Just Like That

Earlier I used to think what to write. Now it's more of a vent, to let out things. I watched a movie called Ankhon Dekhi. It's one of those movies that make you think about it even after you've watched it and long after that you think about it. Today I realised that the people that talk about these kind of movies being parallel cinema or coining terms like art-house films must also understand that some people are watching movies not because of the cinematic experience they provide, but because of the acting, the direction, the screenplay, he accent of actors, the scenes and production design, the story above all. It can be safely assumed that most of the people consuming media on smaller mediums like a 5 inch mobile phone screen or a 14 inch laptop are not seeing it because of the cinematic appeal the movie provides but because of the viewpoint the movie is about or the story.

Otherwise there would be no one watching classics of Satyajit Ray or Amitabh Bachchan or any legend for that matter. I am not saying that those films don't have cinematic brilliance, of course they do, but most of them aren't in a position to compare themselves with the modern ones since the old prints are not that good anymore. And even if they are, they are preserved in places where normal people don't have access to.

Thank you Rajat Kapoor.

3/04/2018 03:48:00 pm Share:

Camping Trip

Camping Trip

It was the summer vacation of my fifth standard. My school was taking kids to a camping expedition organised by Tata Steel Adventure Foundation. The camp was held in Tumung. It is a village twenty kilometers away from Jamshedpur. It has locations for rock climbing, bouldering and caving.

I along with my friends reached the reporting place, JRD Tata Sports Complex early in the morning. Candidates were told to bring track suits, sports shoes, cap, sun glasses, writing material and torch along with normal things required for two days and one night stay. At the TSAF office we were given sleeping bags. It took us nearly an hour to reach the camp site. After the breakfast of boiled eggs and raajma, we were divided into groups of five. I had only one classmate in my group and the rest were seniors. Instructors gave us materials and a brief demo to set up tent. Groups were given tasks and at last the group with most points would win. First task was to hold a rope forming a circle and without leaving the rope we had to form a star holding the rope. Second task was to reach a specified end point with the group circling the whole perimeter of the site. There were numerous obstacles and hurdles on the way. We had to crawl two hundred metres under barbed wires. There was a wall of webbed ropes twenty feet high. Climbing that was hard. Climbing down the other side was harder. We had to cross a hundred metre rope tied between two trees, upside down holding the rope with hands and legs forming a loop. There was a long track full of stones and rough terrain making it hard to run fast. At the end of the perimeter there was a large pool full of mud and water. We had to swing to other side of the pool using a rope hanging above it. At night after dinner we were shown the documentary of Bachendri Pal’s Mt. Everest ascent.

The next day we had to cover the same perimeter again. We were to find hidden signs containing next location coordinates using compass. We climbed a mountain and came down abseiling. We also went through caves, rock craters and holes. We talked and took photos with Bachendri Pal. She signed autographs too.

The expedition was highly educational. It taught team-coordination, leadership, self-volunteering, surviving techniques and increased physical strength.

4/21/2017 09:02:00 pm Share: