Amazing

I just saw this article today. I'm amazed. It talks about how they have photographed uncontacted tribes. I'm unclear about why an NGO called Survival International is fighting to keep them uncontacted though - I'm thinking would I have preferred it if the more advanced cavemen discovered my ancestor cavemen in the forest and left them there or would I have wanted the more advanced cavemen to have made contact with my ancestors and told them about fire, the wheel etc. and taken them along to find the best place in the forest to settle down and build a colony? Interesting thoughts these are on a Saturday afternoon.

Interesting Sunday

Me and Hemisha had an interesting Sunday. Started the day by tracking the elections in Karnataka (my home state) and then lunch followed by a late afternoon brainless movie - Be Kind Rewind - Do watch it if you want to see the English equivalent of a Govinda movie and my guarantee- you will use the word Sweded many times in the following week. Something interesting - we watched it at the new Oberoi Mall and seated with us during the movie was Kumaramangalam Birla and family - He's the 7th richest Indian. I was very impressed by how down-to-earth he and his family was. They stood in line with us at the box office, spent about an hour walking around the mall killing time before the movie and I guess had a good time through it. It's nice to see a billionaire from one of India's wealthiest families making efforts to ensure he and his family live a normal down to earth life. On another note, I'm definitely getting a feeling now that the change that started in India about 2 years ago is now becoming visible. You have the first of the world class malls, residential complexes etc. getting ready and it's exciting to see the country modernize itself. But thats the topic of another post!!!

Good Will Hunting - my fav. quote

Saw Good Will Hunting tonight - really enjoyed it. I thought I'd share a quote from the movie that really struck me. It struck me for it's simplicity and also for the contradiction that in spite of it being obvious when put so directly, we end up naively believing that we can read about things and substitute that for real life experience. This dialog really struck a chord with me. I've snipped it from IMDB.com

Sean is Robin Williams - a so-called failed shrink and Will is Matt Damon - a disturbed genius with a troubled past who was sent to Sean for counseling.

Sean: So if I asked you about art, you'd probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life's work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I'll bet you can't tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that. If I ask you about women, you'd probably give me a syllabus about your personal favorites. You may have even been laid a few times. But you can't tell me what it feels like to wake up next to a woman and feel truly happy. You're a tough kid. And I'd ask you about war, you'd probably throw Shakespeare at me, right, "once more unto the breach dear friends." But you've never been near one. You've never held your best friend's head in your lap, watch him gasp his last breath looking to you for help. I'd ask you about love, you'd probably quote me a sonnet. But you've never looked at a woman and been totally vulnerable. Known someone that could level you with her eyes, feeling like God put an angel on earth just for you. Who could rescue you from the depths of hell. And you wouldn't know what it's like to be her angel, to have that love for her, be there forever, through anything, through cancer. And you wouldn't know about sleeping sitting up in the hospital room for two months, holding her hand, because the doctors could see in your eyes, that the terms "visiting hours" don't apply to you. You don't know about real loss, 'cause it only occurs when you've loved something more than you love yourself. And I doubt you've ever dared to love anybody that much. And look at you... I don't see an intelligent, confident man... I see a cocky, scared shitless kid. But you're a genius Will. No one denies that. No one could possibly understand the depths of you. But you presume to know everything about me because you saw a painting of mine, and you ripped my fucking life apart. You're an orphan right?
[Will nods]
Sean: You think I know the first thing about how hard your life has been, how you feel, who you are, because I read Oliver Twist? Does that encapsulate you? Personally... I don't give a shit about all that, because you know what, I can't learn anything from you, I can't read in some fuckin' book. Unless you want to talk about you, who you are. Then I'm fascinated. I'm in. But you don't want to do that do you sport? You're terrified of what you might say. Your move, chief.