Guru
Saw a freaky movie of the same name, about a Indian guy(Jimi Mistry) who goes to US with grandiose plans of achieving his American Dreams .Gets mightily frustrated, finally he gets a break in a porno flick. in which also he just can't raise(sic) himself up to the occasion. Though becomes cosy with his co-actress( Heather Graham) . Finally through an abrupt sequence of events he becomes a modern Guru ala Deepak chopra(there are soem allusions to him). This guy specializes in sex related discources and charms up a distinguished clientele, though all the fundas are in turn given to him by the porn actress, who doesnt take well to his publicizing all their intimate talks.. Many ludicrous moments later all ends well. Worth a dekko .

Maharashtra's Valley Of Flowers

On saturday went on a trip with a nature group called Pugmarks, an enthusiatic and dedicated motley bunch who are genuine nature lovers. The destination was the Kas Plateau and Valley in Satara district. There were about 30 odd people, we had a qualified botanist and zoologist with us. They both explained to us about the various flora and fauna which are indigenous to the plateau, had a great view of the scenery from there. Added to the vocabulary the scientific name of two plants Utricularia and Impatience Cavis. Which were the two dominant species out there. Later had a quick dip in the Kas lake which invigorated us for the rest of the journey.

Cable connection restored. In time to watch a absorbing contest between India and Pak in Champions Trophy. Shouted myself hoarse cheering india to victory. The Indian side were young and raring to go, their body language was also much positive and robust than the Pakis, utterly opposite to cricket. Indian players showed attitude and a refreshing spirit and camaraderie.
Also saw a Hitchcock classic Vertigo, vintage stuff. Have invited friends for dinner at home today. Chicken,Rajma,Pulao,Kheer etc on the menu to gormandize.

The weekend was back again to my quiet retro existence with no TV, courtesy non-payment of taxes by the cable guys to the Govt, though missed two fine hockey matches and some weekend Yankee tennis from Flushing Meadows, after ages could have seen some high quality hockey. Hopefully will get to see some of the Champions trophy action.
On Saturday went to see a Bharatnatyam programme in Nehru memorial hall wih my girlfriend Meghna and Mom. Was a unique experience not as boring as I had thought,seeing authentic classical performance for the first time, most of the dancers were quite young, but performed with a lot of grace and confidence. The recorded music was good. One devotional Anup Jalota song was the one I liked best "Jag mein sundar hain do naam, chahe Krishna kahon yaa Raam".
Reading two books simultaneously, have become used to parallel processing . Vikram Chandra's "Love and Longing in Bombay" a collection of five stories, a very earthy book no frills, the characters are life-like and complex, having shades of grey, the language and metaphors are unique, he uses some hindi words especially all possible profanities, he has portrayed a modern urban India , one can somewhat identify with most of the protagonists.
The other book is the "Celestine Prophecy" a philosophical book dealing with the discovery of a Ancient manuscript in Peru, which deals with 9 insights into life. An alternative spirituality book. It brings forth some new ideas, explains them lucidly, though most of them seem impractical and far-fetched.
Yet to complete it.. Next in line is Mostly Harmless . So gotta finish this one fast.