The laughing gas that brings tears

Though Nitrous oxide is referred to as the laughing gas, Ammonium nitrate is the raw material. Now, this is the cause for a number of terrorist activities in the past few months.

Friday's multiple blasts in Uttar Pradesh, when investigated about were done using large amounts of the explosive. How are vast quantities of the explosives finding their way into the State? Do the multiple blasts foreshadow the looming threat of more strikes in the State?

These are the few major questions worrying detectives investigating the multiple blasts in Uttar Pradesh.

Though 15 persons, mostly lawyers, were killed, causing mass casualties does not appear to have been the objective. The purpose seems to have been to intimidate and demonstrate the reach and capability of the perpetrators. The explosions were synchronised to take place after the Friday prayers. It seems that the Jihadi terrorist organisations prefer to organise their terrorist strikes on Fridays.

The explosions have come in the wake of the judgements delivered recently in respect of the Mumbai serial blasts of March 1993 and the Coimbatore serial blasts of February, 1998. In both the cases, a number of Jihadi terrorists have been found guilty and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. The arrested terrorists were alleged to have been beaten up by some lawyers when they were brought to court. The local lawyers have also reportedly refused to defend terrorists in future.

From these circumstances, it is likely that the explosions were meant to intimidate the criminal justice community, particularly the lawyers.

But the entry of explosives is a little troubling!

In May this year, soon after the Gorakhpur blasts, police in Allahabad recovered 50 kg of ammonium nitrate and 1,000 metres of magnetic fuse wire brought in from the neighbouring State of Madhya Pradesh.

Just before this incident, railway police personnel, during a routine search, recovered about 10 kg of explosives and 20 kg of ammonium nitrate from the second-class waiting room of the Faizabad railway station.

"So clearly, huge quantities of explosives are being pumped into the state and with the banned Students Islamic Movement of India active in many districts, this could be a dangerous trend," warned intelligence sources.

Ammonium nitrate is commonly used in agriculture as a high-nitrogen fertiliser. But, the chemical, when combined with diesel or kerosene, turns into an oxidising agent.

It’s a business run on fear

Recently, a BPO employee was admitted in Apollo hospital due to dizziness. The doctors had asked the parents of the girl, to take a series of tests. The poor parents were uneducated and also from a rural background. They had no clue, what so ever of the urban lifestyle ! They spent all their savings on their daughter and made all the tests. Five days later, when the girl’s parents enquired the doctors about her health status, they come towards them, just to say “The girl dies five days back.”

I can hear a loud ‘NONSENSE’ and I am sure all of you can’t accept that this happened in a reputed hospital like Apollo, but this is true! [Please consider this as just an alleged complaint]

The sad fact is that the issue is not yet being reported by any media, to my knowledge and I was told by my friend, that she would file a story once she gets more details from the parents. But something has to be done somewhere.

The Health of the State is getting worse by the day. The line dividing the haves and have-nots is clearly marked here too. As on one side, scientists find new ways to create life, doctors kill thousands of lives, simultaneously, probably, due to sheer ignorance.

But the above case, I am not sure, what to call, as I do not have full details.

I am just out of another hospital. My mom was admitted this time, as she was diagnosed of mild jaundice. I became over-cautious after hearing the sad case of that girl. We checked with a couple of doctors even before admitting her in the hospital. Thankfully, my aunts had previous experiences of handling jaundice patients. She actually could read the medical report and interpret facts! Any how, I didn’t stop it there. At each stage, I kept asking all sorts of questions, just to make doctors realise that patients are not mere fools to accept all that they say.

My mother had to take a scan of her liver to study the status of the problem, to help the doctor make a proper diagnosis. An amateur nurse who was studying the scan report, saw a clot in the gall bladder, and created a hullabaloo in the scanning room, calling it a big one! When we approached the doctor on this, he said that was nothing at all. I understand that nurses should be given training, but doctors can’t discuss patients so openly, and that too, with someone who doesn’t know much. Since the doctor here was a dependable one and since the patient is a well-educated one, there was no scope for anyone to fool!

I guess now, you would accept that it’s a business run on fear, a fear not in the mind of the doctor anymore, but in the mind of the patient.

Not just that.

It is a business run based on this fear factor.

What the fish? I assure OSO is fun!

Back home, mom was a little unwell. Dad was busy with work and luckily I had an off, that Saturday. And to my surprise, tickets for Om Shanti Om were available. And thank goodness, it was not an evening show! Since I had booked the tickets through sms, I had to go there one hour before. Uh, I was really bugged. Thank god once again, my friend Saranya was available. I was chatting with her till Shardha arrived, and it took a really long time for her to reach. Anyways, well ahead of the movie, we were inside the theatre. No missing title uh! ;-)

To tell in short, Om Shanti Om rewinds you to flashback ['70s Bollywood] and fastfowards you to the present [Bollywood, now]

Thirty years back, SRK [Om] is a junior artiste and Deepika Padukone, [Shanti] is the 'dreamy girl' of Bollywood. And of course, Om is fond of Shanti. But Shanti is in love with a big-time fim producer-actor, Mukesh [I'm not too sure of his real name] and wants to get married to him, But the villian in him refuses to accept Shanti. He organises to burn her alive in one of his grand sets. Till almost the end, Om tries rescuing her, but is thrown out by the power of fire and both, Om and Shanti die. As Om Ramprakash dies, Om Kapoor is born. Rajesh kaoor gets his first son at the same time and names him Om.

Thirty years later, Om kapoor [popularly called as OK in the Bollywood circle] emerges victorious as the king of Bollywood. Om Kapoor, who was born the same minute when Om Prakash died, looks very similar to him and is considered his re-birth. And now, as every viewer wonders why Deepika shouldn't have a re-birth, Farah Khan introduces Sandy, an aspiring actress from Bangalore [She looks very much like Shanti, and hence assumed as her re-birth] As Om Kapoor gets reminded of his previous birth, he gets to meet Mukesh [popularly called as Mike in the Hollywood] during filmfare awards. Now, as Om remembers how Mukesh killed Shanti, he decides to torcher him with that, using Sandy [Shanti-look-alike] but to everyones surprise, Shanti's ghost haunts Mukesh and kills him.

Now, the cinematography and the setting, is completely in Bollywood ishtyle. Too plastic. It's a complete masala film, something like a mixture of a Rajnikanth and Kamal film. The first half was hilarious. You can't stop laughing for a minute. Om's lovely partner, I mean, the one who acted in Iqbal [What's his name?], his filmy mother and everything else makes you glued to the screens. But the theatre becomes totally silent when Shanti dies. Mukesh, I would say is a mixture of Raguvaran and Prakash Raj. Later when he comes as Mike, I very much could assaociate him with Raguvaran's role in Batsha. It's a little funny to compare Kollywood with Bollywood, yet I think we can. In the latter half, there's a scene where almost the entire Bollywood, except for Ayshwarya Rai and Aamir Khan, assemble together during the filmfare awards function and that one was really a good one! It's quite tough to manage a whole lot of them, but it was great to see all of them dance together.

OSO is a must watch, at least for the one who seeks for some change and entertainment in life! I can assure you of 2 and a half hours of complete entertainment. Though the story line might not be too good, it is fun to watch. Btw, SRK's abs are not all that attractive to look at. SRK himself has become too old, that Its too tough to appreciate Farah Khan's idea of portraying SRK like this! Deepika Padukone is attractive. She shows a lot of her legs, probably to indulge the men, but her acting is amazing towards the end of the film. Mukesh [Not too sure of his real name] is one character I liked most, though he is the villian.

And I forgot to tell you, the way Farah Khan had put up the credits was a good idea. It was almost a scene, which would be similar to the premier, with all the technicians and actors in it. This ensures that the audience watch that as well. That's something very important, to me as a film studies student.

And the music is just wonderful!

Inside Bhansali's enchanting world..

This Monday, after protests from mom in sending me to Saawariya for the evening show with friends, I managed to watch the movie, with my dad, that afternoon. *sigh*

Despite the bad reviews that Saawariya had, I was very eager to watch the movie, for two reasons! One, the songs and two, puppy-dog-like-Ranbir Kapoor. With its raaga based seductive melodies and the blue-green sets, the mood created by Bhansali was truly amazing! And yes, the entire movie was set in a fairy-tale like stage! It was almost like something abstract and unattainable in reality.And the colours used, blue and green [colours of the peacock feather] are peculiar ones associated to Lord Krishna and yes, they represent 'passionate' love.

The movie starts with Rani Mukherjee, in a different and unexpected role [a prostitute] with Ranbir Kapoor [Raj in the movie - Yes, intentionally named] .. Ranbir is a singer in the RK Bar, where Rani comes quite often. The movie starts with the song, Saawariya, but it stops half-way there and it you tune your ears to the melody towards the end of the film. As Ranbir sings for the prostitutes in the bar, he spots a mysterious girl draped in black, standing alone at a bridge. Yes, he gets to meet our heroine, Sonam [Sakeena] He rescues her from a few evil-minded men. The minute he sees her, he falls in love! Love at first sight. But sadly, Sonam is already in love. Ranbir who is unable to accept her haunting past and her relationship with Salman continues to love her. [As I told earlier, the movie is set in a background of prostitutes, something that reminds me of Krishnadasi system, that still prevails in deep south.]

Now, the relationship between Salman and Sonam is quite unacceptable. What make them fall in love at first site is even more confusing? And how can a girl afford to give herself to him completely? And why does Salman have to leave abruptly are a few questions that kept me confused! How could I miss Lillipop. Zohra Segal, the land lady is adorable. For all that she says and does, I was very much reminded of my own granny! The love between her and Ranbir is a cute one.

Ranbir, till almost the end tries his best to make Sonam forget Salman, and when he almost achieves that, with his Saawariya song, Salman gets back! And yes, I hated it. More than that, Salman's looks were not too impressive.

Now, my rating for Ranbir: I would give him five stars. His performance was too cute and adorable and his puppy dog like looks and his hair falling over his forehead never lets us take our eyes off him. Sonam's performance was average! She didn't have a great role, I'd say.

Overall, it was a wonderful afternoon, spent in Bhansali's enchanting world.

Signing off,
Janu Krish