Free Hugs - Jadu ki Jhappi!

Four years back Munnabhai MBBS showed a concept of Jadoo ki Jhappis (magical hugs). How a simple emotion as a hug can comfort people and ease their pain and problems. This concept of Jhappis has fascinated several people across the world. It has even triggered a movement called "Free Hugs". Today's world is much prevalent with terrorism, war, hatred, and fear. Giving away jappis/free hugs irrespective of color, region, or religion we belong to is a beautiful way of combating hatred and spreading love and humanity.

Here is a beautiful Free Hugs video. The message at the end of this video is even more beautiful.



It is funny how people in general are attracted to anything free; but at the beginning in this video when the guy stands with a board saying Free Hugs, he is looked at with suspicion or considered crazy and given strange looks.

The First Blog Post

Blogs are an interesting mode of expressing our thoughts, and sharing and discussing topics of our interest. Reading the many interesting blogs on the Internet attracts us to start one. Particularly for those of us with a passion to write. But starting to write the first blog post is a tough job. Starting with the title of the blog itself and the blog post, what idea to start with, how to put it forth, should I place an opinion, express a central idea or theme? What would attract people to read it? Several thoughts went through my mind too as I started this blog. My friend Swati Sanyal has put the thoughts of a blogger as she writers her first blog post so aptly and beautifully in her blog Picking up moments from life's cobbled way.... I could not agree with her more. I love the way she pours out her thoughts as she writes the post, makes me flow with her mood and thoughts at that moment and reflect on my own when I was starting my blog.

Cool Multiplication Tricks!

We usually dread multiplying large numbers manually and instantly go for the calculator. But these fascinating and innovative ways of doing multiplication will have you grabbing a pencil and paper to do a few yourself! I specially like the second one with just drawing lines.


Multiplication Trick 1

I've tried this one with 3 digit numbers too. Works well.


Multiplication Trick 2



Multiplication Trick 3

Pencilmation

I have always loved animations and cartoons. The amount of creativity that is built into an animation fascinates me. Early animations required drawing by hand, several images, each depicting a motion step. All images were then run in a sequence at a high speed to animate the set of images. Wikipedia gives an interesting and apt definition for the term animation. Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision. This could be anything from a flip book to a motion picture film. Computers and graphic and animation software have brought in a whole new set of techniques for creating animations. Any person with a creative mind can create animations with little resources. Artistic abilities, i.e. the skill to draw and paint well, are not a constraint anymore.

We often enjoy creative little animations and graphics in forwarded e-mails. Here is one such animation that fascinated me. It is simple, funny, and extremely creative. Many of you might have already see it. What you might not have seen is the sequel to this by the same creator Ross Bollinger.

A Stew of Names

Ram Gopal Varma is seemingly done dabbling with the cast of his Sholay remake movie. We never know though, he still might change the actor cast to play Jai, Veeru, Basanti or some other character. The title of the film is undergoing a metamorphosis. Sholay to Ram Gopal Varma Ke Sholay...and now Ram Gopal Varma ke Aag! (...Ke Aag? plural? I always thought fire is a single entity!) I don't understand his logic of putting his name in the title. The movie banner does contain his name already. I now appreciate the titles like Daag - The Fire and Aan - Men at Work better.

Meanwhile, RGV is also cooking up a stew of names of his film characters. Here is where it gets funnier. Gabbar Singh's name has been changed to Baban Singh, Basanti to Ghungroo, Radha to Devi, Soorma Bhopali to Rambha Bhai, and Sambha to Tambhe. Hee...hee.. I am waiting for more fun on this front. The process of making this movie is more fun than what the movie would turn out to be. I have never liked remakes anyway. I think the only Hindi remake I liked is Bimal Roy's Devdas starring Dilip Kumar, Suchitra Sen, and Vyjayanthimala, which was a remake of PC Barua's Devdas starring KL Saigal, Jamuna, and Rajkumari.

Story source:
http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2007/jul/02look.htm
http://www.ourbollywood.com/2007/07/rgvs_sholay_is_now_ram_gopal_v.html