chaotic order

Jottings - Slice of Life - 238 ( Mystic Pizza - The birth of Julia Roberts as an actor) Talent is one thing, but seizing the right opportunity to express that talent is something else. In any field of activity, the confluence of potentiality, timing and performance is important. Greatness touches the Man who can recognize the moment, when all three come together, and can give it everything one has got. The difference between mediocrity and excellence lies at this intersection. There is no doubt talent is inherent in many, but those who fail to recognize seminal moments of pregnant opportunity and cannot lift themselves stay mediocre, while those privileged few who act on their gut feel: “this is the moment to rise” cruise into that zone of excellence sooner than later. Getting the right break, and using it well is the wish everyone prays for. God knows , how many athletes have given up their interest in a sport seeking in vain for that elusive break ; or how many talented artists h

Jottings - Slice of life - 237 ( “Frankenstein” - Two hundred years of Mary Percy Shelley’s literary creation) This is the bicentennial year of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley’s blood cuddling creation “Frankenstein; or the modern Prometheus - a short novel, far ahead of its time in spirit and theme, written in the spring of 1816 by a nineteen year old girl, cuddled together in a dilapidated gothic castle on the icy cold mountains of Geneva, with eccentric geniuses in the form of Percy Shelly - the famed romantic poet and her husband-to-be in few months , the maverick muse Lord Byron who had fled England because of his eccentric ways and incomprehensible life style, and Byron’s half sister Clairmont-with whom Byron was allegedly having an incestuous relationship. An odd motley of genius, artistically sensitive and twisted souls to be huddled in one place. On that particularly cold evening, with effect of intoxicants losing its grip, Lord Byron - the charismatic leader of that gr

Jottings - Slice of Life - 235 ( Kane & Abel - Jeffrey Archer’s theme of underdog that gripped the public imagination) Some of the greatest books of Literature begin with unforgettable sentences. The first lines set the tone for the entire book, and what follows will seem a mere commentary or elaboration of what that line meant or how its meaning unfolds. Hemmingway believed all that a writer had to do is write one true sentence, and the rest will follow. It is true. Consider the following opening lines: Dickens begins his masterpiece on French revolution “The Tale of two cities” with this stunning line: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness..” Leo Tolstoy’s magnum opus “War and Peace”, a thousand page tome on life and times in Russia during the Napoleonic wars begins with one of the most quoted lines in world literature : “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Jane A

Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan - A teacher, philosopher and a Statesman The year - 1952. A touching moment in history, when Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, walked into Joseph Stalin’s spacious and ornately furnished office in Moscow for the last time to bid him farewell, after his tenure as the first ambassador of India to the Soviet Union. After brief pleasantries, he held Stalin’s hands and said “You know, there was a great emperor in India, who renounced his kingship after a bloody purge and became a monk. His name was Ashoka “, and with an enigmatic smile continued – “God knows, what will become of you…” Not many men have ever had the audacity to look at Stalin in his eye, let alone talk to him on the morality of his actions, or in a condescending tone. However, the aging dictator, understood the deep import of the sage’s words and his intention; and with a trembling voice replied “Yes sir, Miracles do happen!!! After all I have spent five years of my life in a theological seminary...”

Jottings - Slice of life - 234 ( Sankarabaranam - a masterpiece ) There is a scene in Sankarabharanam, in fact its climax. Set in a newly renovated auditorium, sponsored by a lady (Tulasi), whose love for music and platonic veneration of the aging Musical Guru Sankara sastry brings her back to the village to pay silent respects to the man who transcended frozen traditions through music and offered the shade of his home and art when she most needed it during her traumatic younger years , and, if possible. leave her young son under his tutelage to absorb his oceanic art. The master is about to sing after years of involuntary hiatus, caused mostly due to Tulasi's presence in his life at a crucial stage .She now has a sacred duty to perform, and an art to redeem. The hall is buzzing with expectant listeners ; the master is ready to sing once again. Overwhelmed by the generosity of this absent benefactor, the master clad in simple attire without the regal paraphernalia of maestro, b

Jottings - Slice of life - 231 ( "Kaala" - too lengthy a movie, but a rare glimpse into Rajni - the actor) The problem with most Indian movies is that it has to be nearly three hours long. We simply cannot accept the idea that a story can be told convincingly and with sufficient entertainment is less than that. And most stories, we tell, hardly have enough meat in it to keep a discerning audience riveted for nearly 180 minutes. Movie makers may argue: we cater to the masses, and not to the high-nosed, Hollywood soaked literate gentry who walk into cinema halls only to critique and compare. That may be true; I am not questioning that. But the point is, evolution and appreciation of an art form is a bilateral responsibility. Unless the artist is bold and talented enough to change tastes and attitudes, their audience wouldn't have an opportunity to adapt and appreciate. Its a osmotic relationship. Every major change in trends - whether it be in music, painting, dance of

Jottings - Slice of life - 217 (The art of teaching a course as a subject) “ So, ladies and gentlemen, if in the last day and half, I have managed to give you a taste of what data storage in this digital world is likely to be, what are its challenges, and more importantly, how traditional concepts of relational data will no more hold sway - then I think my job is done. The idea behind this workshop was to reorient thinking, kindle and forge new path ways, and leave you with a sense of deja vu. I never promised to make you experts “ - there was a giggle from the audience, I continued - “ It is impossible to do so in such short time and with participants from different backgrounds. But , if all of you can collectively and individually walk out of this room with the firm conviction that this new model is the model which will work for you, and you will be crusaders for change within your large enterprise, then all of our time is well spent. This is the just the beginning of a learni