Can you see the Signs?!

Its funny how I have all the time in the world on weekends but never quite manage to find some time to blog. I do download stuff, update my anti-virus (this is important!! ... do you update your anti-virus definitions regularly? If not, please do!! ... you wouldn't want your PC to come down with a bug it caught while roaming around freely on the web, do you?!). I also chat with friends, but blogging is something I never quite get around to doing in weekends. I wonder why!!

Well then, I had a pretty good weekend. The pooja on account of Krishna Janmashtami on Friday went off very smoothly and I feasted on loads of sweets till I felt like an alligator after a hearty meal ... very sluggish!! ;-)

They were showing Aks on one channel and though I liked the beginning, it went on to become too gloomy and boring as the movie progressed past the halfway point. Good thing, I did not venture out to see it in a theatre when it was released a few months back.

Come Saturday, and the entire city wore a festive look with gangs of boisterous youths, called Govindas, roamed the city streets looking for dahi-handis to break. Well, for those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's a piece of mythology. Janmashtami is the birth anniversary (according to the Hindu calendar) of Lord Krishna. And, Lord Krishna was one mischevious soul during his childhood. He used to gather his friends and sneak off to some house and steal curds/cream just for fun. (well, its strange to see that the Gods themselves were expert thieves, but thats the way it is!). Anyways, to discourage this theft, people used to hang their pots of curds and cream higher-up, near the ceiling. So, Krishna, the brat that he was, got his friends to form a human pyramid and used to climb on top of it and steal the cream. So, this traditional theft of curds/cream is played out every year after Janmashtami. People tie a pot of curd high up in the streets and this Govinda gangs emulate Lord Krishna by forming a human pyramid to reach the pot and claim the coveted booty of curds. Well, if you wanna see how it is like then... here it is...


Looks dangerous, doesn't it?! ... Well, it IS somewhat dangerous! But it doesn't deter these guys from doing it. It isn't a religious ritual. Nor, is it compulsory. But the sheer enthusiasm of the people participating in it, is something to be seen to be believed. Thousands of tourists can be seen on the Mumbai streets on this day with their handycams and SLRs, trying to snap up pictures of this unique performance.

Well, as it turned out, there was a Sale at Shopper's Stop and my sis couldn't resist it. So, I had to tag along and help her select her dresses. This time she wanted something formal for her job interviews (you see, she's just become a Chartered Accountant and she's been getting some interview calls). After spending a couple of hours shuttling between the four floors of Shopper's Stop, I managed to be free.

I was supposed to go to see Signs with my friends and with the traffic on the road due to the Govinda processions, I was afraid that I might not make it to the theatre in time. But, I did reach there well in time.. Faizan and Jayesh wre already there. Rochelle, Scubo and Radhika made a late appearance. Even then, we managed to miss the opening few seconds of the movie. Anushka and Mahua, members of VIVA (the all-girl band which was formed with the help of Channel [V]) were also there to watch the movie. Well, about the movie, I can say that it was good without being great. Mel Gibson is good, but Joaquim Phoenix is better and the kids, Rory and Abigail are even better. Though the plot is contrived and almost predictable (heh heh!... I'm not going to give away the ending, for the benefit of those who haven't seen it!), it does make you sit through the movie with a sense of expectation and foreboding. The best thing about it, though, is that it doens't rely on mayhem, special effects or green, gooey alien drool to create that feeling of danger. It plays on the human psychology and the basic human fear of the unknown. M. Night Shyamalan gets top marks, from my side, for handling a not-so-new subject with sensitivity and panache. Go see it if you haven't already!

I think... thats it for now... even though I have more to blog about, I'll stop this blog right here since it is becoming a huuuuuge blog. So, I'll back with the concluding part of this blog, later in the day! :-)

cheers!