Magic, A Kiss and Some More Magic

Have you ever wondered what you and I would have done without the staple feed of magic and its various Branches, How a miserable riot of mundane activities could have strangled and suffocated us beneath its succulent self? But we really do not have to bother of it now do we? With Harry Potter Movie (being the latest in the stable of Magical and other world fantasy movies) our magical Appetites have been more than satisfied.

After all the rules that one has heard about not comparing the movie with the book this one actually belies the presumption. It’s an adaptation worth being proud of for David Yates. Ardent fans like me would often discuss the sketchy adaptation and the poor image by which it resembled the book. However book 5 was something that I remember myself to have said that “god I am so not seeing the movie” for nothing else but the long length of the dialogues and the most boring build-up to the end unlike the other books. However one would be most surprised if the movie were to say something about the book. Every unwanted bit has been edited and thrown away in the garbage heap of unused HP parts in the book.

And yet story or no story Hollywood sure knows how to kiss (or rather show one). Having practiced for 33 times Harry “Daniel” Potter would now have to be a pro at going about the process in the forthcoming series. As usual like the other HP movies the sidekicks (Ron and Hermione) really have no other role to play in the movie except for filling up the frame. The Weasely twins too would have cringed at the length of the role and would have probably bombed the HP set with their Weasely Bombs. Daniel Radcliffe thus being the center of the plot gives us his best skills hitherto in acting. Without setting the stage alight he manages to convey his anguish subtly. Ralf Fiennes in his Voldemort bit sure does make us shake in the boots. However the most disappointing bit in the whole story for any fan would have to be the fight between Dumbledore and Voldemort. A blink-and-you-will-miss-it one never really knows where is the extended fight with the wizard, goblin and the elf.

With Eragon being the disappointing one this one sure makes up for the not only itself but also the other not-so-great HP movies. Probably not so much better than the fourth it makes one really believe that Harry lives, the “kiss” lives and more than anything the Magic Lives. And yet if not anything it keeps our panting quiet and our thirsts quenched at least till the last Volcano in the series. “TO HARRY”

THis was written as part of some project so decided to post it onto a redundant blog

The Colours of the Pink City

It’s not everyday that one gets to savor a typical rajasthani cuisine or hear stories about the Rajas and Maharajas and get transported in time. Therefore when the opportunity arose for us to visit Jaipur, we jumped and grabbed the chance with two hands.

Of Course one must look into the trivialities of reaching the destination, therefore the tickets were booked and there we were in the New Year on our way through a chilly night. Our destination of Ranthambore via the Sawai Madour junction didn’t disappoint us in any way except probably for the lack of tigers. The chilliness in the air did a lot to increase our vigor towards play and food which was just too good. However the tigers disappointed us. Two hours of sun, dust and more dust which left most of us looking like carpenters and yet we saw no tigers nor any paw. However the Rajasthani folk dance at night soared our spirits also made us conscious of the fact that city bred folks need to learn a lot more from rural India about culture. The next morning after a visit a long climb and a dekko of a local fort we were off to Jaipur and Chowkidhanee. Thoughts of shopping lanes and more rajasthani delicacy created mirages throughout the way in everyone’s head.

And Chowkidhanee refused to disappoint that mirage. The exotic village make-believe enthralled us for a good 2 hours with its Kadai Doodh, Hair Massage, Mehendi Palmistry and a lot more. However it was the gastronomic food will keel the place alive in our hearts for the sheer size and taste of the meal. Truly we had enough of a Rajasthani meal and yet craved for more. The next day we finished of with our industrial visit of a Newspaper and a Radio Station both of which we learnt and enjoyed but we had seen better earlier (being in Bombay that is). The Jantar Mantar and Amer fort held our interest purely because of the artistry and sheer magnificence of the place and the knowledge of building in that era. A new jaipuri band was formed: the “Neel Kants”, which happily kept us occupied during the night along with the ‘Dj nite’. However our hearts were impatient for shopping and thus we awarded with a full 2 hours for shopping. For shoppoholics this would be slander but we had a train to catch.

With bags ranging with bed sheets for the house to ethinic jaipuri camel ethnic chappls, we were ready to enter the train. On the way back memories of the trip, its food as well as the last trip to Delhi plagued us. But a novel game of black jack soon kept us busy throughout the journey and with a blink we were back to the dust and grime of Bombay with nothing but our souvenirs and the thought of the gastronomic portions of rajasthani food to serve us company until the next trip.