Besan Ka Halwa

What does the Hyena say? Intolerance needs interlude. Media needs regulation. India needs a sense of humour. By Vikram Grewal Nations mostly need education, healthcare, agricultural and industrial growth, employment and several others of these ‘socio-economic-political’ nuggets to develop. India currently, apart from these vital entities, needs a sense of humour. Although the Indian society is in dearth of the said virtue since a very long time, the grave need has been exacerbated by the ‘intolerance fiasco’ it has been engulfed by. Intolerance became the most ‘googled’ word online in India- which isn’t the issue. Getting the usual meaning ‘unwillingness to accept views, beliefs or behaviour that differ from one’s own,’ and still not realizing it- is the issue at hand! Several so called ‘nationalist’ social groups might have appended ‘use of violent means to make them accept your views’ to their understanding of the buzzword. An even greater issue came up: that ...

Beef Speaks On this strangely hot autumn noon, I lay my pale being. 'Soon I hope this agony would rest.' Moo, the dry teats in pot-holes nest. The left broken horn doesn't hurt anymore. The scar on the neck- the bell I never wore. Masticating on my own saliva I lay on the dingy street. 'Moo, not a Tuesday!' Saffron on the nose is blinding my eyes. Graffiti on my right horn- gheraoed by flies. People with hands joined come and flee. I stare amazed- they let me be. Moo, I wish this futility to end, As I wait on that filthy market bend. Deepen the neck-scar! To the starving poor, feed me. The panacea for both's misery.

FIFA 16: Snowballing Feminism into Football Ignoring the ‘fratricidal’ FIFA wars over Sepp Blatter, the officials at EA Sports gave the masses something unprecedented earlier this June. The internet woke up (as if it ever sleeps) to witness gaming spheres and women activists, sportswomen and feminist leaders brawl over the inclusion of 12 international women’s football teams in the upcoming FIFA 16. FIFA has been one of the most played videogame since its launch and after the introduction of improved game-play and graphics in FIFA 12, its sales have sky rocketed. Due its increasing popularity it was bound to face many critical arguments- one regarding its exclusively male character. Despite Ubisoft’s claims that women are too hard to render, EA Sports has somehow done the impossible and digitally modeled more than 200 of them, “each a recognizable simulacrum of a real human person who is very good at playing football”. The female football World Cup is currently bein...

Der wasn’t one of them. He pondered over plots that would be despised by the people who read them. Plots that would be deemed scum by the critics. Plots that would make him a joke among the publishing circles of the city. Plots that might raze all his chances of being read. Plots that would perhaps shackle his only prospective livelihood. He was young and rather bright- in the unconventional way of course. And he wasn’t one of them.   He pledged he would write what would never be read. Except for a handful of imbeciles who feigned intelligence and considered themselves as some kind of ‘literati-whisperers’. They will of course not publish him. They would insult him and tell him to never try that again. Or if he were a little lucky, they might admonish him to never pick up a pen again in life. Even luckier would be the case if his work got banished. Life was an adventure with ink on paper. It would be a greater adventure if he got exiled. Commoners demanding liberty of speech woul...

The Theory of Everything The film's no doubt the weakest contender for the best film Oscar. It is a very average biopic and has numerous aberrations from the turn of events of Hawking's life to his body condition and physiognomy post-ALS. More than Hawking i think this film's focused on his first wife's character which has been decently portrayed by Felicity Jones. You get a profound feeling of 'A Beautiful Mind' playing. Eddie Redmayne completely fits the role courtesy his resemblance to hawking. The background music is perhaps the only outstanding feature of it that makes it seem like a fairy tale of some sort. Over all, a mediocre biopic. RATING: 3 / 5 Nightcrawler The film hasn't been nominated for the best film Oscar. Jake Gyllenhaal has been completely ignored by the academy which actually surprises me. As per me this flick's almost at par with the Imitation Game and American Sniper. It is excessively consistent; never loses the pl...