road trippin'

Saw this movie yesterday "The Motorcycle Diaries." It's the story of the early years of Ernesto "Che" Guevara (that's right, the revolutionary guy with the beret) and his buddy Alberto as they journey across Latin America. It's set in the 50s when everything was beautiful and disease-free and wine, song and women flowed freely (in that order). I don't have too much knowledge about Che except that he was a leader in the Cuban revolution in the sixties and a thorn in Uncle Sam's ass. But anyone who feels strongly about something but is trying to find a catalyst to drive them into action will appreciate the idea behind the movie.

My desire to visit South America is now many times more intense after watching those two dudes travelling through the mists of Chile, the snowy peaks of Peru, on through the Machu Picchu ruins and ending with a raft ride down the Amazon. I've taken a few trips through the motherland in the last few years with my borderline Jekyll/Hyde amigo Rahul, and there's really nothing like summiting a peak or sharing a meal with total strangers in the middle of nowhere. You feel like shit and want to drop dead from exhaustion but you'd do it a hundred times given the opportunity. I'm not talking the WWF-nursing-you-all-the-way kind of treks, mind you. This is different.

We were the only four people in about a 50 sq km area. Photograph courtesy self-timer.

Road trips are different from all other kinds of travels in the sense that your pace can be adjusted to match the local pace of life. Your day begins with the locals as you grab your lota/toilet paper and head off behind a boulder to take care of the original "download". Then after a cup of the local brew you're off to explore and experience the place. And so it goes on for many days. What a life!

Some movies really manage to give the viewer a real slice of the locales. Lord of the Rings was one such movie, this is another one. Watch it and you'll understand what I'm talking about. I bought the DVD today......a great addition to any collection. Oh, soundtrack's pretty good too!

Independence day special

What's your one favourite moment in Indian cinema?

I realised which one was my favourite a few days ago while watching doordarshan (yeah so I watch DD sometimes even when there's no match on.....big deal). Shockingly, it has Shahrukh Khan in it. Now I really dislike the guy and his frikkin stammering, but he doesn't say a word in this scene. The scene is from Swades, and if you've ever lived abroad you'll like this movie for sure. I'm talking about the part where Mohan is returning to the village from some trip and his train stops at a station. This kid selling water comes running up and asks him to buy a glass for 25 paise.

I feel anger, frustration, helplessness and an extreme desire to do something about the state of the country every single time I watch it. I think some amount of community service should be mandatory for everyone in this country......like you have to serve in the armed forces in Israel, Switzerland etc. for a couple of years or so.

Sanitation, education, health, welfare.......take my word for it, the government will NEVER be able to do it all. Either we come to terms with it and do it ourselves or we can continue to wait for Uncle Ram to come around and do it for us and enjoy the ignorance and filth in the meantime.

I think we would have been better off under British rule.....look at Hong Kong today.

I know, I'm leaking frustration.