It is not clear who made the first Cuckoo clock but it was around 1750 the first Black Forest Cuckoo was created.
There are museums displaying the collection of Cuckoo clocks, the Cuckooland Museum in the UK and the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum inGermany.
Some of the latest ones are very savvy with some special designs.
On a personal level I would not like to own one, for the simple reason I don’t like to be reminded of the passage of time every hour. And imagine my plight when this happens in the night, with the cuckoo waking me up every hour to say “see another hour has passed away”
But this is exactly what Alex Budovsky has done. He has made a short film showing how the Cuckoo has entered our lives and controls our thoughts. It is every where, in our bed, in our bath tub….. slowly it takes over our complete life. The way he has depicted the whole process in this short movie with simple animation technique made me sit through for the 3 minute duration of the movie. It is in Black and White and the pace is very fast.
The music by Stephen Coates is apt and one can imagine how the conveyor belt effect can change our lives.
It has won the Jury Award for the Best Animation at Sundance Online Film Festival for “the perfection of music and fantastic Imaginary”
In this age of texting
and abbreviations that are used in the name of “communication” it is
a pleasant and welcome change to hear someone speaking English, the way it is
meant to be spoken. I had the privilege of meeting such a person who knows the
value of the language and she is 90 years old.
Yesterday was her birthday and I was
very much there to witness the sparkle in her eyes while she cut the birthday
cake. I am talking about Joyce
Wordsworth.
Long distance wishes
As the party progressed she saw me busy
with my camera, she beckoned me and asked “so how many photos have you clicked
so far? A hundred?”
I told her “It could be a few hundreds,
but more than that I have to make a confession” Her eyes widened and she brought
her ear closer to me urging me to go on. (I felt as if I was kneeling at the
confessional)
I told her that I took the liberty of
clicking some photographs of her house while she was busy with her guests
outside in the lawns.
“Really?”
Now I was not sure if that meant
“Why?” or “ without asking me?”
So I quickly added “you see I write
blogs and I feel I should write a post on you. I would like some photographs to
accompany my post”
She gave me an approving nod with a
smile. I told her that once it is done I would bring my lap top and show her
the post.
“Yes please do that, and also tell your
wife to get me that freshly baked bread that she promised me long back”
Now it was my turn to raise the
eyebrows. Such sharp memory!
with her nieces and nephew
So now I have to make sure both are
delivered on time. Here is a person who will not forget anything and here I am
who does not remember what I did yesterday morning!!
"where is the bread?"
She was a teacher in some of the prestigious
schools in Pune. Her ex-students approached her and requested her (on bended
knees) to accompany them for a party in advance for her 90th Birthday.
She willingly accepted and joined them. She still takes Spoken English
classes.
with her brothers
Walking around her small cottage was an
experience for me. I did hear many stories about how she refuses to dispose the
old things in her cottage. I think each and every article in the house must be
memories for her.
Those key chains, those photographs, there must be
stories attached to every item. I have made a mental note to come later and sit
with her and talk to her. I am sure there will be many stories that she could
unravel for me, both about herself and about Poona.
The party in progress
And now a picture of her from 1962 when she was teaching in one of the prominent schools in Pune (then known as Poona ) I think its easy to spot Joyce.
After all it is not every day that one
meets someone who was born just after the aftermath of World War One.
The whole Wordsworth clan
Happy Birthday Joyce :-) There are not
many like you . . . . PS: Joyce Wordsworth expired on 23rd Nov 2013 at the age of 91.
There must be very few who did
not enjoy the comic books when they were kids. (I always wondered why
they were called comic books)
My favourite ones were Phantom,
Mandrake the magician and Tarzan.
It was so fascinating to know that Tarzan was
the child of Lady & Earl of Greystoke who were shipwrecked and how he was
adopted by one of the apes who had lost
her own child.
Then came other lovely cartoon
strips like Denis the Menace followed by Calvin and Hobbes. The difference
between Denis and Calvin is that Denis thought and spoke like a child would
whereas Calvin’s thoughts and words were that of an adult.
Coming back to Tarzan, I
remember the time I cut up all the Tarzan comic strips from the daily newspaper
(Monday to Friday) stuck them together to form one big roll.
I modified a shoe box
to make some sort of a movie viewing box and fixed the roll in it so
that it could be viewed like a movie. Those were days when kids were happy with
simple pleasures of life…
Recently I saw a short cartoon
movie which brought back old memories. This was an animated movie with a difference . It conveys a message of life without actually preaching about it. In fact
there are no dialogues, no voice over, just music (and I loved the music too).
It is for the viewer to decide what the movie has to say. The message is so
simple that even a kid can understand it. Come to think of it, I think this is
a good cartoon movie for kids. A movie with a message.
The stressful life that we lead, the hurried drive
through the traffic to work, all these don't add up. But somehow the brighter
things in life don’t get through.
The little things in the life are the ones that
make you happy
Is there anything more exciting than the sunny
Sunday morning with a hot bacon sandwich?
However if you take time to watch the times of
pleasure around us, they will add a spark to your life and make the world
warmer and a pleasing place to dwell.
Waking up on your day off, the first day of
sunshine after a cold day of winter, making someone smile, turning a corner and
seeing the beach, the ocean crashing against the shore, smelling the sea air,
feeling the sand in-between your toes, crushing the crunchy leaf, being the
first to step into a fresh field of brilliant dazzling beautiful white snow,
the joy of having the whole cake to yourself.
Your pet dog happy to see you, no matter how long
you have been away, Fridays afternoons, Saturday mornings, walking on the fresh
grass bare feet, reliving your childhood memories of games, a glimmer of
excitement when similar experiences come to light, a goal in the last minute,
breaking those bubbles on that bubble wrap, going for a drive on a rainy day, the
list is endless.
Reading these small things that make you happy is
one thing and the visual impact that one gets when you actually watch them is
something different.
That is what Sorcha Anglim did. He strung all these
together to make a short movie of three minute duration.
I
usually don’t write movie reviews but when I see a good film I feel I must
write about it. (the earlier reviews that I wrote were Peepli Live and Tintin)
Kudos
to Gauri Shinde for giving the world a good film in Hindi.
Yes,
this is a movie that will not only run in India, but will have a universal
appeal and audience.
One
of the salient features of this movie is the perfect casting. Be it the mother
in law (Sulabha Deshpande) or the loud mouthed lady at the coffee counter in
New York,
or the ever smiling priest (Ashvin Mathew) from Kottayam (with his
hand movements that is so characteristic
of a Mallu), all were perfectly cast. Most of them underplayed their roles
which was the hallmark of the movie.
Some
of the other character actors that stand out are Mehdi Nebbou who does the role
of Laurent (the French Student). Even though I have seen him on screen with
Leonardo DiCaprio in Body of Lies and as Ali Hassan Salameh in
Spielberg’s Munich, I just could not recognize him as the French guy
Laurent who goes for the English classes with Shashi (Sridevi).
Adil
Hussain as Shashi’s husband has done justice to his role.
In fact I would say
that each one has played their role perfectly. And that includes Amitabh Bachan.
Even though it’s a small cameo role, he did it with ease. I liked his
reply when the US immigration officer asks him the standard question “What
is the purpose of your visit?” to which he replies “To spend some
dollars and help your economy. If
you don’t want it, I can go back”
There
were some fine details in the movie which may go unnoticed like the time when
Shashi and her sister Meera (Sujata Kumar) makes the laddoos at
Manhattan. Shashi rolls the laddoo with her bare hands while Meera does it with
gloved hands (as per the norms by the Europeans and Americans that all edible
items are not be handled by bare hands) From hygiene point of view it may be
true but when it comes to rolling laddoos, you have to feel the
temperature of it constantly to know how firm the laddoos will turn out.
Then
there is the time when Shashi rummages through her hand bag for her cell phone
and in the process keeps the roll of French Laddoo (given by Laurent) down on
the seat and forgets it. A subtle way of showing that she did not accept the
roll given by Laurent.
What I liked best in the movie is the fast editing. No one realises that it is the editing that keeps the pace of the movie. The
song Badla Nazara is fast paced and may sound loud initially, but if you
listen to the lyrics, it gives a sense of urgency, to do things fast in a short
time. Exactly the situation Shashi is faced with.
The
Marathi-Hindi song Navrai Maajhi is a perfect example of using Dholki, Banjo,
Harmonium and the Tumbi to give an Indian song a rustic effect.
One
gets to see some parts of Pune as the story is based on a family from Pune
(India) It would have enhanced the authenticity if Shashi had used a few words
of Marathi here and there (though she did mention Laxmi road and Main Street)
If
you found the film colourful, its thanks to the wonderful cinematography by
Laxman Utekar, with his multiple cameras at the wedding scene and the boom
camera at the terrace scene.
Ahhhh
yes, Sridevi’s sarees –beautifully draped and carried with great sense of style. Simple but
wonderfully ethnic , showcasing
the essence of Indian textiles…Khadhi,
Chanderi and then some more….. thanks to Sabyasachi. Though I get the feel that
they must cost a bomb!
And
finally coming to Sridevi, she has proven that emoting and acting can still be
done after a long hiatus of 15 years!
No wonder this movie got a standing ovation
at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Of late there is
an increased awareness about donating
body parts to the cause of Science and Medicine.
I have found
more and more people signing up for Eye donation and leaving clear cut
instructions to their family regarding Organ donation, when the time arrives.
Many have even
gone a step ahead and arranged for their own funeral, something like a prepaid cremation. For some it may sound
morbid to talk about death especially when it is a family member. But let us
face it, Death is a reality. The only uncertain thing is about the “How and When”
But if everyone
goes through this exercise of selecting the way you want to be buried or
cremated then it would be a lesser burden for the loved ones who are already in
grief at that particular moment. One can even decide on the Casket Costs.
Then there is
the question of deciding whether one wants to be buried or cremated. Most often
the choice is dictated by religious beliefs. Cremation is an ancient practice
that began over 2000 years ago in civilized cultures such as Greece, Rome and
in India.
The Hindus believe that cremation is the only way in which the soul will attain
salvation.
When it comes to
the Christians (especially Catholics) some still cling on to the old church
belief that all Catholics have to be buried. Many are not aware of the
instruction from the Holy Office in 1963 about the changes to Catholic views
on Cremation. This was further amended in 1969, 1983 and 1989. These
revisions solidified the church’s position and says that following a cremation,
Catholic Church teachings instruct that the cremated remains be buried in a grave, or entombed in a colobarium. Then there is the choice of keeping the body in community owned Mausoleum or a private one. One can even compare the price at theMausoleum Prices.
Cremation is
becoming a more popular and widely
acceptable option due to shortage of space in burial grounds (especially in the
cities) and the fact that it is less expensive.
Last year this time I was in Spain where I attended a funeral of
a loved one. I was really impressed about the way the whole cremation process
was conducted.
I wish such
facilities were available in India
too.
It must be really
depressing to see people landing up on the shore half famished or almost on the
verge of death.
This is what
happens on the shores of Yemen in the month of August / September. It is due
to the instability of southern Yemen.
People try to flee
in the best (or worst) possible ways not knowing where or how they are going to
land at the other end.
The smugglers who
take them in small boats are ruthless, often beating the passengers and overloading
the boat and undergoing the risk of capsizing.
There are some who has come forward to help such victims and one such organisation is the SHS (Society for Humanitarian Solidarity)
As soon as they
get word, they land up at the beach to give immediate food a water relief. Some
of the victims are too traumatised to move.
After a short rest
at the shore they are taken to the nearest transit center where they can rest for a few hours so that they can have a meal before taking them to the
reception center in Awhwar or Mayf’aa.
There are risks
involved like endangering their own lives to save others, pulling people out of
the waves in difficult seas and operating in extremely volatile security
conditions where tribal violence is a daily occurrence.
In some cases
where there are causalities, they even bury the dead.
Al-Hamairy founded
SHS in 1995, when he found that the new arrivals became a burden to the impoverished
local community. He says that he was motivated by the NGO to assist both the
groups.
In naming SHS as the 2011 Nansen Refugee Award winner,
the UN Refugee agency recognizes the life- saving assistance provided to the
tens of thousands of refugees and migrants who arrive on Yemen’s shores each
year.
