There are some things,that, even while you get older and wiser and everything else, remains close to your heart. These are childish things, many may even think that these things are embarrassing as one gets older, but that is nonsense. You ought to have such things in life, only if to remind oneself of one's childhood. In my life, though I am not that old, Pokemon is such a thing. Yes, Pokemon. I am not ashamed to say that perhaps I am one of the biggest fans and followers of the TV series. The world of Ash and Pikachu do not cease to amaze me. And if one goes into the deeper layers of the series, there is a thinly veiled yet masterfully masqueraded school, which teaches us the practical teachings of life, the true value of loyalty, the sweet fruit of hardwork, simple yet elegant worth of friendship, the real meaning of sacrifice, and the advantages of a never say never attitude. People may think that I am exaggerating, and perhaps I am, but I owe, yes, I owe many things to Pokemon. My first true tutors, apart from my parents, were Ash, Pikachu and Brock. One may even go to the extent to say that I am addicted to Pokemon, but I am glad that I watched Pokemon. I was three when I got introduced to it, and now I am sixteen, and even now, whenever I have the time, I watch the show in my computer or in the TV. It relaxes my mind, and sometimes refreshes the fact that there is more to life than studies, that one has got to cherish life with your friends, and enjoy it to the fullest.
Friday, 10 April 2015
Saturday, 4 April 2015
Well, first of all, congratulations to Arsenal for beating Liverpool 4-1. Sorry Liverpool fans, I have no enmity with any of you, but as a Manchester United fan, this is good news for me. Now Manchester United will only have to beat Aston Villa, to strengthen their Champions League spots.
As I have already written, I am a keen follower of football, but not everybody is. As far as playing is concerned, cricket, obviously, is played more than football in this country. So, during these holidays, I was determined to improve my physical fitness. This, and I write this quite sheepishly, was easier said than done. I had started out like a man on a mission, but that mission, when I saw the distance of the ground from my house, that mission seemed to have been automatically aborted in my mind. Desperate to keep my word, for I had boasted to everyone that I was going to return to school fit, I trudged down the path, and that's when I realised, even before reaching the ground, how woefully lazy I had become. I huffed and puffed and at last reached the ground, where fielding became a nightmare. And that's when I realised the importance of physical exercise and how seriously I was lacking in that front. In a glance people would call me thin, but a keen observer could immediately guess how poor my health was going to be in a short span of time.
This may seem like an age old topic, but I can assure you, by my personal experience, how important this topic is. I am not against playing video games, why, I do that myself quite a lot, but there is a time and place for everything. You have to see what are your priorities. An half an hour walk is not going to snatch your games away from you. If you think you are getting lazy, or you are getting bored, even while studying, devote ten minutes to physical exercise. It will help in the long run.
As I have already written, I am a keen follower of football, but not everybody is. As far as playing is concerned, cricket, obviously, is played more than football in this country. So, during these holidays, I was determined to improve my physical fitness. This, and I write this quite sheepishly, was easier said than done. I had started out like a man on a mission, but that mission, when I saw the distance of the ground from my house, that mission seemed to have been automatically aborted in my mind. Desperate to keep my word, for I had boasted to everyone that I was going to return to school fit, I trudged down the path, and that's when I realised, even before reaching the ground, how woefully lazy I had become. I huffed and puffed and at last reached the ground, where fielding became a nightmare. And that's when I realised the importance of physical exercise and how seriously I was lacking in that front. In a glance people would call me thin, but a keen observer could immediately guess how poor my health was going to be in a short span of time.
This may seem like an age old topic, but I can assure you, by my personal experience, how important this topic is. I am not against playing video games, why, I do that myself quite a lot, but there is a time and place for everything. You have to see what are your priorities. An half an hour walk is not going to snatch your games away from you. If you think you are getting lazy, or you are getting bored, even while studying, devote ten minutes to physical exercise. It will help in the long run.
Friday, 3 April 2015
I was introduced to Feluda quite early, when my mother brought it from the school library. At that time I had no idea that Feluda was one of our very own, partly because I had no knowledge of who the great Satyajit Ray was. Later I managed to dig deep in the matter, if you call searching Wikipedia digging deep, and then realised the scarcity of fictitious home produced detectives in India. The best thing about Feluda is that you don't realise how ridiculously simple it is, in content and in language. But the story, in whole, strikes the heart deeply. Of course, then there is Tapesh, who serves as the Watson to Feluda, whose full name, by the way, is Pradosh Chandra Mitter, and narrates the story in a charming yet simple manner. Without that type of narration I do not think Feluda could have reached the heights he has, atleast in Bengal. But one of the best characters is Lalmohan Ganguli, whose innocent humour is deliciously meaningless in the context of the plot, but still leaves us smiling everytime we read it. The most amazing is that Satyajit Ray took time from his busy schedule to write such novels, which while refraining from touching upon stuff such as gore and other such things, and yet manages to engage us till the last word.
One other detective I have found that India has truly created, is Byomkesh Bakshi. I have managed to read only one book of the Bakshi series, but I had the pleasure to watch all the episodes that Doordarshan produced, I think, two or three decades ago. It starred Rajit Kapur as Bakshi, the great Satyanweshi (seeker of truth) and K.K.Raina as his loyal friend Ajit Bandyopadhyay. The series was excellent. Some people might call it too simple, but that's what, according to me, added to its charm.
One other detective I have found that India has truly created, is Byomkesh Bakshi. I have managed to read only one book of the Bakshi series, but I had the pleasure to watch all the episodes that Doordarshan produced, I think, two or three decades ago. It starred Rajit Kapur as Bakshi, the great Satyanweshi (seeker of truth) and K.K.Raina as his loyal friend Ajit Bandyopadhyay. The series was excellent. Some people might call it too simple, but that's what, according to me, added to its charm.
Manchester United, as far as I am concerned, is the best club in the world. My only pity,as far as football is concerned, is that I did not get hooked to it earlier. Like most of the people in this country, I was a fervent follower of cricket, until something made me see a match between Manchester United vs West Ham which ended in a 5-5 draw. That, as most of the ardent football followers would know, happened to be Sir Alex Ferguson's last match. This was my introduction to football. Later, I managed to read Sir Alex's autobiography, "My Autobiography", and I was irresistibly drawn into the world of football, away from the realms of cricket. But this does not mean that I am averse to cricket. Not at all. When it comes to India vs Pakistan matches, I am as mad as any other person in this cricket loving country. But my allegiance has turned towards football.
Manchester United, as many may know, are in one of those transitional phases from which many a team has passed and from which many a team has fallen into a darker abyss, seen by many, but helped by none. It was a known fact that following the footsteps of Sir Alex would be no mean job, but David Moyes started his job wonderfully. Indeed, perhaps his is the first name to be remembered when one thinks of his former club Everton, where he has done a magnificent job. Yes, it is true, his Manchester United reign was less than successful, but that does not hide away his ability. He is doing an excellent job in Real Sociedad, having even beaten F.C.Barcelona. Perhaps had he continued his reign at Manchester United for some time, he may have succeeded. But I am not going to go into that.
Louis van Gaal is his successor, and he has done quite a good job in reconstructing this team. His credentials back him, his stats back him, and he has a bucket load of trophies and man management skills to back them up. The next match against Aston Villa, will be a crucial one. Manchester United were top notch against Tottenham and Liverpool, and need to carry that form against Villa. As far as the Angel di Maria conundrum is concerned, let the man be. His class is already proven. He has immense talent. His lob of the ball for Juan Mata's second goal against Liverpool was exquisite. He just needs time and support to prove his worth to his team. Louis van Gaal's style has benefitted players like Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini. Angel di Maria will hopefully benefit as well.
Manchester United, as many may know, are in one of those transitional phases from which many a team has passed and from which many a team has fallen into a darker abyss, seen by many, but helped by none. It was a known fact that following the footsteps of Sir Alex would be no mean job, but David Moyes started his job wonderfully. Indeed, perhaps his is the first name to be remembered when one thinks of his former club Everton, where he has done a magnificent job. Yes, it is true, his Manchester United reign was less than successful, but that does not hide away his ability. He is doing an excellent job in Real Sociedad, having even beaten F.C.Barcelona. Perhaps had he continued his reign at Manchester United for some time, he may have succeeded. But I am not going to go into that.
Louis van Gaal is his successor, and he has done quite a good job in reconstructing this team. His credentials back him, his stats back him, and he has a bucket load of trophies and man management skills to back them up. The next match against Aston Villa, will be a crucial one. Manchester United were top notch against Tottenham and Liverpool, and need to carry that form against Villa. As far as the Angel di Maria conundrum is concerned, let the man be. His class is already proven. He has immense talent. His lob of the ball for Juan Mata's second goal against Liverpool was exquisite. He just needs time and support to prove his worth to his team. Louis van Gaal's style has benefitted players like Chris Smalling, Juan Mata and Marouane Fellaini. Angel di Maria will hopefully benefit as well.
Holmes through generations
It was quite a busy week. After my mother's continued persistance, I have decided to start this blog. As with blog, I will write my thoughts, and share them with you.
It was a couple of months ago, that I managed to stumble upon the Granada TV Series on Sherlock Holmes. It starred Jeremy Brett as the Great Detective himself, with David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as his Watson. David Burke starred in the first couple of seasons, then Edward Hardwicke took over. But be it Burke or Hardwicke, the series is perhaps the best made on Holmes, even eclipsing the critically and commercially acclaimed "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch and the two films starring Robert Downey Jr. I saw the Cumberbatch series first, and like everyone, was astounded, to say the least, by his acting skills. He was well complimented by Martin Freeman, and the series was a joy to watch. But after the Brett series, it is easy to see from where Cumberbatch has found his inspiration. I have no doubt over his acting skills, but is difficult to imagine that he acted as Holmes without seeing the Brett series at least once. When the world lost Brett, the world lost the man who first introduced the Great Detective to the silver screen, the way he just moulded into Holmes, his eccentricities made me watch the series again and again. When I first recommended the series to a couple of my friends, who to were avid fans of the Cumberbatch series they were delighted to hear about it. But when I told them that the series had been made a couple of decades ago, their faces crumbled. It's not like that. The performances were legendary. Set in typical London of that times, it is hard to envisage, for me, to think of Holmes without thinking of both Brett and Cumberbatch (sorry Robert Downey Jr.) and after seeing the Brett series, not to place Brett just a notch higher than Cumberbatch.
Watson, portrayed, first by Burke and then by Hardwicke are exceptional. They were underrated in a series dripping with the acting prowess of Brett, but they hold their own place. Burke portrays Watson as a cheerful and expressive fellow, whereas Hardwicke brought more seriousness to the role, portraying Watson as attentive, but prone to sarcastic bursts. But both are excellent.
I have had the pleasure to watch this series, and I recommend that you watch it as well.
It was a couple of months ago, that I managed to stumble upon the Granada TV Series on Sherlock Holmes. It starred Jeremy Brett as the Great Detective himself, with David Burke and Edward Hardwicke as his Watson. David Burke starred in the first couple of seasons, then Edward Hardwicke took over. But be it Burke or Hardwicke, the series is perhaps the best made on Holmes, even eclipsing the critically and commercially acclaimed "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch and the two films starring Robert Downey Jr. I saw the Cumberbatch series first, and like everyone, was astounded, to say the least, by his acting skills. He was well complimented by Martin Freeman, and the series was a joy to watch. But after the Brett series, it is easy to see from where Cumberbatch has found his inspiration. I have no doubt over his acting skills, but is difficult to imagine that he acted as Holmes without seeing the Brett series at least once. When the world lost Brett, the world lost the man who first introduced the Great Detective to the silver screen, the way he just moulded into Holmes, his eccentricities made me watch the series again and again. When I first recommended the series to a couple of my friends, who to were avid fans of the Cumberbatch series they were delighted to hear about it. But when I told them that the series had been made a couple of decades ago, their faces crumbled. It's not like that. The performances were legendary. Set in typical London of that times, it is hard to envisage, for me, to think of Holmes without thinking of both Brett and Cumberbatch (sorry Robert Downey Jr.) and after seeing the Brett series, not to place Brett just a notch higher than Cumberbatch.
Watson, portrayed, first by Burke and then by Hardwicke are exceptional. They were underrated in a series dripping with the acting prowess of Brett, but they hold their own place. Burke portrays Watson as a cheerful and expressive fellow, whereas Hardwicke brought more seriousness to the role, portraying Watson as attentive, but prone to sarcastic bursts. But both are excellent.
I have had the pleasure to watch this series, and I recommend that you watch it as well.
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