Dear SRK, why did this happen to your FAN...?

Dear SRK,

First of all, let me make it clear that I don’t like you much. However, I confess that once upon a time, I used to be a big fan of yours. I remember I had just passed High school when your OM SHANTI OM had released. I remember I had enjoyed your movie.

Until then me and my friends liked you very much. I can say that we grew up watching your movies. And it is also true that we used to go gaga over your different avatars. You ruled our discussions. We always had different opinions about which SRK was better – the SRK of ‘KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI” or the SRK of “DIL TO PAGAL HAI”. Your action in ‘BAAZIGAR’ and ‘KARAN ARJUN’ seemed more lively than today.

I cannot recall when or how I started disliking you. Perhaps, when I acquainted the real world and faced the hardships of life, I understood that your movies are nothing but lies and myths folded onto a sugar-stick of dreams. As they are rightly called ‘Hawa Mithai’. I remember I was graduating when I had become insanely bitter towards you. However, until last two-three years, I understood that you are just an entertainer and your livelihood depends on the movies you make. There is no point in loving or hating you. There can only be like or dislike.

But, there are a lot of people who literally die for you. One of such people is a person I know since childhood. You can say that we grew up together. I have seen his madness for you. You were no less than God for him. No matter how many stupidities you committed or illogical statements you gave, he was always there to defend you and fight for you. He stood by your side when you compared soft drinks with mother’s milk during that ‘insecticide’ controversy. He vowed to avenge for your ‘insult’ on American airport. He could literally do anything for you.

But, he was altogether a different person when I met him recently. We discussed the not so enthusiastic performance of your movie FAN. I counted your shortcomings and to my utter surprise, he agreed with me. I was astonished! How could he accept your mistakes? But he did. I remember what he actually said, “If he continues doing silly mistakes like this, his downfall is inevitable.”

I didn’t know what to say! I was dumbfounded. I wondered what happened to him! What happened to your FAN?

And, why did this happen to your FAN?

Dear SRK, you may not consider it important but your movie “FAN” intentionally or unintentionally showcased your attitude towards your own fans. And, you might have understood by now that they certainly didn’t like it. So, not as your fan but as a simple movie-buff, I wish to warn you to check yourself. Don’t let this happen to your fans. Your arrogance certainly suits you but not on the cost of your fandom. You need to accept the fact that every bit of your stardom is indebted to your fans. Don’t ever release such silly statements which tend to make your fans ‘intolerant’. You need to know that you are nothing but an entertainer. It is your fans who make you a celebrity, a star! Yes, of course, some fans cross their limits but your humility is the need of the hour. Your survival as an entertainer depends on your conduct towards them. Your fans might not bear your constant taunts and tantrums. Don’t let your ‘FANS’ down.

You might be wondering why this long-gone and irrelevant issue caught my attention. Well, there are two reasons. First, the SRK Fan I talked about, met only few days ago. And secondly, FANS or FANDOM is never an irrelevant issue for a star. Hope you get my point.

I just hope that my words reach some well-wisher of yours and you get to know what your fans think about you.

Good luck with your RAEES!

Book Review: "We will meet again" by Tarang Sinha

It has been a long… very long time since I enjoyed reading any romance. Thanks to “We will meet again” for breaking the monotony of my reading habit. I am profusely thankful to the author “Tarang Sinha” for this wonderful reading experience. As I am here to express my views on the book, I wonder whether I would be able to justify what the book deserves.

Writing a romance is never that easy. And if I include my personal shortcoming of being a disaster at writing an out and out romance, reviewing a romance book becomes equally arduous for me. But, all thanks to ‘We will meet again’, I am here to shatter this belief of mine.

About the Author:

Tarang Sinha is a writer, avid reader and an active Blogger. Her works have been published in magazines like Good Housekeeping India, Child India, Woman’s Era and Alive, and a bestselling anthology “Uff Ye Emotions 2”. A Science Graduate, she holds a Diploma in Creative Writing in English from IGNOU. Originally from Bihar, she lives in New Delhi with her family.

Though it seems hard to believe given her writing prowess, ‘We will meet again’, is her first novel.

Storyline and Plot Structure:

‘We will meet again’ has a very clear storyline and intriguing plot-structure. It is a mature love-story of two mature people Paridhi and Abhigyan. They meet, they fight, they fall in love and then, they face the consequences. In this journey, they introspect and re-discover their real selves.

I always believe that romance fiction comes in strict story frames and despite all of the respective writer’s effort all romance storylines share many things common. The writer’s real talent is showcased in the plot-structure to make it different.

Tarang Sinha is undoubtedly a wonderful writer. In the common story frame of romance, she has woven a riveting plot decorated with wonderful events and scenes. The plot is full of thrills and its eventful structure instills curiosity in the readers. There are lots of twists and turns which make it more interesting. I believe that romance-fictions come with predictable climax. But as they say, it is not the destination but the journey which makes it beautiful. ‘We will meet again’ is one such story. All thanks to the wonderful plot.

Tarang has included a detailed Hindu Marriage Ceremony incident as a sub-plot. It came as a surprise to me. I have a read a number of coming of age romances where the characters not only loathe the Hindu Marriage Ceremonies but also disgust the elderly women [referred as Aunties) who are always enthusiastic to find their prospective life-partners. I never understood the logic behind this sophisticated show-off. Of course, we have some ridiculous customs but tradition has its own beauty unless you are mature enough to understand and enjoy it. And getting married or not is entirely a personal choice. There are ways to avoid nosy relatives but there is no humour in insulting someone who is just pro-active regarding your marriage. Tarang really deserves appreciation for breaking this stereotype and ‘wrting’ out of the box. The sub-plot contains beautiful descriptions of the customs and how they bring the family together. It adds beauty to the novel.

Narration and Dialogues:

Tarang has used first person present tense narration. It is not very common among Indian popular fiction. This type of narration at times proves to be hard to connect with readers. But Tarang has managed it beautifully. It gives the feeling of living the story with the book. Narration is very gripping and fluent. The reveries and general descriptions have been written beautifully and they do not seem boring.

Dialogues are connecting and just. The casual conversations do not seem imposed. Tarang has not used Hindi words frequently. The conversation of the protagonists attracts and the exchange of dialogues between them comes as natural. Not at a single scene, I felt it improvised.

Characterization:

“We will meet again”, has a number of feel good things. But ‘characterization’ is certainly icing on the cake. Let’s get onto it in detail:

PARIDHI – Paridhi is the female protagonist of the novel. She is beautiful, mature, intelligent, self-esteemed and lovable. She represents a middle class Indian girl in true sense. [Chetan Bhagat, you listening?]. She is stubborn yet sweet. And she is confident and egoist. Few of her traits are –

Time Management and studious nature – Paridhi is meticulous in studies and knows the value of time. In the beginning of the book, she is working on her assignment which she succeeds in completing way before the given time.

Presence of mind – Paridhi has amazing presence of mind. She never loses her wits. Even the most critical of the situations manages only to falter her for a moment. She takes hold of everything quite efficiently.

Loving sister and daughter – Paridhi is a loving sister and a doting daughter. She is elder to her sister and her affection is at times filial towards her. She takes good care of her father after her mother’s demise.

Paridhi is certainly a remarkable character created by Tarang.

ABHIGYAN – Abhigyan is the male protagonist of “We will meet again”. He is, in every term, a heart-stealer. Charming, dynamic, dashing, commanding and yes, wealthy, what more could you ask for. Tarang has portrayed him right out of the fantasy of a girl. Abhigyan has almost everything a girl would want in her life-partner and that includes his anger also. It would be injustice if the shades of his personality aren’t discussed –

Commanding Nature – Abhigyan doesn’t take ‘no’ as an answer. There are several instances in the book where his commanding nature rules and he gets everything done as per his will.

Taking control of the situation – A medical emergency and a mischief in wedding are two of such situations where Abhigyan comes forward to straight everything out and control the situation. He manages everything and everyone efficiently and doesn’t let anything slip out of his hand.

Self-dependent, self-confident and a dedicated Businessman – Some hardships of his life make Abhigyan self-dependent which he develops as efficiency rather than engulfing himself in depression. He is very confident and takes every decision of life himself. He doesn’t rely on anybody. He manages his business and personal life very well.

Loving husband – Abhigyan is a loving husband, more importantly he is a husband who is very patient towards his wife’s coldness. He takes good care of her in spite of her ignorance. It is quite surprising that a man who has so much ego manages to handle his wife’s taunts. One can only imagine the abundance of love required to do that!

Evidently, Abhigyan and Paridhi remind of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth. I have added Tarang on my favorite authors’ list and I am so glad that I wouldn’t be missing Jane Austen that much.

Other characters like Yashodhara Bua, Mini, Reet etc. are justified in their frame. I would like to specifically mention Pammy Aunty. Congrats to Tarang for recreating a nosy neighbor and giving her such a lovely and adorable appearance. Of course, you can create humour without insult. Ask Tarang for it!

Treatment of Love and Romance:

“We will meet again” is all about love and romance. Tarang creates new horizons of relationships and recreates that magical aura. It is journey through a woman’s heart how she discovers love and accepts her feelings. Normally all love stories end with marriage. But the best thing about this book is a phase of relationship and a new shade of love starts with marriage. However, I was bit disappointed about the book being one sided in love. We do not get to know the feelings of Abhigyan and his approach towards love. That is impossible in a first person book. That is why I believe that it would have been more beautiful had the story been written in third person.

“WE WILL MEET AGAIN” is a wonderful read. It is refreshing and amazing, a must read for everyone who loves to have a romance section in their bookshelf.

Few thoughts on "The God Factor" by Nitin Shrivastava

“The God Factor” is a non-fiction penned by Nitin Srivastava. Nitin is an Asstt. Professor in an Engineering College. His continuous interaction with his students and a lot of other people provided him enough insight of an unhappy and discontented mind which encouraged him to write this book. The book is actually a detailed analysis of different perceptions and their impact on our life.

Author Nitin has taken reference of ‘Maya’ from Hindu mythology and efficiently explained our wishes and desires and sometimes, our ‘greed’ on its basis.

Why we are never happy or contented no matter how much we get? Can’t we learn to live the moment and leave the rest of the life in the hands of ‘God’? Why do we dwell in past and let it ruin our present as well as future? Why we rely more on destiny than ‘karma’?

These are the few questions which find focused answers in this book by Nitin Srivastava. According to the author, there is a permanent melancholy cord in us. Happiness is a choice and even a childless couple can have it if they wish to. Happiness leads to success in life. Nitin Srivastava has chosen some folk stories and anecdotes to elaborate his point and he certainly seems to be successful about it.

“The God Factor” could prove to be useful for such people who prefer pessimism to optimism. The book is short and simple yet powerfully speaks for itself. Proper editing of the book could have made it more appealing. However, Author Nitin Srivastava succeeds in a thoughtful interpretation of one of the most important aspects of life.

Author Nitin Srivastava could be contacted at http://www.nitinsrivastava.net/

My Wishlist : BMW S 1000 RR

BMW S 1000 RR is a sports bike which was first introduced in April 2008 in Munich and was made by BMW Motorrad to compete in 2009 Superbike World Championship. Seeing its huge success, the commercial production was started in 2010.

 The S 1000 RR represents a milestone in electronic rider safety: ultra-lightweight ABS (2.5kg), which can be used in conjunction with the extremely efficient DTC dynamic traction control (available as an optional extra). it has fine control intervals, is virtually imperceptible in its operation, and is light enough to satisfy fans of low-weight bikes.

It has DTC – transparent traction control. This dynamic feature reacts reliably and efficiently to speed, lean angle, and operating mode (rain, sport, race, or slick). It was specifically designed to be as effective on the road as it is on the racetrack.

Its radially mounted Brembo brake calipers help it to decelerate. Not only do brake disks mounted directly on the wheel rims look good, they also reduce unsprung mass.

It has an extreme bore/stroke ratio (80x49.7mm) and rocker arm-actuated valves for great stability at high engine speeds, compact construction and lightweight design – a genuine powerhouse which demonstrates its considerably ability at all output levels.

Its intelligently positioned slits behind the fairing minimize turbulence to allow the rider to maintain a relaxed head position, optimum air-flow around rider and bike ensures stability at top speed, while efficient flow-through makes for maximum cooling. Combined with plenty of eye-catching design features – that’s the way to do it.

If you want to be fast, you have to adopt a relaxed racing posture. The way you sit must allow you to concentrate on the essential aspects of motorcycling – maximum enjoyment and perfect control. The looser you are on the bike, the easier everything else will be. Gone are the days when you had to bend yourself flat. Today's modern posture means you are actually sitting more in the bike than on it.

I so so much wish to own this bike someday...

Fact File :

Type	Water-cooled 4-stroke in-line four-cylinder-engine, two camshafts, four valves per cylinder
Bore x stroke	80 mm x 49.7 mm
Capacity	999 cc
Rated output	193 hp (142 kW) at 13,000 rpm
Max. torque	83 ft-lb (112 Nm) at 9,750 rpm
Compression ratio	13.0 : 1
Mixture control / engine management	Electronic intake pipe injection/digital engine management including knock sensor (BMS-K-P)
Emission control	Catalytic- 2 Closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter, emission standard EU-4 ready
Performance / fuel consumption
Maximum speed	Over 125 mph (200 km/h)
Fuel consumption per 100 km at constant 90 km/h	Euro Rating: 5.7 l
Fuel consumption per 100 km at constant 120 km/h	Euro Rating: 5.9 l
Fuel type	Unleaded premium, octane number 91-93, automatic knock control
Electrical system
Alternator	three-phase alternator 350 W
Battery	14 V / 10 Ah, maintenance-free
Power transmission
Clutch	Multiple-disc clutch in oil bath, anti hopping clutch, cable operated
Gearbox	Constant mesh 6-speed gearbox
Drive	chain
Chassis / brakes
Frame	Bridge-type frame, cast aluminum, load-bearing engine
Front wheel location / suspension	46 mm Upside-down fork, rebound and compression adjustable
Rear wheel location / suspension	Cast aluminum swing arm, Continuously adjustable rear inbound-rebound damping, high and low speed
Suspension travel front / rear	4.7/5.1 inch (120 mm / 130 mm)
Wheelbase	56 inches (1,432 mm)
Castor	3.7 inches (95.9 mm)
Steering head angle	66,1 °
Wheels	Cast aluminum
Rim, front	3.50 x 17"
Rim, rear	6.00 x 17"
Tyres, front	120/70 ZR 17
Tyres, rear	190/55 ZR 17
Brake, front	Twin disc, floating brake discs,radial-fixed 4-piston calipers, diameter 320 mm, 5 mm thickness
Brake, rear	Single disc brake, one-piston floating caliper, diameter 220 mm, 5 mm thickness
ABS	DTC**: DTC 4 mode dynamic traction control adjustment, only avalibale with Race ABS, disengageable Race-ABS*: 4 mode Race-ABS adjustment, disengageable
Dimensions / weights
Length	80.9 inches (2,056 mm)
Width (incl. mirrors)	32.5 inches (826 mm)
Height (excl. mirrors)	44.8 inches (1,138 mm)
Seat height, unladen weight	32 inches (820 mm)
Inner leg curve, unladen weight	71.2 inches (1,810 mm)
Unladen weight, road ready, fully fuelled1)	450 lbs (204 kg), 455 lbs (206.5 kg) incl. Race-ABS
Dry weight 2)	403 lbs (183 kg)
Permitted total weight	859 lbs (390 kg)
Payload (with standard equipment)	412 lbs (187 kg)
Usable tank volume	4.5 gln (17.5 l)

Reserve

approx. 1 gln (4.0 l) On Road Price - 28,00,000 INR [approx.] [The information in this article has been sourced from company profile.]