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Goa - the very name evokes laziness, sunny skies, colourful beaches, vibrant artwork, peppy music, dance, laughter - a ticket to Bohemia!  Needless to say, a visit to this paradise demands a travel write-up. But I won't talk about the usual Goa tourist attractions. I like to think of myself as a traveller rather than a tourist.  We stayed in North Goa this time, and checked out some nearby beaches and villages. So, let's talk about a bus ride from Candolim to Calangute. A football ground passes by. Some locals arguing in Konkani. The bus is choc-a-bloc with ordinary Goans going about their daily business. We pass fancy restaurants, malls, churches, small eateries, some "pure-veg" restaurants (yes, they exist in Goa!).  The bus drops us at Calangute bus stand, and we walk around a kilometer to the crazily crowded beach. Calangute and Baga have become what locals describe as fish markets. Punjabi songs blaring, hordes of tourist, shops peddling everything under the sun,...

2023 was, what can be called, the reboot year for Bollywood , as the Hindi film industry is popularly called. Snubbing the threat posed by over-the-top, melodramatic commercial pot-boilers from the South, Hindi films emerged stronger, more meaningful, and more rooted to reality. Barring some bloopers like Adipurush, Kisi ka Bhai etc., and some absurd misogynistic fare like Gadar 2 and Animal (that surprisingly brought the moolah), the Hindi film industry produced some of the best films this year.\ What was striking was the variety of fare and the irreverence of the stardom of the protagonist. Small, medium-sized, well-made films that focused on content won the race, and made a name for themselves. Maybe these weren't blockbusters or money-spinners, but they did make an impact and secured their place in the annals of good cinema. The Best of 2023 Image source - IMDb 1. 12th Fail : Topping this list is this Vidhu Vinod Chopra directed, Vikrant Massey front-lined film for its sheer h...