The Marvelous World of Museums

 “A museum is a place where nothing was lost, just rediscovered…” ― Nanette L. Avery

When was the last time when we rediscovered something, like it was the first time?

In our routine and busy lives, we seldom get time to explore and rediscover things. I believe the story is same for everyone in this modern era. So, I have adopted a routine for myself since a last few years which has helped me overcome this, to a large extent. Visiting Museums. 

I have made it a routine to regularly visit museums at regular intervals. Museums, as a premises, have a lot of depth in their being and provide the space to our minds to refresh and introspect. As we start appreciating the exhibits, we get a chance to understand the context why the exhibit exists. Why was it created in the first place? What may have been the social, religious and cultural constructs at that point in time. What value does the exhibit showcase, that can be used in the current context at the time of its creation? If not anything, it gives us a perspective of how at some point in time we were humans, are humans and shall continue to remain humans.

I follow some of these routines when I visit any museum:

1. I set a context: Most of the times, I have a context of why I am visiting the museum, as to just as a place of solace or to slow the time down or to get insights into the history of any city or any military culture etc. A couple of examples, is before I visited the Vietnam War Museum, I read about the Vietnam war militarily, from both the standpoints. Also, before visiting the Museum of Innocence, I read the book. Context is important.
2. I don’t set a context: Sometimes though, I just go the museum without any agenda or context. Here, the point is not setting a context is more of an exploratory visit. And am always baffled to see the kind of surprises a museum offers in terms of rediscovering things, both externally and internal to one self.
3. I visit a variety of Museums. There are History Museums, Archeology Museums, Art Museums, War Museums, Science Museums and most importantly, City Museums. For example, if you have not yet visited the Mumbai city museum - Bhau Daji Lad Museum yet, I would highly recommend you get yourself a virtual tour today right away. You will start seeing Mumbai from a different perspective altogether. And when the Museum reopens, make a note to visit Byculla once.
   
   

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Ensemble of Action Stars in a Movie-verse!

Movie makers realized quite early that building up successful franchises ensures them more money than just making one successful movie.  But lately many have also realized the importance of building not only franchises but also universes. The real fun starts when seemingly unrelated universes merge into one (Manoj N Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy), or initially seemingly unrelated police-verse of Singam, Simba and Suryavanshi. Or even two individual movies converging into one with continuity (Godzilla Monster-verse). And of course, Marvel and DC have used this concept really well to keep building curiosity for their upcoming movies.

As a movie fan, I have come up with my own set of universes that converges into one. Bear with me as I build the background for the plot, but I assure it will be a fun ride.

Plot:

As always, there is an eminent terrorist threat to the world which the Americas spies have uncovered. Like always, there is not even a single threat which the Americans cannot foresee (Except the Covid19 one of course!). The US government cannot get involved as the threats are spread across various geographies and governments. But the US government knows the answer to this. They just have to find some people who can take down these nuisance elements single-handedly. So they activate the global undercover agency Unit 19 (which is not known to anyone until this happens) to assemble a team of rogues.

The catch for the plot here is that all team members need to be from the current movie universes and current timelines, so as to fit well into this plot timeline.

The Boss: 

M (from James Bond series)

M who has moved on from MI6 to Unit 19, is now given the task to assemble the best aides possible to conduct this operation. Code named con-verse (converged movie universe), this operation operation starts with recruiting the best of best into this team. In the past, M has recruited some of the best spies around including James Bond. So he is the best for this task.

M sets sail to look out for someone good who can lead this team. He lands up in Arizona, to recruit the leader of the team, Barney Ross.

The Team Leader:

Barney Ross (Expendable series)

Barney has a reputation of leading his team successfully, even in dire situations. Who better than him to lead this team. However, his current team is unavailable for the mission so he has to recruit a new team in varied profiles. Experienced team leader is the well begun and half done here.

The Team

1. Frank Martin (Transporter Franchise)

According to his franchises' timeline, Frank is currently living in the French Mediterranean coastline. He is a former Special Forces officer with some amazing driving skills. He fits into the QR well as well as is well versed about the geography of Europe.

2. Rama (The raid series)

Considering the expanse of the terror outfit and its special growth in the Asian countries, M knows his requirement would be to recruit quite a few from here. Who better to start with than Rama from the raid series? Rama is currently living a calm life in Indonesia post his stint as an undercover agent in local mafia group and eventually busting them.

3. Hai Phuong (Furie fame)

After rescuing her daughter from the kidnappers’ gang, who use children as illegal child organ donors, Hai Phuong is a national hero now. She has settled down in Ho Chi Minh City, and lives a simple life with her family. Though she is still as dangerous as she has always been. A natural addition to the team.

4. Karanveer Singh Dogra (Commando series)

After his successful mission against Buraq and the terrorists, he is back to India. Being from the Special Forces background as well as well versed in urban operations, he is the right candidate from the Indian sub-continent. His guerrilla warfare skills are also worth a mention here.  

5. Jason Bourne (Jason Bourne series)

Jason Bourne is still to come to terms with his life post the fallout of CIAs Black Ops, however with the Unit 19 director in place expects answers to come in for a lot of unanswered questions. However all these answers would require him to first participate in this operation with the team. This offer is too good to say no for Bourne.

6. Yuri Boyka (Undisputed series)

Probably one of the best fighters in the world currently, Boyka is serving time the Russian prison. He was arrested in Drovny after his match with Koshmar who was assumed to be unbeatable. Boyka symbolizes the line “it’s the size of the fight in the dog that matters”. Also coming from the Russian prisons, now he knows a thing or two better about Russia than the rest of his team. M negotiated well with the Russian authorities to get him released for this mission.

7. Bryan Mills (Taken series)

Last but not the least, its Bryan Mills. Bryan Mills is the most experienced in the team, only next to Barney mabey. Also, being a retired CIA field agent and ex Special Forces, he has seen and experienced terrorism and mafia in across the globe. He is settled in the US in his current timeline.

And Finally,

After introduction of the team members, and after an hour and an half of out and out action, the team eliminates the terrorist outfit completely. And thus operation Con-verse is declared a successful one. All threats are eliminated, except a small group of anti-heroes who are thereafter sent to jail to serve their term. The survival of this group of villains is essential for the next part in this series!

Also, all is well that ends well.

The team:

(Disclaimer: I have left quite a few worthy members from this ensemble. This is mainly because else it this team would have looked crowded. Some of the worthy mentions would be Dominic Toretto from the fast and the furious series and John Wick from John Wick series. Who would you have added to this team, considering their availability in the movie universe in the currently timelines? Use the comments section to mention your nominations)

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The World of Hostels: Of Friendships and Beyond

“You never really travel alone. The world is full of friends waiting to get to know you”

Continuing from the first part of my travel blog, where I spoke about volunteering as an experience, I am excited to share my experiences around how hostel friendships go beyond hostels and unimaginable animation around it. 😄

But before we actually move forward into the narration, let me walk you through a transit hostel. All hostels are dormitory style setup, with sleeping bunks and 6 - 8 backpackers in each room. When one checks in, its customary for one to say a  hello to all the roommates and in return they greet you back. At this point, you may generally strike a conversation with someone or other in the room and a journey would thus begin.

The question is, how and when do you know that the stay and the trip would be amazing? When I checked into Lybeer Travellers hostel in Brugge (Belgium), a simple hello to Albert (from Germany).and Emilio (from Mexico) turned into a chat, which in turn became a conversation, and finally a dinner plan.

The answer is, you will know.

"One good conversation can shift the direction of change forever" Linda Lambert

The plot twist came during dinner, when we started discussing our next day’s plan. Generally, all backpackers are flexible with their travel plans as none follow the checklist based fixed itinerary. 

I was planning to go to Lille (in France) the next day. Emilio was planning to stay back in Brugge for a day more and Albert was on his way to Ostend. He was joining his sailing team there, which was about to set sail to London and back as a part of his holidays.That’s when Albert offered us a trip to Ostend in his car, and we could continue with our trips there on. Let me ask you here, who would say no to an opportunity for a road trip to an unknown town with new friends!!

"The true essence of travel is not in reaching the destination, but the journey itself"

Overnight, we changed our plans and set our sail together towards Ostend the next day.

The road trip was full of conversations and lots of music!!

Albert had to leave for Newport as his sail was waiting there. But considering that Emilio and I were planning to spend the day in the same city, we decided to first catch up with Salah who was a friend of Albert. He was originally from Libya, and now a resident of Belgium. Actually, he had found him on couchsurfing.

Take a moment here to appreciate this insane ensemble of cultural exchange which includes a German, a Mexican, a Libyan who is now a Belgian and an Indian! ✌

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot" Michael Altshuler

Following some more exciting conversations about our lives, some tea at Salah's place and another road trip to Newport, it was time to bid adieu to Albert for his sailing trip. I don't want to miss out on saying here that it was truly Albert's energy that had kept us all engrossed in the conversations. 

On our way back to Ostend, Salah's stories and experiences of his travels around the world kept us captivated till late evening, we finally ended up having Iftar (Ramadan breakfast) cooked by Salah and camped at Salahs place for the night.

Emilio and I left for Koln the next day, leaving behind the town of new friends and enriching experiences.

Special mention of Emilio here, we grouped together for a couple of more days of thrilling backpack travel. He always stood by as a great support, even during one of the times when there was a hurdle in my trip. 

And to think of it, all such exhilarating journeys start with a simple hello at the hostel room.... 😊

In Majrooh sultanpuri's words, it would be apt for me to summarize "मैं अकेला ही चला था जानिब-ए-मंज़िल मगर , लोग साथ आते गए और कारवाँ बनता गया".😄

Happy travel Guys! And do remember “If you never go, you will never know!” 😊👍

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A Backpacker's Saga - Small Joys of Volunteering

As a context to this blog post, it is mainly for people who understand the difference between travel and tourism.

Many a times I have heard people talk about how traveling is an expensive hobby and how it has been highly commercialized these days. This may be true if you plan to travel to touristy places or want to spend time with your family or friends. Today I intend to talk about travel in true travel sense when you are travelling for the experience of it, and not on a check list based itinerary.

I had planned my backpack trip towards the country side of western Germany. I may write a few more posts about various other experiences during this travel but today I want to start with talking about my volunteering experience on a farm.

I had applied for a few volunteering opportunities via workaway and got a prompt revert from Hof Zur Hellen farm. And at this point I didn’t have even a slightest idea of how memorable this trip would turn out to be.

The start to this trip itself was a memorable moment (out of the many yet to come). When I deboarded at the nearest railway station, I was the only one to board or de-board that train. I knew at this point that this was truly the place wanted to be. 😄

The farm was most picturesque landscape one could imagine. The place is owned by two brothers Ulrich and Alex, who lived on the farm with their families.

Daily we would meet in the morning with the whole team and be given tasks for the day. The meetings were all in German so it was hard to know what was being planned, and hence there was always some curiosity about the kind of work one would get for the day. But it was assured that no two days would be the same on this farm, with a variety of work available to be done.The work system was really relaxed, and volunteers did both shifts from 9.30am to 1pm and 2.30pm to 5pm.

Special mention here about my colleague volunteers, Miguel from Chile and Chiharu from Japan. As most of the time was spent with them, I got to understand the Chilean and the Japanese cultures too apart from German.  

I wanted to learn about organic farming so I spent most of my time working in the fields (weeding and also planting and harvesting) and in the green house (pruning and seeding). It was great to know how an organic farm works everyday (basically taking care of animals and collecting and selecting vegetables), also to get to practice the language, and to visit Köln and Düsseldorf in my free days, all beautiful cities nearby. Food here was great of course (everything was organic, healthy and tasted amazing). The kitchen was very well stocked and veggies could be taken from the cold store. There was also fresh milk and cheese everyday which was great.

One special incident which I would like to mention here is although the breakfast and dinner is prepared by individuals themselves, lunch however is prepared by one of the team member for the rest of the team and everyone has lunch together. I got a chance to prepare lunch once for the entire team and it was an experience of a lifetime to prepare food for 15 people without much prior preparation. Of course, I do prepare food at home sometimes, but never had made food for 15 people for sure! Such experiences only leave us enriched in our lives.

My room was quite big and in the attic, overlooking the picturesque landscape, which was a lovely and peaceful view. Both Ulli and Alex were very friendly, and I enjoyed spending time with their families in my spare time. I also spent some of my days off (weekends) at the café nearby, which had a nice atmosphere.

All in all, the two weeks spent on the farm would easily be one of the best travel times. The only cost of this trip was to reach Velbert railway station, and the rest of the accommodation and food was catered for. So at the end of my trip if you ask me have I seen the Berlin wall or Brandenburg Gate in Berlin or Frauenkirche in Munich or the Neuschwanstein Castle, I will say not really but I made memories during this trip and gathered enriching experiences 😊

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Top 10 Super Heroes with Super Strength

We all adore superheroes in some way or other. Every Superhero is empowered with some extra-ordinary power like accelerated healing, super speed, weaponry etc. The one that fascinates me is super strength. Or Raw power, as we call it.

This list tries to explore super heroes with super strength. Not surprisingly, it includes super villains too. Recent trends in the comic industry have shown that super villains are also super heroes of sorts. Recent portrayal of Silver Surfer, Cat Woman, Green Goblin and Sandman have brought out that they may have a good side to them.

Lets set the rules of the game. When I say super strength, I really mean raw power. They can be mutated powers or strengthened muscles. But it always ought to be muscle power. Superman or Spiderman with enhanced strength but same body mass do not qualify. Also, because their primary super power is not super strength. It is just one of their super power.

Before I started making my list, I conducted a short survey of characters popular for their super strength and muscle power. Most common answers I received were – Hulk, Superman, Thor, The Thing, Spiderman (???) and Mr Incredible.

However, let me warn you that this is not a list of just their class (the number of tons they can lift) but more about the macho-ness with which they have been portrayed in their existing universe. They have, in no way been pitted against each other.

10 . Ram Man (Masters of Universe) – This broad build guy with lots of raw power is a part of He-Mans team. In terms of muscles, he scores well above He-man too.

9. Skaar (Marvel Universe) – Popularly known as the son of Hulk, I risked including him in the list. There would surely be a Hulk somewhere at the top of the list. But there is this freshness and rawness in his character that he makes it to this list.

8. Prince Lothar (Mandrake Series) – Mandrake’s best friend, he has saved Mandrake many a times fighting his enemy with his strength. Loved him as a kid.

7. Beast (X-Men universe) – Dr Henry McCoy got mutated into Beast when his experiment failed. However, he still continues fighting along with Prof Xavier when ever he not busy in his research work.

6. Roadblock (G I Joe Series) – The M2HB heavy machine gun Roadblock carries is his signature. 6’6” tall soldier, Joes without him are incomplete.

 

5. The Thing (Fantastic Four) – If Superman is man of steel, then The Thing is the man of stone. Rock solid. He has been displayed enormous amounts of strength.

 

4. Sabu (Chacha Choudhary Series) – The man from “Jupiter” planet is a giant. He is Chacha Choudhary’s friend and helps him where power is required and only brains may not work.

 

3. Bane (DC Universe) – One of the dreaded foes of Batman, Bane has shown many a times that he is virtually undefeatable when it comes to power fights.

2. Juggernaut (X Men Universe) – The mutant from the X men, he possesses immense strength that he can easily break any steel walls or stop tanks with sheer power. Moreover, his build is immensely rouge. Full marks to him.

1. Hulk (Marvel Universe) – There is no reason why he should not be numero uno. His anger decides the power he possess and till date no one knows his real strength.

Finally, what we need the comic writers creating more characters with super strength as their primary super power and not as just one of the super powers.

Also, two names without which this list is incomplete

                             

Of Course, Rajnikant and Chuck Norris !!

Also rans:

1. Sabretooth
2. Doga
3. Rhino
4. Skrull
5. Hellboy
6. Silver Samurai

Who it your super strength guy? The comments column is all your now….

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Pride Of Lions: A Gritty Thriller

What do you get when you take Indian army’s one of the finest operations in recent times, add the inherent values it brings along with and present it to the modern day reader? You get a fast paced gritty thriller, generously sprinkled with the core values of the armed forces – brotherhood, courage and passion.

Looking at the nations prevailing condition, the youth today have every right to question the system which is infested with social diseases like corruption and inefficiencies. And with every passing day, we only see the disease spreading like cancer in the system. No wonder, this leaves the youth unsure about their pride in the nation. The book tackles this premise in a totally unorthodox manner.

So, when a group of students debate and question their own identity and the very concept of pride in their country, a substitute teacher uses the backdrop of an army operation to highlight the importance of values in our lives. What follows is an amazing narration of the fast paced military operation between two equally determined armies.

The book manages to maintain its grip till the end. There are moments when you are drawn in the midst of the battle field and so fierce is the battle that you can almost feel the bullets flying past you. In one of the chapter, the narration of what goes through the mind of a soldier when he gets spotted by the enemy pointing a rifle towards him is simply mind boggling.

The story is slick and is fast paced. The characters are well defined and complete. Each of them bring out an unique aspect to the story. The central character of the story “Ice” is a much likeable and an easily identifiable character. The narration has been kept simple to make the book an easy read. The good part of the book is that even the enemy has been portrayed in a highly dignified manner. The importance of religion in our lives has also been showcased well.

Another striking feature here is it contains a lot of spirituality. The author introduces the importance of the human values to the reader in an unusually charismatic way. Full marks to him for doing that. That’s probably because the author is an ex-solider himself and has been through many such operations.

Overall, the book is not only worth its money, but much more. For a generation going through such uncertain times, this book introduces a fresh thought process. It leaves you wanting for more. Verdict – Go for it.

Book: Pride Of Lions

Author: Vinod Shankar Nair

Publishers: Times Group Books

Price: Rs 249/-

Available at: http://bit.ly/TTtLm5

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Top 10 Super Heroes without Super Powers

Superheroes have always formed a part of our lives. Though virtually non existent, they happen to touch our lives in more than one ways, be it comics, movies, daily newspaper strips, games or just costume parties.

Being a virtual entity, its possible to create a superhero with whatever powers you can think of. The comic book writers have already explored most of the superpowers and have ended up empowering their super heroes with multiple superpowers to make them thoroughly super. Be it superhuman capabilities like “Captain America”, The lovely super lady “The Wonder Woman”, the Norse god “Thor”, the good demon “The Hellboy”, the monster “Hulk” or the all in one “Super Man”.

All these super heroes have some sort of superpower which either they were born with or have acquired in the due course. The real challenge for the writers lies in creating a superhero who has no super power, whatsoever. Creating a man who is limited by his physical capabilities, yet rises to be a superhero. A super hero who can be anyone one in the crowd. You, me, anyone.

Lets us start with no 10.

10. Snake Eyes. (Publisher – Various publishers, G I Joe Series)

“Move with the wind, and you will never be heard.”

One of the most mysterious characters ever sketched. He does not speak, ever. The mystery around him makes him more intriguing. A master swords man, he has been trained in the Arashikage ninja clan. He is one of the most popular characters of the G I Joe series.

The Glamour Quotient: His multi martial arts techniques. His militarised Ninja suit. His silence.

Why he is at no 10: Other than the excellent fighting skills, the mysterious silence and calmness around him makes him more popular than the other G I Joe characters. This makes us wanting to see more of him, every time.

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09. Ironman (Publisher – Marvel Comics)

“Jim Rhodes: You're not a soldier.

Tony Stark (Ironman): Damn right I'm not — I'm an army.”

The catch in creating a superhero with out any superpower is that he has to be equipped with a whole lot of gadgets to make him stand out. That’s exactly what Stan Lee did when he created Iron man. He gave him all the technology that is needed to become a super human, though not physically. He is the technological equivalent of a superman. And like superman has kryptonite, he has a vulnerability too. His heart is weak, and he has to keep recharging himself at regular intervals.

The Glamour Quotient: His shining armour, that is virtually capable of doing everything one can think of. In case the villains come out a new weapon, the writer just have too add its counter measure to his armour !

Why he is at no 9: Before I started making this list, I conducted a poll to check the most popular superhero with out superpowers and he figured on the top of the list. Though he extensively uses technology and virtually has no limits (he can do almost everything a superman can do), he is still a normal human being, hence qualifies for this list. Also, he is a core team member of the Avengers.

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08. Black Widow: (Publisher – Marvel Comics)

“Let me put you on hold”

Just when you think its a mans world, you get introduced to the Black Widow. Like her name suggests, she was a spy before she got converted to a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. A master gymnast and a world class athlete, she is the only lady character to make it on this list.

The Glamour Quotient: Her never give up, keep fighting till you win attitude.

Why she is at no 8: Although, there are only a handful of lady superheroes who are with out superpowers, she has all the ingredients for a super character. The writers have made her sleek, and with dark shades and a dark name too. In fact, she could have been a bit higher on the list, but for the poor portrayal of hers by Scarlett Johansson, in the movies Iron Man 2 and the Avengers.

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07. Supremo: (Publisher – India Book House)

Hijacker (pointing towards him): “Supremo !!“ Supremo: “Oh, so you do know me, huh? That saves me the trouble of introducing myself !”

Supremo, is the alter ego of one of the biggest superstars of India, Amitabh Bachchan. And a few of us have even grown up reading his books. The superstar fights crime in his spare time and has been shown as a hero in real life. And its creator is non other than our own Gulzar.

The Glamour Quotient: Supremo conceals his identity by wearing large glasses which resemble welding glasses, a skin-tight costume with a wrap which resembles those worn by fishermen on India's western coast, and a chakra pendant. Supremo also has a pet eagle, like the one Amitabh had in Coolie. The two sidekicks, Vijay and Anthony, are also a tribute to his on screen characters.

Why he is at no 7: He is the superhero, who is the alter ego of a real life superstar. What is better  than your biggest superstar is also a big superhero? The perfect setup for a superhero comic, and all plots were short and neat.

Although, this series ran only for a short duration, we want him back now. and that's preciously why he is on the list.

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06. Kato (Publisher – Now Comics. Seen in the Green Hornet series)

Britt Reid (The Green Hornet): You know what you are. You're a human Swiss army knife.
Kato: I don't know. what's that mean?
Britt Reid: It's a little things, and you keep pulling out things, and just when you think there couldn't be any more cool things, a new cool thing comes out, and that's you! You are even dressed like one. You should have a little plus on your chest.

Well, yes, you got that right. Kato is not a superhero by himself. He is the sidekick of The Green Hornet. But then again, The Green Hornet loses his existence without Kato. This Chinese martial artist is also a master of weapons and automobiles.

The Glamour Quotient:  His sleek martial arts skills, complete with razor sharp and fast moves. In fact, his main character has not been able to make it to this list, but he has !

Why he is at no 6: The only side kick, so strong and sleek, that he beat Robin to this list. Watching him move is a pure bliss. Typically, not much gadgetry, relies more on martial arts, which makes it look more real.

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05. Batman (The Dark Night) (Publisher – DC Comics)

 

“Whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger.”

Voted as one of the most liked superheroes of all times, the dark knight beats his super powered colleagues with his gadgets and intelligence. Personally, even I think is one of the most well crafted character, ever. What makes this character interesting is also the amazing line up of super villains he faces, each uniquely sketched to match his personality.

While creating a super hero with out superpowers, the writers always position him as an extremely rich guy, which gives them the logic to justify his fancy gadgets and other extreme expenses. Also, they sketch these character as casual and playboy kind of men, which is a contrast to them being superheroes and helps them to conceal their identity. Iron man, The Green Hornet, Batman are a few examples of such characters.

The Glamour Quotient: The cool black costume. Batman uses a lot of gadgets. He also has a Bat cave where he keeps most of his secret stuff. He has a Bat mobile and more recently, a Bat Pod too.

Why he is at no 5: Many of us would contest that he should have been the numero uno of this list. Two reasons why he didnt make it to no 1. Firstly, he has been sketched as an extremely empowered character - with gadgets, resources, money and power. Also, too many technological advancements have been shown. Like, Batman has been seen falling from extreme heights and yet surviving because of his costume. He carries a variety of gadgets and weapons in his utility belt, which seem never exhausting. He can track everybody, but surprisingly, nobody can track him.

Secondly, this character has a lot of dark shades to it. He has a dark past himself and most of the villains he faces also have a dark past. His fights always end up taking the reader to a psychological level. So much so that he manages to occupy the minds of the readers, much beyond the book itself. And as a true comic book fan, I believe that the characters should not unnecessarily occupy the mind of the readers in real life, beyond the books.

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04. Bahadur (Publisher – Indrajal Comics)

“Don't worry. No one gets hurt if you do what I say”

The brave man of India, Bahadur is the epitome of a local superhero. He hails from a fictional village in India and mostly fights dacoits. This theme was so created  as the problems of dacoits was rampant in rural India during the period of the launch of this comic.

The Glamour Quotient: His much localised attire, an orange kurta and the long hair. He has a sidekick too, Lakhan. His love interest is Bela, who is a martial artist herself and has accompanied him on most of his missions. Bahadur also has a dog, Chammiya. And yes, he doesn’t feel the need to conceal his identity.

Why he is at no 4: We have grown up reading his adventures. He was the face of the changing nation. Although, the series was discontinued after some time, it was re launched in 2010. He is at no 4 because he is the true local hero.

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03. Zorro (Publisher - Grosset & Dunlap)

Zorro: [after making a "Z" mark] “So the devil will know who sent you”

Zorro is probably one of those heroes, every child aspires to become when he grows up. The character is a dashing black-clad masked outlaw who defends the people of the land against tyrannical officials and other villains. He is based in the Spanish colonial era. The character has grown significantly over the years, only to be better each time.

The Glamour Quotient: The dashing attire. The character is not loaded with any gadgets, as is in most of the cases. Its the basic sword fights and the horse chases that make the setup more interesting.

Why he is at no 3: While creating a superhero, its easy for the writers to load the character with money and gadgets. What is difficult is to create a setup worthy of the character and to weave the stories according to the environment, and make them gripping. What a comic hero needs is not gadgets, but an appropriate setup. And it is proved by this character.

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02. The Green Arrow (Publisher – DC comics)

“You see, I figure it’s more sporting if I give him thirty or forty chances to kill me first.”

One of my personal favourites, he is a typical superhero – A rich billionaire during daytime and a masked vigilante at night. He also has that typical “I don't care what happens” attitude. The only thing that differentiates this guy from Batman and Ironman is that he is limited by his capabilities. His mobility is seriously restricted, he does not have many gadgets except his quiver full of trick arrows and mostly operates in his home town, Star city.

The Glamour Quotient: The mask and the hat. Typically dressed like the Robin hood, he is more often than not referred to as the modern day Robin hood. Generally, he has been shown sporting a goatee and sometimes has a hood on too.

Why he is at no 2: The setup up of the character. He gives Ironman and Batman a run for their money. The story of how he becomes the Green Arrow is pretty gripping too. He has a touch of humanness in his heroics, which differentiates him from his likes.

The new series started a couple of months back on the CW network, called “Arrow” and based on Green Arrow’s character, shows the depths of this character and has already been declared a hit.

And the best part is that he has not been overloaded with excessive gadgetry. The writers have tried to maintain good balance between human skills and technology.

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01. Rorschach (Publisher – DC Comics)

“Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon.”

Rorschach forms a part of the “Watchmen” series. Although the series was short and never got beyond its 12 episode story created by Alan Moore, it gave us one of the best superheroes that the comic industry has ever produced. Clad in a trench coat and a spotted mask which appears to constantly change configuration, much like a Rorschach test, this unyielding vigilante dishes out punishment to evildoers any way he sees fit. (Usually death.)

The Glamour Quotient: His mask. His simple attire. And his kickass attitude.

Why he is No 1. The character has the most kickass attitude ever seen in any comic character. Mostly anonymous, his identity becomes public at some point of time. In a prison full of thugs who got jailed because of him, the attitude remains the same when he says “None of you seem to understand. I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with ME !!”

Full marks to Rorschach here.

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P.S. Noteworthy Mentions:  Others who didn't make it to this list, but are worth a mention:

* The Phantom - Indrajal Comics
* Hawkeye - Marvel Comics
* Robin/ Nightwing - DC Comics
* Elektra - Marvel Comics
* Tarzan - Various Publications
* Chacha Choudhary - Pran Comics
* Robin Hood - DC Comics
* Vigilante - DC Comics
* Super Commando Dhruva - Raj Comics
* Nick Fury - Marvel Comics

 

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Why I Like FIR: The Hilarious Sitcom On SAB TV

The Sitcom: FIR has been around the block for over 5 years now. It is presently being aired on SAB TV at 2230hrs everyday. The show presents a female inspector and her team trying to solve cases. Their sincere attempts to crack the mysteries are hilarious and worth a hearty laugh. The sitcom is set in a Police Station where constables indulge in amazing antics.

Warning: This sitcom is not for everyone. It is like bitter coffee, you have to develop a taste for it to get addicted. Also, this is not for people who like only “intelligent” comedies. This is for people who savour mindless comedy.

What Works: Here are a few things that make this sitcom epic – and when i say epic, this is truly #EPIC !!

1. The characters: Although Chandramukhi Chautala, the inspector, is the main character around whom the serial revolves, the real watching pleasure are its supporting characters. They are essentially no brainers.

• Billu: Forgets who he is, every now and then, and temporarily becomes different characters.
• Gopi: The way he carries “is the” dialogues are worth mentioning.
• Gulgule: Always found eating and signature dialogue “Madam aap bhi naa (rapata) bholi hain”
• All other: Each character in itself is an epic

One of the other characters of the sitcom is the wig. Yep, wig in itself can be deemed as a character. They are used in a way to to make the character look visually funny !

2. The Dialogues: The characters are incomplete without their unique style of delivering dialogues. Very few sitcoms have been able to capitalise on getting viewers glued to their dialogue styles.

• Takiyakalam: Every new character has his own Takiyakalam, a catch phrase.
  • “Picture dikhao yaar”
  • “Achcha, saari kaisi hai?”
  • “Raat ko missed call doongi”
  • “Kabhie ghar aao yaar”
• Character Introduction: Every character introduces himself in a rhyming way, which sounds funny.
  • “Mera naam hai chopda, ghumao mat mera khopda”
  • “Passport purana hai, mera naam khurana hai”
  • “Mera naam hai sapna awasthi, lut gai meri ghrasthi”
• Character Names: The names of each character is unique and  catchy. The names by themselves get you hooked on to the character
  • Chouraha Chaturvedi
  • Gussail and Shaant brothers
  • A guy named “Nirupa Roy”
  • Letter Lalita !!
• Gopi’s 2 liners: These are 2 liners which Gopi attempts to say in his broken English. They have become a phenomenon. His style where he adds “Well”, “Carry on”, “Well mom”, “yeah, this one” are howlarious.
  • “What is the problem is the, Delhi mein airport Palam is the”
  • “Well…., she is the husband is the,he is the wife is the”
  • “Who the you the are is the? Ab ghar se mehngi hai car is the”

3. The Plot: The sitcom follows a very neat format. Generally spread over two episodes, a character lodges an FIR and the team then sets out to solve the case, always victorious in the end. Such simple format helps to set the expectations of the viewers right.

4. Why one should watch it:

1. It is a no brainer. Watch it, enjoy it, cherish it.
2. One episode everyday. Unlike other “intelligent” sitcoms that are aired in seasons, weekly once. This is our daily dose of laughter.
3. Kavita Kaushik, Gopi Bhalla, Sandeep Anand, Sapna Sikarwar, Manju Sharma, Naveen Bawa and the awesome Shekhar Shukla are a treat to watch !!

               

Well, if you remember some dialogues of FIR do pen them down in the comments column below. Cheers !!

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