Metros, mega cities and places to live

In the last 2 weeks I've been to Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Udupi. Though I didn't spend more than 5 days at any given place, each place left me with a unique feeling.

Ahmedabad has always been special for me. Having grown up here, I am familiar with every knook and cranny of the city. I am very disturbed by the degrading air quality of the city though. Every year I come here, the air quality seems worse. I landed during Diwali taking off from a clear ocean view of SFO to a sky so polluted that only the haze of the million lights in Ahmedabad were showing through.

Bengaluru was a little light due to the holiday season. But with one of the worst traffic congestions in the country, the former Bangalore will always remain a place where many young 20 something Indians start their career. Bangalore still hasn't lost its allergens and the cold and chilly nights. I know of very few people who don't suffer from allergy attacks here.

I'd been to Chennai a few years ago - during college days. The sight of public transport buses jam packed with people and about 8 odd passengers hanging by the door with one hand and one foot hanging out is still very common in the old city. Life size cut outs of Jayalalitha and Karunanidhi are still sprawling. I stayed at the Niketana Guest House - situated at the posh Boat Club Road. This "home away from home" guest house is worth staying for anyone fond of some luxury in a traditional setting. The roads in this area are full of early morning walkers. Overall Chennai was a city worth exploring more. Nov is the best month to go. Otherwise there are only 3 seasons in Chennai - hot, hotter, hottest. The original Saravana Bhawan food is spicier and has Paneer Pasand, Hariyali Kabab (with aloo), Papri Chat and even Dhoklas amongst other "North Indian" dishes in 4 pages of a 5 page menu!!

Mumbai stay was very limited in scope, but much has been written abt it already. The highest density of people you'd ever see per sq inch anywhere in the world, worst traffic in the country and fashionable people with loads of attitude sums up the city. The city has a unique character and remains one of my fav on the country.

I spent most of my time in the serene and peaceful Udupi. Starkly different from the Amdavad landing; while landing at Mangalore's Bajpe airport you can see the lush green ground from the sky so clear that one can start counting the leaves in the trees below. After a tumultous NH17 journey we arrive at Udupi - the Krishna Math town. The 5 + 2 days I spent here were truly relaxing. Starting with the happy bird chirps in the morning, palm trees in every backyard, a well in every household, kritters in the night and some of the yummiest and healthiest foods anywhere, Udupi is what living on this planet should be like. Spending a lifetime here only comes to a lucky few.

I wish some of our metros and mega cities cared a little about preserving the ecosystem. As cities around the world show that its possible to have millions of people living together and still maintain an air quality that's not laden with dust, roads that actually last all 4 seasons, and noise created only through the passing ambulances or fire brigades.

Living in India is fun, with the culture, people, colors, and plenty of life around - but we deserve a cleaner air and a little less chaos outside the 4 walls of home.

TWO OMs AND ONE SHANTI

Of the 90 odd channels broadcasted in a cable network in India about 50 of them are 24x7 news channels. On this day of Diwali 2007 – Nov 9^th, the top two news items being covered are Anil Kumble’s test captaincy and the release of two simultaneous Bollywood biggies – Om Shanti Om (OSO) and Saawariya. There is apparently nothing more important going on in the neighbourhood – maybe that’s good.

We just returned from being a part of one of this breaking news event. We watched the first day first show of Om Shanti Om at the Red Carpet in Ahmedabad. There are some movies that inspire me to write about them instantly, and I’m writing within the hour of returning. However this time, I left the theatre feeling something was amiss. And then Deepa described it perfectly; she likened watching OSO to chewing gum. “It feels good while you’re chewing, but once it’s out you feel like cleaning the after taste with a plain old glass of water”.

OSO is something like that. It’s a re-incarnation flick with the first half set in the 70s and feel-good rendition of the Bell Bottom days in Bollywood fashion. The first half is extremely hilarious with great sequences, one-liners, clichés and everything one loved in those old Hindi movies. Must watch sequences include SRK’s ‘South Ka Rising Star’, ‘Bhago’ sequence that is aired in the trailers and the visual effects in “Dhoom Tana” song. Big props to Sandeep Chowta for re-creating the 70s background sound during the sequences between SRK and Maaa (Kiron Kher).

In the second half, SRK returns to his own self, Deepika re-appears inviting the biggest cheers and whistles I’ve heard in a while, the ‘Deewangi’ song with 30 odd stars and then starts the revenge track. Both halves have enough funny moments, slapstick and quality humour, intense drama and lots of Ms Padukone. But, you’ll enjoy the movie while watching it, but many like me might return feeling that something was missing.

The problem lies in the parallel storylines. There are two tracks in the movie. Besides the re-incarnation track, there is Farah Khan’s tribute to Bollywood of the 70s and today. I feel that this movie-within-the-movie track is so dominating that the intensity of the re-incarnation is lost at times. The eerie sequences in the second half add to the intensity but again make you lose focus of the re-incarnation track. Plus, a lot of things have been shown in trailers, revealed in press and the Dastaan song of the movie already. This leaves very little surprise element in the movie except for the eerie track. They say don’t search for logic in this kinda movie and treat it as a Manmohan Desai film. However, some of the sequences don’t do justice even to the lack of logic. The ‘Jag Soona Soona’ track comes without the audience really feeling for the actor. The way Arjun Rampal / SRK sequence switches from song to final dialogues in the climax left me searching for a missing reel somewhere. SRK adds a lot of energy in the first half, and is par excellence. His energy is visible in every frame and that’s the reason he’s where he is today in Bollywood. The movie belongs to Deepika Padukone – who has a dream debut. Going by the whistles – she’s bound to have a long career in movies. Arjun Rampal is a good Pran. But, the movie left me asking for more. It’s worth watching for the fun but be prepared to look for a glass of water to freshen your taste buds after watching.