Fun with Mother tongue and idio-Ma…

20 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Random Musings

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english, spanish funny, translations, words

Lata was best friends with Lila and Rama with Anil. They drank a bottle of cola and lo…popped out Ganga

Lata brought along Rebeca whereas Rama chose Chandal. Rama forgot that Cita was a Red.

No, I have not gone crazy. (And no offense intended to the above named, please) The former are Spanish words that sound like Indian names . The following are their English translations.

Lata = Tin Lila = purple Rama = branch Anil = blue Cola = queue

Ganga = bargain Chandal = tracksuit Cita (Sita, poetic license) = appointment Rebeca = cardigan red = web

More kidnapped words by Spanish from Indian language:

naranja= (narangi) = orange

tu= tu (mazhi ahes) = you

pagar= pagar ( kadhi honar?) = to pay salary

culo= culya (var laath milel) = buttocks

santo = sant (Tukaram etc) = sage/saint

Know of any more such linguistic twists? Do drop by with your comments and contributions.

The Broken Nest: Nashtaneer

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Books-Movies, Classics, Constructive Criticism: Book reviews

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;Literature, book review, Classics, Rabindranath Tagore, Satyagit Ray

Tagore is a one-man answer to all accusations that men simply do not understand women. He does. In depth.

Nashtaneer (Broken Nest) takes you into the tight world of Charu, who grows from child-bride to woman. Often ignored by her husband in favor of his business, she drifts into a poetic game with her brother-in-law.
Trying to imitate his literary style, she stumbles upon her own. To her consternation, her individual style alienates her brother-in-law, as he starts viewing her as a competitor, while she yearns for his approval.

As the jittery brother-in-law distances himself, her husband begins to woo her in a clumsy attempt at poetry. She rebuffs him absent-mindedly, leaving him deeply wounded, leaving her raw & vulnerable and ending in a chain of events that have you feeling for every character.
It is a nuanced interplay, a tug-of-emotions that constantly leaves you at the edge of ‘If only…‘
This is sheer mastery in words.

Translated later into the movie Charulata. Directed by S. Ray.

The Guide : R.K Narayan

19 Sunday Jan 2014

Posted by dr sweetyshinde in Books-Movies, Constructive Criticism: Book reviews

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book review, Dev Anand, R.K Narayan, S.D Burman, Vijay Anand, Waheeda Rehman

I prefer the book to the movie. Always.
The only two exceptions are Masoom (based on Man, Woman, Child) and Guide (Guide).

Raju Guide’s life is a roller-coaster of lost dreams, broken promises, shunted relations.
His idyllic life twists with the entry of Rosie, the young, spurned wife of the much older archeologist Marco. Rosie grasps onto Raju’s shoulder as she rejects her marriage for her only true love…Dance.
Alas, her passion for dance and Raju’s obsession for her lead them into a downward spiral of deceit, misunderstanding and betrayal. Who betrays whom? Can Raju rise beyond the mundane into the sublime?

The book differs from the movie somewhat: Rosie in the book is single-mindedly focussed on her career. Once Raju is out of her life, she is all competence and confident self-assurance as she takes up the reins of her life and career. Rosie of the movie is more emotional, naive, vulnerable and sacrificing (as all Indian movies demand of their heroines)

Lingering moments: Waheeda blossoming from a sulking nag to a carefree soul as soon as she wears the ghungroo (dance anklets), the snake dance, Saiyyan beimann song seamlessly interwoven into Kya se kya; Raju guide blithely counteracting the Sanskrit-spouting swindlers with his English.
Major thumbsup: The haunting soundtrack by S.D Burman is a massive plus point for the movie, along with the easy charm of Dev Anand and the exquisite Waheeda Rehman. Innovative song takes by Vijay Anand.

Recommended: Both book and movie.