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Had the opportunity to see a splendid Hindi film: Neerja. It is based on the actual incident of a hijack of a Pan Am aircraft back in 1986, and the exemplary heroism displayed by the eponymous character, Neerja, airhostess of the same flight. While the story is stuff that modern legends are made of, the way it has been re-created on screen deserves special mention. The director avoids any overt attempts to invoke sentimentalism or melodrama. In a quiet, realistic way, he shows how an ordinary fight purser turns into a model of courage in the face of fire. Neerja is no swashbuckling hero, she is an ordinary girl recovering from a traumatic past and looking forward to a bright future. A happy-go-lucky person, her metamorphosis into a rock of grit and bravery is what the film focuses on. The film uses flashbacks to show glimpses of her happy childhood and consequently, her troubled marriage, and juxtaposes these images with those of the gun-toting, brutal, abusive terrorists. We ge

A few days back I was going through old photos of my daughter. How cute and chubby she looked when she was a toddler! And how sweet with two front teeth missing, as a six year old. And look how tall she had grown when she was nine! Old photographs give us a glimpse into the moments lost to us in time. They make us relive those times by transporting us to that period. We can almost feel what we felt at that time. Coming back to the passage of time, and how my child has grown up, there have been some noticeable changes over the years, though they happened slowly. For eg.,in the things that are now passe, like: A switch from Disney and Cartoon Network channel shows to Colors and Sony Pal channels Graduating from reading fairy tales to Famous Five and Sherlock Homes  Tape frocks - out, pyjamas, t-shirt - in Frilly party frocks - out, jeans/palazzos, top - in Playing with dolls has been replaced with gossiping with the girl gang on phone Flipping through fashion, movies and

Leadership behavior and qualities are not limited to any particular stratum, level or profession. These can be evidenced in any role, in any category of people, in any situation. So a salesgirl may exhibit leadership qualities as may a newspaper vendor, a housewife as may a college student, a bus conductor as may a company executive. It is very difficult to put a finger on what exactly makes a good leader, as many leaders are very different from each other in terms of personality and traits. For example, if we consider a powerful personality as an essential characteristic of a leader, then why did millions of Indians follow Mahatma Gandhi willingly when he urged them to adopt non-violence means of protest and give up using imported goods? He had a mild personality and was extremely soft spoken. Hardly the charismatic leader one imagines a path-breaker to be. On the other hand, you have another Indian freedom fighter, Subhash Chandra Bose , a dynamic and powerful speaker, a q

Often bloggers and writers face this question: What to write? Should we write about personal tragedies and triumphs or should we wax eloquent on general topics? Focus on the intimate or the general? Create fictional set-ups or write about real issues? Daily, we go through this dilemma, sometimes facing the writer's block, that mother of all inertia. Yes, sometimes we are actually at a loss of ideas and words. Everything seems empty and meaningless. Words seem frivolous. This happens particularly when we are going through troubled times, during personal loss or depression. And then, one fine day, we decide to write after all! Collecting our thoughts and scattered words from memories and experiences, we start weaving yarns once again. Creating fiction, writing non-fiction, playing with words, all in the day's work for us. And so we write on, whether anyone reads us or not.....