Tag: Slumdog Millionaire

It looks out of this world

Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun is about one and half kilometer from the place I live. I regularly go up to the gate of the institute during my morning walk. Many a times, I extend my walk to the inside the Institute. It was established in the year 1906.

Nowadays it conducts trainings for the candidates selected for Indian Forest Service, for the forest rangers, M.Sc courses. The institute itself is situated in a very big campus which have trees of every kind found in India.

Institute is situated in the middle and building is majestic. Despite being so old it mesmerizes the beholder. It houses the laboratories, museum which contains specimen of wood of trees, non woody products, the bugs which thrive on the trees and is divided into 5 modules. Guides are also available if one wants.

This is about the buildings but the real beauty is outside where sprawling green grass lawns, water brooks, the mighty trees, bamboos of umpteen variety can be seen. As everyone knows, the work of growing the trees is a very painstaking one, it must have taken years for many trees to reach their majestic heights and beauty.

As you walk through the jungles and woods, you feel transported to an altogether different world. A world that is so peaceful and serene and you are compelled to praise the God who has created it all.

The varieties of the trees are numerous ranging in size from few centimeters to hundreds of feet. In the morning time one forgets that he is in this world but feels that he is in heaven. There is no pollution. The air is fresh. Yonder the blue Mussoorie hills form the backdrop. When sky is not overcast, it is so blue.

I remember the dialogues between two brothers in the movie Slumdog Millionaire after being thrown from the train near Agra. When dust thins before them and the visage of Taj Mahal looms before them. Younger one says “is this the heaven? ” Elder one tells that No, we are not dead it is real. Similar experience is felt if you leave your thoughts that encumber you behind. If you get a chance visit this place and feel for yourself.

I visited the place after many days and took some snaps. Due to the clouds and early morning, the pictures are a bit hazy as if one is seeing them in the dream.

Recycling for a Living

Dharavi is the largest slum in Asia. It is situated near Bandra in Mumbai, the economic capital of India. Mumbai was once upon a group of disjointed islands and one had to take the boat to reach an island from another.

British got the island in dowry from Portuguese and saw its strategic importance chose to develop the place because it has the finest natural harbor in the world. 

They encouraged the Parsees to come and open industries and develop the city. Soon the city began to expand and people flocked to it in search of better future.

The islands were abridged by reclaiming the land from the sea and continuity was achieved. The city as such has no chance of expanding in all directions like Delhi because of its shape and detached location from the rest of India.

It soon became over crowded. Those who work for creation of wealth for this city, found it difficult to find a place to live in. The slums sprouted everywhere which have very cramped places to live in. Hygiene is virtually non existent. But even then millions live here.

One such area is Dharavi. It has been depicted in many movies like Salaam Bombay by Mira Nair and Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle. The area consists of labyrinth of very narrow lanes. I think one can get lost and never come out. Economically, the people work here to collect the waste materials and recycle them.

Dharavi
Dharavi

One such material is recycling of Aluminum which is found in the form of cans of beverages. Unknowingly these people are shielding the city from the pollution that this metal can do.

Aluminum is very difficult to obtain from its ore because of the lengthy processes like dissolving it in alkali solution, then precipitating it in the form of Alumina and then carrying out electricity consuming process of electrolysis to obtain the pure metal.

The process here is to dip the cans in mild acid to remove the coverings and then after washing and drying melt the individual mass of cans into one solid ingot in a hearth which is a hole in the earth where coals are burnt with the help of  air conveyed through a pipe.

The cans are put on a silicon carbide crucible. This way the metal is melted and is ready to use in making utensils and other articles. These people work for hours to earn a living.

Life in Mega Cities through Movies

I am not a film buff. I am not able to watch a movie from the beginning to the end. May be some friend recommends a particular film or it may be good movie is the reason why I watch them sometimes.  There is almost no social life as we are new to this place and I am also not inclined.

Watched three movies in 3 days: Delhi Belly, Dhobi Ghat and Slumdog millionaire. Each one entirely different from another.

Delhi Belly

Delhi Belly captured the life of three friends in Delhi.  The term “Delhi Belly” is used to mean infections in the belly like food poisoning which foreigners especially the Britishers suffered due to taking the strong spicy and unhygienic food and hot weather.

Dhobi Ghat

Dhobi Ghat depicts the life in Mumbai: stark contrast between extremes of rich and poor living conditions. The movie moves ahead through the video tapes recorded by a married girl. These tapes are meant to be sent to her brother in USA. The girl narrates stories through which the life in Mumbai is shown. Finally it is found that the girl hangs herself. Based on these narratives, the protagonist of the movie, played by Aamir Khan and who is a painter by profession, paints a series of his work. The story revolves around the South Mumbai and places like Nagpada, Gate of India, Chaupati beach.

Slumdog millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire also revolved around Mumbai’s underbelly brought about through two brothers. The movie by Danny Boyle is loosely based on the book of the same name by Vikas Swarup. The answers to the questions posed in the show propel the story and are the incidents which come across the life of two slum dwelling brothers. It goes into the back flashes in response to the questions asked in the Who wants to be a millionaire.

And I missed again the Mumbai.

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Recycling for a Living

Dharavi is the largest slum in Asia. It is situated near Bandra in Mumbai, the economic capital of India. Mumbai was once upon a group of disjointed islands and one had to take the boat to reach an island from another. British got the island in dowry from Portuguese and saw its strategic importance chose to develop the place because it has the finest natural harbor in the world.  They encouraged the Parsees to come and open industries and develop the city. Soon the city began to expand and people flocked to it in search of better future.

The islands were abridged by reclaiming the land from the sea and continuity was achieved. The city as such has no chance of expanding in all directions like Delhi because of its shape and detached location from the rest of India. It soon became over crowded. Those who work for creation of wealth for this city, found it difficult to find a place to live in. The slums sprouted everywhere which have very cramped places to live in. Hygiene is virtually non existent. But even then millions live here.

One such area is Dharavi. It has been depicted in many movies like Salaam Bombay by Mira Nair and Slumdog Millionaire by Danny Boyle. The area consists of labyrinth of very narrow lanes. I think one can get lost and never come out. Economically, the people work here to collect the waste materials and recycle them.

One such material is recycling of Aluminum which is found in the form of cans of beverages. Unknowingly these people are shielding the city from the pollution that this metal can do. Aluminum is very difficult to obtain from its ore because of the lengthy processes like dissolving it in alkali solution, then precipitating it in the form of Alumina and then carrying out electricity consuming process of electrolysis to obtain the pure metal.

The process here is to dip the cans in mild acid to remove the coverings and then after washing and drying melt the individual mass of cans into one solid ingot in a hearth which is a hole in the earth where coals are burnt with the help of  air conveyed through a pipe. The cans are put on a silicon carbide crucible. This way the metal is melted and is ready to use in making utensils and other articles. These people work for hours to earn a living.

It looks out of this world

Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun is about one and half kilometer from the place I live. I regularly go up to the gate of the institute during my morning walk. Many a times, I extend my walk to the inside the Institute. It was established in the year 1906. Nowadays it conducts trainings for the candidates selected for Indian Forest Service, for the forest rangers, M.Sc courses. The institute itself is situated in a very big campus which have trees of every kind found in India.

Institute is situated in the middle and building is majestic. Despite being so old it mesmerizes the beholder. It houses the laboratories, museum which contains specimen of wood of trees, non woody products, the bugs which thrive on the trees and is divided into 5 modules. Guides are also available if one wants.

This is about the buildings but the real beauty is outside where sprawling green grass lawns, water brooks, the mighty trees, bamboos of umpteen variety can be seen. As everyone knows, the work of growing the trees is a very painstaking one, it must have taken years for many trees to reach their majestic heights and beauty.

As you walk through the jungles and woods, you feel transported to an altogether different world. A world that is so peaceful and serene and you are compelled to praise the God who has created it all. The varieties of the trees are numerous ranging in size from few centimeters to hundreds of feet. In the morning time one forgets that he is in this world but feels that he is in heaven. There is no pollution. The air is fresh. Yonder the blue Mussoorie hills form the backdrop. When sky is not overcast, it is so blue.

I remember the dialogues between two brothers in the movie Slumdog Millionaire after being thrown from the train near Agra. When dust thins before them and the visage of Taj Mahal looms before them. Younger one says “is this the heaven? ” Elder one tells that No, we are not dead it is real. Similar experience is felt if you leave your thoughts that encumber you behind. If you get a chance visit this place and feel for yourself.

I visited the place after many days and took some snaps. Due to the clouds and early morning, the pictures are a bit hazy as if one is seeing them in the dream.

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Life in Mega Cities through Movies

I am not a film buff. I am not able to watch a movie from the beginning to the end. May be some friend recommends a particular film or it may be good movie is the reason why I watch them sometimes.  There is almost no social life as we are new to this place and I am also not inclined.

Watched three movies in 3 days: Delhi Belly, Dhobi Ghat and Slumdog millionaire. Each one entirely different from another. Delhi Belly captured the life of three friends in Delhi.  The term “Delhi Belly” is used to mean infections in the belly like food poisoning which foreigners especially the Britishers suffered due to taking the strong spicy and unhygienic food and hot weather.

Dhobi Ghat depicts the life in Mumbai: stark contrast between extremes of rich and poors’ living conditions. Te movie moves ahead through the video tapes recorded by a married girl. These tapes are meant to be sent to her brother in USA. The girl narrates stories through which the life in Mumbai is shown. Finally it is found that the girl hangs herself. Based on these narratives, the protagonist of the movie, played by Aamir Khan and who is a painter by profession, paints a series of his work. The story revolves around the South Mumbai and places like Nagpada, Gate of India, Chaupati beach.

Slumdog millionaire also revolved around Mumbai’s underbelly brought about through two brothers. The movie by Danny Boyle is loosely based on the book of te same name by Vikas Swarup. The answers to the questions posed in the show propel the story and are the incidents which come across the life of two slum dwelling brothers. It goes into the back flashes in response to the questions asked in the Who wants to be a millionaire.
And I missed again the Mumbai.