chaotic order

"Certified copy" - a movie about art and life.. The question of "What is art?" is very difficult to answer. And even more difficult is to explain art to others. When we look at a painting, what is it in the painting that draws our heart out to feel a strange empathy to subject painted. Is the clinical beauty of the painting, its colorful exuberance, realistic human forms, captivating landscapes - or is it just the confluence of a certain temperament in the beholder with what he beholds that generates a feeling of inner beatitude - Like a rainbow that adorns the sky when there is a symmetry between light and moisture. Also, is there anything called "original" art, or is every creative endeavor merely a pale reflection of the immense beauty and intricacy embodied in nature. Is art a reflection of nature or is nature a refraction of the observed in artistic terms. Difficult questions? On my way to the health club, I pass through my office building which

There is nothing much one can do with people who are compulsively argumentative. These are those half baked intellectuals, who have dipped their finger superficially into different caskets of knowledge, with a few catch phrases culled from their readings; holding on to their train of thought and deliberation with a tenacity worthy of a Cicero (Except that in sounds awfully hollow); feigning wisdom on supposedly every conceivable topic that could come up for discussion; consider it beneath their dignity to acknowledge ignorance; unwilling to hold a reasonable dialogue on a topic but insist on throwing names and praises in favor of themselves - that it becomes so very difficult for others to stay beyond a few minutes in the same room with them. Either, one need to raise ourselves to that level of superficiality or utterly keep quiet and let the other spend their energy, and pray that a more reasonable balance be achieved quickly enough. We are four regular members at the local sauna;

"Bala, I am at a loss on what to do. I have tried every trick in the book. I have openly criticized him, spoken embarrassingly in front of his peers, Made it known that he is becoming a burden on me; reduced internet options to send out feelers to him - nothing seems to work. My son is 21, and he continues to remain with my Wife and me under the same roof...." Jake (name changed) is a top IT decision maker in one of the largest airlines in the world. He had invited me out for dinner ; and we sitting in this posh Mediterranean restaurant with liveried bearers floating around, cutleries gleaming with silver and polish, and soft lilting tunes from Arabic percussion instruments were wafting through the air. A gorgeous looking middle eastern waitress had just placed a platter of Kebab's on our table and bowed away noiselessly for us to continue this conversation. Jake was talking about quality of professional and personal life in IT industry; and that is when he drifted to

My best read of the week - "Hiroshima" by John Hershey. On August 6th 1945, Hiroshima felt the impact of what is largely considered as the most brutal, inhuman and completely unnecessary act of innocent annihilation ever undertaken in the annals of Human history. Let us for a moment relive the lives of those ordinary men and women, who woke up that fateful day, going about the daily chores, lost in their world of mundane Human predicament, caring for their young and loved ones, living the monotony of life, unmindful of the aerial bombings by allied forces that had become a mechanical part of their lives – and more importantly - blissfully unaware of the tremendous catastrophe that was about to be unleashed on them on that bright morning. It was just an ordinary day for the citizens of Hiroshima, caught in the polarities of a world war that they could little understand, and much less appreciate. They believed that Americans were predatory and it was a matter of time before

t was a brand new Boeing 737-900 flight. It smacked and smelled of newness. The flight attendant told me as I seated myself in the first-class cabin, that this is the second time this beauty is going to be airborne. Large TV screen, clean pale blue seats with spotless covers, enough leg room and sufficient space between adjacent seats for privacy. I was bone tired after a grueling week at work with hardly enough sleep,; so the moment I settled down in my seat, plugged my earphones, opened the biography of Nietzsche ; and after having read a few pages drifted into a blissful sleep. It was 8 A.M in the morning. It was an hour later that I woke up. The plane was by then, I guess, flying at an altitude of well over 31,000 feet; an utterly still cruise through the air, hardly any turbulence. All my co-passengers had finished their breakfast, and flight attendants were clearing the plates. Coming out a deep sleep, it took me a while to get a look at my neighbor. At first glance, I could

Yesterday afternoon, I happened to see a beautiful film on Netflix. It is one those unsung, low profile movies that didn't quite make it to the galleries, but for those who believe that art is all about sensitivity, intellectual stimulation and an exploration of human relationships and meaning of life - then "Liberal arts" is most definitely a film to be watched. A quiet Newyorker, educated in English literature, tries to find his idealism in the world outside. An avid read er and thinker, he experiences deep boredom in living a monotonous and purposeless life. Out of the blue, he is invited by his favorite professor to his retirement night dinner in campus. So Jesse goes to the party where he meets a young sophomore girl, who kindles his interest in life again. Some of the best parts of the film is when Jesse and Zebbie (sophomore, played by Elizabeth Olson) discover the therapeutic value of Music and its depth. The movie then goes on to explore the gap between dream

In the year 1751, The English parliament passed a bill to bring its Calendar in tune with the Gregorian cycle that was used all over Europe. It was called the Calendar (New Style) act 1750 or Chesterfields act, named after the Earl who introduced the bill. The effect of this change was to begin the New Year on first of January rather than the traditional twenty fifth day of March ( Lady Day - the feast of annunciation ). The first consequence of this bill was to make the year 1751, the shortest in the Christian era - only 282 days; and the second, more profound impact was to be felt when the subsequent year 1752 was to advanced by 11 days (11th September was followed by 14th) to adjust for equinoctial fluctuations. . This had deep psychological repercussions in society. It meant that people lost eleven days in their lives.!!!!!!!!!! There were huge protests in England against this move. The measurement of time - so ingrained in the human psyche led to the belief that by advancing d