Love this!

Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin
Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa

Yun To Main,Dikhlata Nahin
Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata,Meri Maa

Bheed Mein Yun Na Chodo Mujhe
Ghar Laut Ke Bhi Aa Naa Paoon Maa
Bhej Na Itna Door Mujkko Tu
Yaad Bhi Tujhko Aa Naa Paoon Maa
Kya Itna Bura Hoon Main Maa
Kya Itna Bura Meri Maa

Jab Bhi Kabhi Papa Mujhe
Jo Zor Se Jhoola Jhulate Hain Maa
Meri Nazar Dhoondhe Tujhe
Sochu Yahi Tu Aa Ke Thaamegi Maa

Unse Main Yeh Kehta Nahin
Par Main Seham Jaata Hoon Maa
Chehre Pe Aane Deta Nahin
Dil Hi Dil Mein Ghabraata Hoon Maa
Tujhe Sab Hai Pata Hai Naa Maa
Tujhe Sab Hai Pata Meri Maa

Main Kabhi Batlata Nahin
Par Andhere Se Darta Hoon Main Maa
Yun To Main,Dikhlata Nahin
Teri Parwaah Karta Hoon Main Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata, Hain Na Maa
Tujhe Sab Hain Pata,Meri Maa

As most of you know, this is the lyrics of the song from the popular Hindi movie Taare Zameen Par. By now most of us would have already watched the movie. As for all, this was a much awaited movie by me also. The promos had attracted me and promised something really different also. When it was released, I was at Trivandrum, and over there, getting tickets for a Hindi movie was not at all difficult. So when we made a plan to watch the movie, I was informed by my colleagues that getting the tickets is difficult. At first it was difficult to believe, but when I saw the queue for myself, I was convinced. With much difficulty we got our tickets, but to our disappointment, we had to sit at three different locations and that too in the second row from the front. :-( I was really sad. But within five minutes of commencement of the movie, all my sorrows vanished. I didn't care about straining my neck for three hours, but looked forward to watching the whole movie.

The initial scenes actually showed me a different aspect of the world we live in. The colors, the themes, and joys. Looking through Darsheel's eyes, I was beginning to feel like a child exploring the world. In fact at times I felt embarrassed at times that I never looked at my life so lively. I especially loved the way he put in the colors, watched open-mouthed at things, and how he arrived at the conclusion of 3 x 9.

I appreciate the creativity of the whole crew and cast involved. I watched the movie again for the pleasure it invoked. I don't think there would be anybody who wouldn't know the plot but if any, here it goes. The movie is the story of a boy, Ishaan, who is very weak in studies, but a keen observer and a wonderful painter for his age. His parents are worried for this irresponsible child who has an elder brother who is just the opposite. In an attempt to make him more attentive to his studies, Ishaan is sent to a boarding school against his wishes. This curbs the liveliness in the child. There enters an art teacher who transforms the life of Ishaan. He identifies that the child is suffering from learning disability termed Dyslexia. The second half of the movie shows the efforts of the teacher to bring back the liveliness in the child as well as bring him out of the disorder. And finally we see him as a smart, talented kid. All said so simple, but the movie really deserves a lot of praise.

The movie marked the directorial debut of Aamir Khan. Darsheel (Ishaan) has done his character wonderfully. My words would not be enough to describe the movie. But I would definitely say that I enjoyed each moment of the movie. There was not a single shot I would say was boring, dragging, or unnecessary.

The Owl series

Have you watched The Owl series being broadcast on the television programming band - Jetix? I don't know how famous it is, but I have started watching it frequently nowadays.

The Owl consists of a series of short animated episodes based on an owl. Each episode is just a minute long and features the owl, who tries to overcome unfortunate day to day events in its life. Sometimes its a just worm crawling by or a woodpecker disturbing its sleep. The characters are so well designed, especially the owl. It has a purple body, round, big, bulging yellow eyes, a red beak, and a pair of blue feet, which floats below the body.

All the events finally lead to the disaster of the owl, which is presented in a comical way. Sometimes the whole bird is affected. And sometimes a part of the body. Well, the titles itself shows a pencil sketch of the owl being crushed between "La Chouette" which is how the series is known as.

Well I love this series since its short, entertaining, and character centered. Those who have watched it would agree to me. And those who have not, please watch it. :-)

Great Expectations

The novel by Charles Dickens is perhaps a masterpiece. I read this when I was in my high school and felt that there was a tone of melacholy and loneliness in the narration. It is the story of Pip (Philip), an orphan, but widely believed to be the semi-autobiography of the author.

Pip is a small boy who lives with his elder sister, and her husband. He works as an apprentice with them. Miss Havisham and Estella are two other major characters in the story who influence the life of Pip. Over the years, Pip grow up and he is sponsored by an unknown benefactor. Towards the end we see Pip as a civilized grown up man. Who the benefactor is, is revealed and also some mysteries surrounding the life of Miss Havisham are solved.

The narration adopted is the first person account in which Pip tells us his story. At times I found the story quite complex with a lot of sub-plots. But finally, it was a wonderful read.

Fairy Tales

I still remember that the the first fairy tale I read was that of the sleeping beauty. A princess falls asleep due to a curse on her and sleeps for a hundred years to be woken up only by the kiss of a young handsome prince. The most fascinating thing about these stories were the fantasy involved and the pictures in the books - I loved them. All those princes and princesses with wide blue eyes, red lips, and golden hair, the wonderful castles, the beautiful animals. Even an ugly toad looked cute in fairy tales.

Next book which captured my interest was Cinderella. Now there is nobody who doesn't know the story - rags to riches. Followed by that was Rumpeltiltskin, Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Pinnochio, The Little Mermaid, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Beauty and the Beast, and so on.

How I loved these books as a child. I was thrilled by the colors - all vibrant and rich. But one thing, I don't know the authors of any. Or is there anything like that? No idea.

I loved the princess in The Sleeping Beauty and always wondered how she could sleep for all these years without waking. When I used to wake up to go to school in the early mornings, how I wished I could be the sleeping princess. The Little Mermaid scared me as there was a mention about a witch who took the princess's voice. Rapunzel was a real beauty. But the thought of the blinded prince falling to the ground made me sad. While the feelings evoked in me after reading Cinderella were different. I too wanted to turn things into beautiful things of my choice. I still love reading fairy tales but not online. I love them as small, thin books, with smooth pages and colorful pictures.

Verukal - A Malayalam Novel

Verukal is a Malayalam novel by Malayattoor Ramakrishnan. We had to study this in class X as part of our second language. Initially I understood nothing much. It had tamil dialogues in it and I found the story also boring. But once I picked up the flow, I couldn't resist completing it at one stretch. And if you would believe, I had read this book more than 20 times out of sheer interest, academics apart.

The novel is considered a semi-autobiographical story of the author. We see the story in fragments. The protagonist is settled in Chennai who lives with his wife and children. His wife is a society lady, while the husband is a very nostalgic person whose every thought still yearns for his roots in Kerala. Each thought reminds him about an incident from his life in Kerala and family. And this is how we get to know the story. There are a lot of incidents in the story which might evoke nostalgia in us also. The thoughts and thinkings help us get to know the character well. The incidents he relates from his childhood and college days are wonderful. They are just trifle things, but the way he explains them is superb. A lot of characters are there in story - his sisters, their husbands, grandparents, friends, teachers, people in the village, and so on. So many simple and lively characters. He even gives the profile of certain characters.

The relationship he shared with his father and elder sister, his college days, first love, life with grandparents, small pranks and jokes, everything is wonderful. I haven't read much Malayalam works - but had I missed this one, it would have been an immense loss.

The Feast of Roses

As the name suggests, the novel is indeed a literary feast to the reader. It is a sequel to The Twentieth Wife which I havent read unfortunately. The story is all about love, jealousy, power, and decline. It is a woman's story, the story of Noor Jahan and Jahangir. Noor Jahan means 'light of the world' while Jahangir is 'emperor of the world'.

The novel begins by expressing the love the central characters have for each other. Initially they are Salim and Mehrunissa of the Mughal period. In due course of time, they receive their titles - Jahangir and Noor Jahan. Though it portrays the love both of them share, it is a female oriented story. Mehrunissa is the loving, caring, as well as shrewd queen of the Mughal empire. For Jahangir, Mehrunissa, his twentieth wife is his true love. Before her first marriage, both were attracted to each other. Ultimately, Jahangir slays her Mughal husband, which marks the beginning of their married life and a whole new love story. The extreme affection both share can be viewed in the gestures and displays of love both make.

We view Mehrunissa as a wonderful mother when with her daughter, and as a shrewd stepmother and queen when ruling the empire. She is portrayed as a woman with extreme capabilities for capturing love and hatred. She is different from the woman of her period when she appears along with her husband in his court room and actually rules the empire. Mehrunissa steps out from the world of the inner chambers of the palace to the court and ruling chambers. She proves herself to be the favourite wife of Jahangir as well as the most powerful woman in the empire. Finally we see the fall of Mehrunissa when Jahangir dies and the empire is conquered by his eldest son. Mehrunissa spends the rest of her life in the darkness of the palace.

The author, Indu Sundaresan, takes us through the riches and glories of the Mughal period. The buildings, people, costumes, life style, and everything is explained with the minutest detail. And well you must be wondering why the title - The Feast of Roses. There is an instance where Jahangir displays his love for his queen. The way through which Mehrunissa is to walk is decorated with rose petals. Wondering what is so special about that? Each petal is kept at a certain distance from the other and is kept inverted over which is placed a drop of rosewater. The drop shines when the sunlight falls on it and the path sparkles. The whole place is filled with the fragrance of rose water and roses. Mehrunissa walks over the petals. The beauty of the whole arrangement, only to be lost by the swishing and swooshing of her skirt. Hours of effort, just for her to walk on. Well does that sound interesting? Indeed, it is and you must agree to it.

Jane Eyre

This was one of the first novels I read. I had received this book as a prize for a literary competition in my junior school. I was quite happy that I bagged the prize but was not quite happy with the prize received and never intended to read it. It had a lavendar cover with the image of Jane Eyre on it. In those days I had difficulty in pronouncing Charlotte Bronte.

Reading short stories were interesting to me, not big novels. But don't know why, one day I started reading the book. I don't remember the pace with which I read the book, but do remember that I was quite fascinated by the story. The language was extremely simple and does prompt a reader to read on.

In short, Jane Eyre is an orphan who gives an account of her story. She grows up with her cousins and aunt who dislikes her. Then she is sent to a boarding school where she finds friends. From there, Jane goes on to become a governess of a child. There she falls in love with her employer, Rochester, who is a divorced man. There are strange things happening in the mansion and all are attributed as an insane servant's deeds. Finally Rochester and Jane reveal their love for each other and plan to get married. But on her wedding day, she receives a shock as a group of people stops the marriage saying that Rochester's wife is still alive and with him only, which reveals that he is not divorced. Jane is heart-broken. Rochester explains to her how his wife had became insane, why she is locked up in the mansion, and that she is the person behind all the mysteries happening in the mansion.

Jane leaves the mansion and arrives at a missionary's place, who turns out to be her relative. He asks her to marry him. Jane is forced to do that when she hears Rochester calling out to her. But he was not there. She makes up her mind, refuses the marriage with the missionary, and sets out to the mansion to find Rochester. There she finds the mansion all in ruins and comes to know that his insane wife set the mansion on fire and she committed suicide. In the mishap, Rochester was crippled and lost one eye. He was now spending his life at another place. Jane rushes to the place and accepts her love for him and they live happily ever after.... :-)

I had liked Jane a lot. The author has described each character in detail, which helps us visualize the whole story. I was so inspired by Jane that whenever we played something, or wrote small stories, I always adopted the name.