a booking. We discussed our worries with our guest house manager, Vilborg who came to our rescue by asking her husband to drop us to the airport the next morning.

Though the snow had restricted our activities, I had still felt a connection with Copenhagen. As we waited at Copenhagen Airport on 23rd Dec I, therefore, hoped that one day we will be able to return here and actually explore and enjoy the city in better conditions.

Our Euro trip (1): Munich

This winter vacation my husband and I decided to visit a couple of European cities. Like many people, initially we thought of going to a warmer location compared to Uppsala, like Portugal. But eventually we settled down on Munich because a few of my husband's friends live there and Copenhagen because of our own personal romantic history. A fair amount of search was done to find the right places to stay and to decide the must-sees.


On 17th Dec sitting at the airport's gate for departure as an announcement of heavy snowfall at Munich was made, we began to worry. Thankfully, it led only to a two hour flight delay and not a cancellation. The Munich airport is more than 40 kms away from the city and so the best way of commuting is the S-Bahn train. We learnt that you could get the tickets from vending machines at the airport itself and that these must be validated with a stamp at another box at the platform station.


We managed to find our way around and got inside the train S8. But a few minutes into the ride and panic struck. None of the stations that were passing by were on the list we were expecting. The confusion was due to the reason that our list had only those stations where you could transfer onto another line. After 40 min we reached the last station: Pasing. Unfortunately we ran into a stroke of bad luck. A taxi driver refused to take us to our destination, Imperial Hotel, telling us that our hotel was just a few blocks away and that we could simply walk. It turned out that the blocks were quite a many and the road uphill and covered with snow. Huffing-puffing we finally found our hotel.


The location of Hotel Imperial was perfect. We found an Indian restuarant Akash just a few buildings away and it became our dinner jaunt. The food was yummy and the Punjabis running it very friendly. Close by to the hotel was the Am Knie tram stop from where you could take the Line 19 straight to the Hauptbahnhof Central Station. On getting off there you can see the Karstadt department store exactly in front from you. This is the spot from where all the Grayline Sightseeing Tours leave. On 18th Dec we took their Grand Circle Hop On-Hop Off tour. However, for most of the day we induldged ourselves at the Olympic Park and the BMW Welt and Museum.

At the Olympic Park we mainly saw the Olympic Tower, Olympic Stadium, Soccer Arcade, and the Sea Life Aquarium. We particularly enjoyed the last one where my husband got a splendid opppourtunity to take beautiful photos of sea creatures.












There is a bridge at the entrance of Olympic Park crossing which leads you to the BMW Welt and Museum. At the Welt were lined up all the latest models of BMW cars and motorcycles. They even had a small show in which a rider on a bike went effortlessly up and down the stairs, winning the crowd's applause. The best part of course was getting ourselves clicked with everything in sight. Ditto the BMW Museum where through the hundreds of displays you are left marveling at how the car design and engineering has changed over the years. I was particularly happy to find at the last leg the hydrogen powered BMW Clean Energy car as the topic of hydrogen storage materials still forms a big part of my current research.

19th Dec we spent taking the Grayline full day tour to the Royal Castles of Linderhof and Neuschwanstein. We had a very good guide on the bus who told us a lot about Bavaria's King Ludwig III who built these two castles. The scenery along the way was very beautiful. At one point we actually found ourselves on what is called the Romantic Road. Though I wasn't impressed with Linderhof, I loved Neuschwanstein. Reaching it required a long 40 minutes uphill walk. But when you have someone by your side such climbs become easy. The breathtaking views that we saw from the Castle also made those few kilometers distance worth it.

People say that European summer is beautiful. But to me the long stretch of white splendour that we saw from Neuschwanstein also had its own spellbinding charm. Interestingly this castle was designed not by an architect but by a stage designer, Christian Jank. Perhaps that is why it looks like it came out of a fairytale book. Its location amidst hills adds to the illusion. Understandably then that it is the inspiration behind the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty's castle.

Apparantly, Kind Ludwig III himself lived in Neuschwanstein Castle for eleven days only. He never married, preferring to live alone even at Linderhof. We were told that he did not like to entertain guests. He was so private that he would not even let the servants hover around him when he would be dining. When I first heard that I felt sad. Imagine being surrounded by loveliness but instead of sharing it with someone, you lock yourself in a room. On second thoughts it struck me that may be he just lived in a world of his own which he enjoyed. Afterall he did call himself the Fairytale King.

In all it was a 10-11 hours spent well. Away from work, it was bliss being with my husband. Tired, exhausted but still smiling we made our way back to our hotel. We had to pack our bags as the next day we were heading to Copenhagen.