REVIEW OF "THE CONJURING"

Horror is a genre that has a way of affecting us, long after we leave for home. Unlike other genres the effect isn't positive and yet we are interested in the next horror movie knowing well what’s in store. Though horror is a widely reiterated genre, very few movies stand the test of time.

Expectations starts to rise from the trailer on wards  especially if the director of SAW and INSIDIOUS is returning for his next venture. And the director has hit it right in the bull’s eye.

The Warrens are called in for help after the Perrons find an unsettling presence in their new home. Add to this, the dog that senses ghosts, a cellar which should not have been opened, the  children becoming the target, you will this movie to be fairly predictable. And that’s where you go wrong.

The screenplay is so tightly knit along with some strong performances from the entire cast. The Warrens themselves have a past with demons, and as they are ready to confront their worst fears, problems rise and ultimately all hell break loose.

The tiniest objects hold the utmost importance in a horror movie. This one is no exception either. From the musical mirror thing to the chain of the Warrens to Mr. Warren’s personal museum of cursed items, everything looks creepy and haunted (I bet, the Annabelle Doll will look right through your soul.)

All this leads to ultimate climax where everything that can go wrong in an exorcism goes wrong. Adding to this macabre is the fact that the exorcism is not performed by the pastor but by Mr.Warren himself.

Having said that, THE CONJURING is definitely worth the price of admission and a must watch for all horror fans.

PS: Don’t buy a Coke for this movie because you will spill more than you drink.

YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE THIS STORY

Living in parts of United States is a group of people called “The Amish”. With a German-English tongue there are mainly populated in the states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. These people live a secluded life till date.

There is no electricity in their village and as a result Television, Fridge, Air Conditioner or even a mobile phone is alien to them. Their marriage is strictly within their society and anyone who breaks this rule is shunned (sent away from their society).

There is a school but education is only till Eighth grade after which the students find domestic jobs or engage in Agriculture which is the main occupation of their society. The quilts made by the women are in great demand in and around the locality. Since they except privacy from the outside world, tourism is not encouraged in their locality.  Crime rate was  Zero until…

A criminal broke into the school and caught seven children as hostage. When the police tried to negotiate, he lost his mind and killed the seven children and took his own life.

But the people did not go red on the killer, instead they responded in a way that served a slap on the rest of the world. The village elders attended the funeral ceremony of the killer and offered to help his family by all means possible.

Since the old school brought in unnecessary pain and media coverage, they razed the building over night and built a new school elsewhere.

In an atomic age where a country’s strength is measured by its nuclear arsenal, we are in desperate need of the maturity shown by these Amish people, if the word “peaceful co-existence” is to have any meaning at all.

HEIGHT OF CONFIDENCE : THE OBAMA STORY

Few years back, Barack Obama (POTUS) & Michelle Obama (First Lady) went to a restaurant for dinner. During the dinner, a man was trying to meet the couple but the Secret service refused permission.  In a moment, the secret service personnel came to Michelle Obama and whispered something in her ear. She stood up in the middle of the dinner and went outside.

When she returned, Obama enquired about the issue. Michelle replied that the person arguing with the secret service was the owner of the restaurant; he was also a friend at college and he had a crush on her. Obama smiled, if you had married him, you would have been the owner of this beautiful restaurant.

Without any hesitation the reply came back, “Had I married him, he would have been the President of the United States”.

Confidence is not about lying to yourself while trying to scare your opponent. It is about the will to make thoughts to reality. If you really mean what you say, then confidence becomes your natural virtue.

Enough bleeding for the day, come back tomorrow, I will lecture you to death in some other topic.

GI TAGS USED IN INDIA

No, this article is definitely not about GI Joe-3. In this case GI stands for Geographical Indication. The term might not ring a bell but its results are commonly in usage among us. Continue the article if the last sentence seems to puzzle.

GI is similar to trademark except that it is issued to products which associate themselves to a particular region. For e.g. Consider TEA, the formula to make a tea can be patented but the tea itself can’t be patented, but tea brewed in a particular region in an unique fashion can be given the GI tag, in this case the infamous “Darjeeling TEA”.

The main reason for issuing GI tag is to preserve the ethnic culture followed in certain rural areas and to give it global recognition.

Many such articles know to us have been issued the GI tag but we were never aware of this so called tag. Even I would not have known about it, if it wasn't for the recent article wherein the Nagpur Orange and Dharmavaram (Andhra) sarees were issued the GI tags.

Interestingly “Hyderabad Briyani” is still awaiting its GI tag due to the delays in presenting the requisite historical documents.

Few years ago a lawsuit was won by Tirumala Tirupathi Devastanam (TTD) for the “Tirupathi Laddu” using the GI tag.

Some of the well known GI tags:

·        Darjeeling Tea

·        Mysore silk

·        Mysore Agarbathi

·        Kancheepuram Silk

·        Coimbatore Wet Grinder ( Yes Even I was surprised to hear it at first)

·        Mysore Sandal Soap

·        Thanjavur Paintings

·        Arani Silk

·        Konark Stone carving

·        Thanjavur Doll

·        Pattamadai pai

For more GI tags used in India:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Geographical_Indications_in_India