Saare jahan say acha Hindustan hamara !
Greetings on our 62nd Independence Day Celebration:
India: I remember the 14
th
of August 1947 when I was in my 3rd grade, we sang
Vishwa Vijayi Tiranga Pyara Jhanda Auncha Rahe Hamara I also remember the 15th of August 1947 when the song became
Kanti Prasad PhD, P.E. ISA Faculty Advisor.
Vishwa Vijayi Tiranga Pyara Jhanda Auncha Raha Hamara
That was the proudest moment in Indian history when in every village and city, the British flag came down and Tiranga flew high. In every school, a one year promotion was granted; my 3rd grade became 4th grade over night. My vernacular became Hindi from Urdu (as in Uttar Pradesh, the official language was Urdu during the British period). India has made so many strides in every walk of life including education, after the colonial rule. When the British left only 14% of the education, Indian population was literate. Today the literacy rate is 66% in adults and 82% in youth. There is hardly any field in manuf manufacturing technology which has not been accomplished. Medical and Engineering schools have grown in abundance. As an engineering student and lecturer at University of Roorkee, I have taken two all India tours visiting Indian telephone industries, Hindustan Aircraft, Bharat Electronics, Bharat Heavy Electrical, Integral coach factory, and Bhakra Nangal Dam and many other path al path-breaking organizations, which were all established after our independence. I am proud to see a lot of students from India who come here with boundless motivation and are well equipped in most of the challenging fields including Microelectronics/VLSI technology which is so dear to my heart. Best wishes to the graduating class and a hearty welcome to the new comers.
Maujmasti A new beginning - Mauj
Riverside: Riverside: Picture this – A hot summer afternoon, five friends sitting by the riverside, chatting, gossiping..er…basically
having a good time, when a session of “This happened to me” started. (That’s the title to anecdotes from everyday life, for t those uninitiated on Indian comics like Tinkle) So, one fellow tells us about our Ex-Vice-President’s low Ex our dear Ex-VP was determinedly putting his sweat and VP escapade with some mosquitoes. Apparently blood into his never ending thesis one afternoon when a tiny li’l mosquito kept buzzing by making our VP take a break. VP was not to be put to him. The mosquito seemed determined on rest…his determination obviously outdid the mosquito’s blood thirst. So he decided to throw open the windows, sure that the Mr.Mosquito will find the world outside more entertaining. Two minutes minu later he found himself swamped by a minimum of 20 mosquitoes and I’m NOT exaggerating!! We were in fits of laughter talking about the plight of the poor guy. The cherry on this cake was when within a couple of days the entire Indian Community knew of our ire secret smiles about it! That’s when the five of us thought VP’s episode and exchanged laughs and how cool it would be to have a platform where we could let our bunch know of such “events”. And it Shivshankar s be a place where we could all express our thoughts, ideas, would be even cooler if this platform proved to President, ISA views coupled with activities and general news. And aloha! We have a new beginning – Mauj (meaning ‘fun’ in hindi). This periodic magazine is a place where our friends in the Indian community can showcase their artistic and literary skills (As long as you can put in words what’s on your mind, we call it literary!) This magazine will highlight the achievements of curr current Indian students and alumni of UMass Lowell. It will also have the news, current affairs and of course, loads of mauj masti! have Right now, I would like to thank all my friends who have helped in the creation of the first issue of Mauj. It definitely has been a team effort. This is just a new beginning; we hope with each prospective issue of Mauj, we have more people contributing towards it. hope We would love to have a good number of fellow students on board for the production of future magazines. For now…Happy Reading Reading!
Page 1
LIFE
Confused desi !
Statesa, United States- The average Indian’s educational Mecca, has over 100,000 desi students, who
are constantly working on making The US, another India (In what ways? That analysis is left to your perception). Sometimes when you take a stroll in the streets of New Jersey, you wonder what you are doing in an India outside India. Irrespective of the status, abilities and beliefs of each of these students and how they change after they get here, every Indian when coming here will be what you would call a typical DESI. I guess if you tell students what all they should be going through in the name of ‘preparation’ after 6 hard months of a never ending baron’s word list, we might probably see less brain drain from India to the US. The tension mounts as days come closer to your departure and you can find no better pinnacle than the hype departure Sethumadhavan PhD, Polymer Science surrounding US visa interview, which more often ends up as a silly joke (Unless you show off unnecessarily and get remanded in 221g or 214b). Elaborate preparations from then on would include, billi your parents’ billing costly clothing including Raymond suites, formal shirts and pants (which you end up using once a year developing folded impre impressions), a whole kitchen set (which more often is safe on the shelves waiting for a D e Diwali or Christmas), oh - how did I forget? - masalas (With which you could start a new grocery store here) and ready made food stuff (I really wish I was in that industry. Nothing short of day-time ready-made day robbery). For at least, an average middle class Indian family, the parents go out of one’s depth, burning a big hole in their pockets before one’s their kid finally becomes a graduate. In the preparation to go abroad, the airport will have family stretching to your farthe kin alive, farthest friends from school to college, most holding parting gifts and cards putting you through an emotional hugger-mugger. Most would shed a hugger tear or two, with the exception of the so called ‘cool ‘cool-dudes’. They say a good beginning is half done and we se set an example right at the start, trying to squeeze in an extra kilo or two by begging/bribing the check checkin officer at the airport. It’s amusing how some optimize their movie watching schedule during the flight journey getting every penny worth with the in-plane entertainment. I remember our Graduate ur Student Coordinator praise the Indian Student Association (ISA) to the skies for doing a terrific job with pick-up and temporary accommodation up for new kids. Volunteers who come to pick-up the up newcomers get the privilege of having done something special to a clueless junior (clueless? – that’s debatable). A couple of days and there is a torrid time when emotions looming large overshadow excitement in one’s mind. I guess this is what we call depression. (Do not mention this to an American, you will get a pill) The first thing which hits you after getting here is, how much the media, journalists and photographers can fool you with the dexterity in their maximizing the visual appeal of this place. Getting used to artificial ‘how are you doing?’, ‘what’s up?’ even from an unknown bystander doing?’, to most Desi people (who feign an American accent in which they miserably fail) is an important part of the learning curve. A Americans are different people (not just because they have money) and so they decided to jumble a few things. If coming to terms with measurements in deg F, Gallons, Pounds, and Miles is tough, then getting used to driving on the right, pulling the doors towa towards you to open them, pushing switches up to turn things on etc is tougher. People here slog like there is no tomorrow during the weekdays and party like animals during the weekends. A desi at heart has a built built-in dollar-rupee conversion calculator, which takes time to malfunction. rupee America – A place which everyone wants to go, but once you are here, ‘Yes! I’m just going to study for a couple of years and go back to you India’ – uh.. How many times have we heard this?
Page 2
Lowell News: Crime Scene at University Ave. Ave.
Lowell safe or not ?
Lowell: UMass Lowell students and other residents of University Avenue were taken by storm
early Saturday morning of July 11 when sounds of a few gunshots, followed by Police sirens rang in the air. The shooting occurred at 152 University Avenue, just a few blocks away from the UMassLowell campus. According to sources, one of the men had life threatening injuries. Also, the incident life-threatening was not random and that those involved knew each other. According to sources, the three victims were found Saturday at about 2:30 a.m., after an officer in the area heard gunshots and found two of the victims outside 152 University Ave., and another victim inside.
Amruta Kalvit M.S., Electrical Engg.
Police arrested Joel Fernandez of Lawrence, at the scene of the shooting. He is a victim. He was found with gunshot wounds to the abdomen and arm. He was s arrested Saturday, police said. Falasca, of 152 U, Lowell, was ordered to be held without bail after pleading innocent to three counts of armed assa to assault murder, three counts of illegal possession of a firearm, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building. The third victim, Eduardo Soler of Lowell, was found nearby Patty's Kitchen on University Avenue. No one died. A female witness, whose identity has not been revealed, implicated Fernandez n in the shooting. She allegedly told police she saw Fernandez holding a firearm and firing it multiple times in anger at Falasca after Falasca allegedly shot Cuevas. “crime A student of UML living just next door to the “crime-scene” claims to have heard sounds that seemed like gunshots but assumed them to be harmless, considering it was the university area. Only when she heard the cops and looked outside to see multiple vans and a chopper that she realized it wasn’t too petty after all. A couple of other students, who too live in the vicinity, managed to capture the unbelievable scene in their cameras. N one, however, was No even slightly hurt. Everyone, particularly the students were shaken up due to their clo close proximity to the incident. Most UML students live on or around the University Avenue. Although, a few mugging cases have been known to have taken place in the past, something as serious as this was unheard of in the university area. Students are urged to stay indoors late at night and try being in groups while walking down the streets after nightfall. They are also encouraged to make full use of the escort services provided by the escort UMass Police and pay heed to all the safety measures. The world isn’t all that a safe place after all. ass measures.
Emergency contact numbers: Reporting life threatening, medical & live crime emergency - 911 • UMass Police – 978 934 2911 (Emergency), 978 934 2398 (Non (Non-emergency) • Lowell Police – 978 937 3200 • Lowell General Hospital – 978 937 6000
Email – police@uml.edu
Page 3
ACCOLADES
Graduate spring awards banquet ‘09
The sciences division at UMass Lowell not only offers outstanding engineering courses, but also has a very vibrant, state state-of-the-art research platform. A large number of Indian students are art pursuing graduate education in the department of Physics and Applied Physics at UMass Lowell. Appli Having served as the president of the Graduate Physics Association for two years, I interacted with a number of Indian students with varied research interests and backgrounds joining the Physics department. During six years of my graduate studies, I have had excellent research opportunities in my house, and at different national laboratories such as Argonne Natio National Laboratory, as a part of my Urmila Shirwadkar PhD, Nuclear Physics PhD program in Nuclear Physics. I was involved in heavy ion spectroscopy research in the H HI-SPIN group, spearheaded by Prof. Partha Chowdhury of the Physics department. At the end of my
academic curriculum, I have gained valuable insight into this field and exposure to exciting career opportunities. My PhD dissertation research involved studying long-lived metastable states in the heavy actinides, offering discriminating tests towards predictions of lived theoretical models that describe hard-to-probe super probe super-heavy nuclei. This work was recognized and honored by the scientific research society enabling me to receive the Sciences Graduate Research Scholar of the year award. The award was presented to me at the SIGMA XI University of Massachusetts Lowell chapter banquet on 28th April, by the Dean of Sciences and the local chapter president Robert H Tamari This indeed was a very proud and encouraging event for me. Tamarin. his The recognition was also made at the Graduate Student Banquet in May ‘09. The Physics department has provided solid research background to many students to explore exciting career opportunities in ac academia, as well as, in industry that have a vast number of applications, such as nuclear medicine and homeland security. I consider myself very privileged to be a part of the UMass Lowell community, striving to be at the frontiers of science for many more years to come.
Photographer: Ambarish Roy Location: Riverside, Lowell Camera Model: Canon PowerShot S3 IS Exposure Time: 1/20 sec Focal Length: 6 mm Max aperture: 2.875 Metering mode: Pattern Dimensions: 1600 x 1200 pixels Resolution: 180 dpi
If you have cap captured any such picturesque moments, then feel free t send it across to us at mauj_uml@yahoo.com ee to
Page 4
International S Students and Scholars Office
The International Students & Scholars Office welcomes the new students to UMass Lowell (UML) and extends best wishes to both new and continuing students for the 2009 2010 academic year 2009-2010
Our office serves over 500 international students and scholars representing over 40 countries. The following reflects only the non-immigrant international population at UML who are on a student or scholar visa. There is immigrant also a significant number of UML faculty, students, and staffs who are recent U.S. citizens or permanent residents not L reflected below. 538 318 47 105 68 International Students & Scholars Graduates Undergraduates Recently graduated students who are on post post-completion work status Faculty/Research Scholars
ISSO: ISSO:
Top Five Countries Represented: India, China, S. Korea, Canada, Thailand You will find Lowell to be an ethnically rich city, with established Southeast Asian, African, Brazilian, Greek, Hispanic, Indian and Portuguese neighborhoods. borhoods. There are arrays of ethnic restaurants and stores. Be sure to take advantage of the various cultural events throughout the year. The Indian Student Association at UML is one of the strongest Indian student groups in the area. Each year they go above and beyond the terms of their club charter to assist both new and continuing students. Our office looks forward to working closely with them as well as with the other international student organizations over the coming year. The International Students and Scholars Office is here to help you understand and comply with immigration regulations. More importantly, we are here to assist you with cultural and academic adjustments. In addition, we offer advice on social security, taxes, travel related questions and overall legal maintenance of your status. We hold regular informational axes, workshops on above topics and send out email alerts on critical deadlines or regulatory changes. Please remember to contact us with “any” problem. If we cannot help you, we will redirect you to the appropriate person or office. Always feel free to contact us for assistance at 978-934-2383 or 2386, visit our website at http://www.uml.edu/international. 2383 http://www.uml.edu/international From the Staff of the International Students & Scholars Office: Marcia Nugent, Manager (marcia_nugent@uml.edu) ( Maria Conley, International Student Advisor (maria_conley@uml.edu) ( Laura Edwards, SEVIS Specialist (laura_edwards@uml.edu) (
comments, Mauj Team – If you have any general ideas, comments, questions or suggestions regarding Mauj or any of the featured articles please feel free to contact us at mauj_uml@yahoo.com
Page 5
The Jukebox
R.I.P - MJ
NeverLand
- Few artistes or musicians have generated the kind of hysteria and
adulation that he managed during his eventful career. With his distinctive high pitched voice, his unique mannerisms, quicksilver dance moves and antics (both on and off stage), not to mention his wildly varying personal appearance over the years (becoming increasingly ghoulish of late!) helped set himself apart from his contemporaries. The trademark pelvic thrusts, the high pitched scream, and of course, the m moonwalk are as much a part of popular culture as is his music insomuch as the idea of MJ transcends MJ the musicindividual, the pop artiste, the performer himself! The last few years of his life and career were marred by controversy and a host of allegations and as a result turned him into a public spectacle – ‘Wacko Jacko ‘, ridiculed and derided by many, and this, coupled with his ultra extravagant lifestyle had a devastating ultra-extravagant effect on his career and the state of personal finances which almost made him bankr bankrupt. But his fan base has more or less endured over the years. Another thing that set MJ apart from his peers were his music videos – the eponymous ‘Thriller’ followed by a string of equally entertaining music videos with great production values and big budgets have ensured a lasting legacy and a truly unique contribution to the world of pop music! This is It! The title of the tour which had his final 50 concerts in the UK. The fact that the tickets for these concerts were sold out in a matter of hours is a testimony to the self proclaimed matter ‘King of Pop’s’ everlasting popularity. In a sad twist of fate, one of the greatest performers of all time was denied the chance to perform – for one last time! MJ, your music shall be missed (in the tabloids or otherwise). s - Pramod Hegde (M.S., Computer Engg.) M.S.,
IDRF: India Development Relief Fund was originally created to provide financial assistance to the poor, needy and affected
back in India. The IDRF chapters in the US have been very active in fund raising through thoughtful organization of Cricket Tournaments and other Indoor Events every year. IDRF in UML also provides a healthy support to the ISA in co-ordinating and co conducting the Independence Day, Diwali, Holi and other Cultural Festivals. These events not only demonstrate the rich tradition of . Indian culture, but also give a strong platform for active community interaction. ,
President- Amit Garle Vice-President – Sanket Joshi President Treasurer – Jimit Shukla Secretary – Rakesh Iyer Senator: Parinita Bhongale Alt. Senator: Aniket Gurav Web Designer: Deepashree Patil
Page 6
Sports
New England cricket scene
EnglandNew England-
I have been living in and around Boston for 5 years now.
Though it might have only been yesterday that I packed my bags and left Mumbai to pursue my Master's in Statistics at UMass Lowell, The first thing I looked for, upon arrival, after having found a place to stay, was some guys to play cricket with. That place was 5 years ago. Since then I have been as much an integral part of the cricket community in the New England region as it has been for me. The cricket tournaments here come in all shapes and sizes. The There's an IDRF tournament, which is hosted every year and is undoubtedly the biggest in the New England region. Participation in this event has ranged from 40 teams in a year to upwards of 80 in a year. This event is usually a six six-a-side tourney with lots of the participants coming in from comi even the neighboring states. Then, there's a Burlington tournament and one hosted by Galaxy in Cambridge. We, at UMass Lowell also conduct a tournament every year. The venue used to be the turf at UML but now, it has been moved to a new location in Cambridge. Another tournament that was fun sponsored by the Mehman oved fun, restaurant in Nashua was the Mehman tournament. This tournament is no longer being conducted. For every tournament that's discontinued there's another that takes its place. The latest tournament to hit the scene is the Royals Cricket tournament which is starting on the 15th of August this year. The NECL in Nashua is the only tournament that has a league format. MIT also hosts a tournament on their astro turf with the hard taped up astro-turf t tennis ball. Most tournaments are usually conducted on baseball grounds and hence do not have a proper wicket. But, the marginally unpredictable bounce adds a flavor of its own and forces batsmen to adapt to the circumstances. The balls that are used are also of the hard tennis variety and are quite unforgiving on the bowler should he err in at his length. The MIT version is quite a different story altogether. The bounce on that turf is true and the ball travels quickly off the wicket allowing the quick bowler the opportunity to trouble the batsman with a bouncer trouble A luxury not available on other surfaces. n Cricket, besides being cricket, is a good way to build a social network, especially, for someone who is new to the area. I have met people from all walks of life while participating in various tournaments. Winters in New England being what they are, everyone simply makes a beeline for the cricket fields come summer. I've had the opportunity to meet Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, New Zealanders, engineers, restaurateurs etc. and strike up good relationships with them. teurs The UML-Alumni team that I am a part of has done quite well Alumni in recent years. We have won most of the above mentioned tournaments in one year or the other. We also have two other teams consisting of current students that participate and win a lot of these tournaments. All our teams are always on the lookout for players that are keen on playing with commitment. For those that are interested in watching or cheering we look forward to having you on the field with us. Finally, if yo are a you new student here, I'd like to welcome you to be a part of our committed cricket club. Intramural winners (2008-2009) Table tennis:- Richard Isaac Jayakar Badminton doubles:- Liem Kashyap and Aniket Gurav Cricket:- 2009 IDRF Tournament:- Winning team - UML Alumni, Runners up - UML MIT Tournament:- Winning team - UML Prahlad Viswanathan UML’s Star Batsman
Page 7
News from back HOME
Mumbai Sea link - An Engineering Marvel
MumbaiMumbai- India has several landmarks like the Varanasi Ghats, the Taj Mahal (not just the one in
Agra), Qutub Minar, Lotus Temple, Gateway of India etc. All represent India’s spiritual heritage, rich tradition and history. But there’s none that thumps the table to announce that modern India has arrived to claim its place as a world superpower. None till a spectacular 5.6 kilometre-long suspension bridge spanned the Arabian Sea to None, long link two ends of India’s financ capital - The Bandra-Worli Sea Link. financial For once, metal and concrete have evoked admiration rather than alarm in heritage circles. Conservationists and activists are full of praise for the artistry and skill of the new Bandra-Worli Sea Link, some even suggesting it Worli could become part of Mumbai's architectural heritage over time. The sea link will classify as a part of Mumbai's modern heritage and could potentially be a famous city icon (should divert people's attention from Jalsa and Pratiksha [Amitabh Bachan’s om [ houses] making my father’s travel to office simpler). This should also satisfy Mumbai’s search for an Engineering Marvel. Post Postth Independence, only a few buildings have come up in Mumbai that could be termed beautiful or iconic. 19 century structures like beautiful Crawford Market, CST and Bandra railway stations are still considered par excellence (but look at what we have in terms of th the architecture of Dadar station).
Prashant Agarwal Treasurer, ISA
The Bandra-Worli Sea Link has completely altered the t Worli travelling schedule of Mumbai - a city that mainly commutes from north to south. The sea link should save vehicle-operating costs to the tune of millions per year. These savings will operating mainly come from the fuel Mumbai burns every day and the time it spends in traffic congestions. For Mumbai, which has been reeling under traffic woes, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link project couldn’t have materialized at a better time. Worli Completed after a nine-year wait, the sea link is a forerunner to a few others year planned in the city, which, over a period, promise to ease the city’s traffic er burden. At the moment, the eight-lane, cable-stayed bridge promises a hassle stayed hasslefree ride between Bandra to Worli in 6 minutes flat, down from the usual 45 minutes to 1 hour. The 5.6 km bridge on the Ar Arabian Sea costs Rs.1634-crore and the authorities hope some 150,000 vehicles will use it each day for a toll that ranges between Rs.50 and Rs.100 per trip based on the size of the automobile. The link has been constructed by HCC (Hindustan Construction Company). For HCC, which has constructed more than 25% of India’s hydropower and over 50% of India’s nuclear power pany). generation capacities, Bandra-Worli Sea Link is another milestone. Worli The Bandra-Worli Sea Link, set to fuel the speed at which Mumbai does business, is already firing up the city’s imagination. For , business, centuries, aesthetic bridges have inspired artistes and poets — from New York’s Brooklyn Bridge to San Francisco’s Golden Gate. Even our very own Vikram Seth set his formidable novel in verse around the golden bridge. So it’s no surprise that the creative community golden desperate for an appointment with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) is Bollywood. It’s only natural that a bridge in Mumbai is Worli immortalized with much song and dance on celluloid. Even Engineering marvels like BSWL cannot escape the name game hence its case is not out of the ordinary. Inaugurated on June 30th by Sonia Gandhi, the link was named after her late husband Rajiv Gandhi. Shiv Sena argues that the foundation stone for the bridge was laid during its tenure, when Bal Thackeray had apparently announced that it would be named after Veer Savarkar. Christening the bri uring bridge as the Rajiv Gandhi sea link, the Sena unsurprisingly says, is a slight to Maratha sentiments. Our political class has a penchant for naming public infrastructure after personalities from the past. Why is it that every bridge, road, s airport, railway station, bus stand, roundabout has to be named after people, who often happen to be political figures? Polit Politicians, no matter how great their stature, are public servants. From airports to metro stations, Rajiv Gandhi's name is a popular choice. In Mumbai, a er few years ago, most major public buildings were given the same name, that of Chhatrapati Shivaji. It's pretty much the s same case in Kolkata, Bangalore or Chennai, for that matter, where local personalities have been roped in, to identify roads, parks etc. It's time we put r
Page 8
News from back HOME
an end to this practice. It would be far more sensible to pick names inspired by geography or local cu culture, which would reflect the essence of the unnamed entity in question. This would also spare us from differentiating between many roads or airports that go by the same name. Keeping politics aside, I have my own plans when it comes to visiting the BWSL. Just looking at the statistics I truly believe that BWSL is a true mega structure comparable to any in the world. Having already visited SF's Golden Bridge and NY's Brooklyn Bridge, I do not know how much the BWSL will appeal to me. t But there is this innate city-centric nationalism which tells me that I will be centric blown away. I would love to drive down to the sea link with the ISA committee ive members who are from Mumbai to have a six minute beer fest with Chintan (Alt Senator ,ISA) and Shiv (President, ISA) while Manan (Teetotaler & ISA Senator) ) will drive us around (Please note ISA does not support drinking and driving). But the big question is whom to raise a toast to, Sonia Gandhi (UPA Chairperson, Nope), Sharad Pawar (without who's support nothing can happen in Maharashtra, h Nope), DK Sharma (Project Chief Engineer BWSL, Nope), Ashok Chavan (Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Nope), Raj Thackery (MNS BWSL, Chairperson, who will possibly ban "Bhaiya" taxidrivers from driving on the link Nope), Majdoor (Yes definitely, who worked selflessly link, , definite on the link and stayed on it, even working overtime often, during rough tides). I think it is high time we add a last phrase to the famous slogan Jai Jawan!!, Jai Kisan!! and make it Jai Jaw Jawan!!, Jai Kisan!! , Jai Majdoor!!.
Sudoku
Acknowledgements Patron: Prof. Kanti Prasad (Faculty Advisor, ISA) Editor of this issue: Sethumadhavan Ravichandran adhavan Editorial Board: Prashant Agarwal, Amruta Kalvit, Shivshankar Sivasubramanian Advisory Board: Deborah White, Marcia Nugent, Maria Conley, Laura Edwards, Prof. Ramaswamy Nagarajan N Design Editor: Sanjay Krishna Mauj Team: Ambarish Roy, Shubhra Kashyap, Manan Sanghvi, Chintan Nandu, Aniket Gurav, Sethumadhavan Ravichandran, Ranvir Soni, Amruta Kalvit, Prashant Agarwal, Shivshankar Sivasubramanian, Shubhadeep Mukherjee, Bharath Srinivasan
Answer:
Indentify Lowell’s Chocolate boy
Page 9
Silver Screen Friday’s
Hum Kisse Say Kum Nahi !
A remake of a Hollywood film to a Bollywood copy is not a new concept. It has been happening for quite some time. For example “Parichay (1972)” (Gulzar directed and Jeetendra, Jaya Bhaduri and Pran starrer) if not an exact copy was at least inspired by “The Sound of Music (1965)” directed by Robert Wise and starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer. And who can forget the action-packed classic “Sholay (1975)” packed which was inspired by “The Magnificent Seven (1960)” whose predecessor was Akira Kurosawa’s “Seven Samurai (1954)”. These were classic hits and inspired many film makers to follow the trend of remakes. But as film-makers t time passed by and box box-office success became critical, film-makers compromised on many important facets of makers film-making like script, star cast to have an edge over the release dates and profit making. The quality of making star-cast Rahul Daga remakes did deteriorate bringing only more backlashes to this trend/concept. But even the bitter reactions iorate But, MS, Plastics Engg. from the audiences did not stop the film film-makers from making remakes and some of them actually did well. Let us have a look at some of the remakes that were either be better or at least as good as the originals. 5. Taxi no. 9211 (2006): Remake of “Changing Lanes (2002)” The Nana Patekar and John Abraham starrer was a story of a Taxi Driver played by Nana and John plays a rich businessman’s son, who happens to meet one fateful day and start off on a wrong foot. What follows on teful from there is a desperate battle of wits, where in an attempt to outsmart each other, both end up crossing lines making things ugly and putting everything they have in jeopardy. The film’s taut taut-script, excellent direction by Milan Luthria (Kachche Dhaage (1999) was his directorial debut) and magnificent performances by both Nana Patekar and John Abraham actually made this remake as good as the original. In my opinion, Nana even surpassed his counterpart Samuel L. Jackson. John’s counterpart in “Changing Lanes” was Ben Affleck. counterpart 4. Kaante (2002): Remake of “Reservoir Dogs (1992)” Kaante was a stylish remake of Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut starring Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, Chris Penn, Quentin Tarantino and some other well well-known actors playing con-men trying to pulloff the perfect heist, which they even do. But nobody lives to c celebrate the victory as their group was infested by the evils of greed and betrayal. The tagline of Kaante which starred Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Suniel Shetty, Mahesh Manjrekar, Lucky Ali and Kumar Gaurav said “6 perfect strangers, 1 perfect crime. Now, all they have to fear is each other”. This sums up the complete plotline. The film had some excellent action scenes and the chemistry between the actors was great. Kudos to Sanjay Gupta for being brave enough to think differently. The film definitely was an honest attempt to reach out to the international audiences. 3. Black (2005): Remake of “The Miracle Worker (1962)” Sanjay Leela Banshali’s “Black” starring Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee was inspired by Arthur Penn’s “The Miracle Worker” starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke. Inspired from the true story of Helen starring Keller, Black is a gripping and inspiring story of the battle to overcome impossible obstacles Rani Mukherjee obstacles. as a deaf, mute and blind girl gave a stellar performance and proved her worth as an actor of high credentials. Amitabh Bachchan was at his best as the girl’s mentor and teacher and this turned out to be probably his career’s best performance. The film was critically acclaimed and also saw prominent box-office success. critically
Page 10
Silver Screen Friday’s
2. Omkara (2006): Remake of “Othello (1995)” Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Omkara” starring Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in main leads and well supported by Vivek Oberoi, Naseeruddin Shah, Konkana Sen, Deepak Dobriyal and Bipasha Basu, is only being called a remake because it released after Laurence Fishburne, Kenneth Branagh and Irene Jacob st starrer “Othello”. If rightly put, it is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play “Othello” and in my opinion is a much better adaptation. Ajay Devgan as a Capo and Political adaptation. Enforcer shined in the title role of “Omkara”. It was like the role was tailor made for tailor-made him. What a performance! Kareena as “Dolly” the innocent girl who is madly in love with Omkara and Saif Ali Khan as “langda tyagi” the villain who hates the guts of Omkara and wants to destroy him by posing as his well-wisher but burning inside with vengeance, gave excellent performances. Vishal brought out the intensity and the mixed human wisher emotions in this dark, gritty drama with such ease that it would make many veterans in this field sit down and take notes. h 1.Sarkar (2005): Remake of “The Godfather (1972)” Ram Gopal Verma’s “Sarkar” was based on Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Coppola’s Godfather” as Ram Gopal Verma also mentions this in the starting credits. You can draw a similarity between the characters of both the films. Amitabh Bachchan played Subhash Nagre, popularly called as “Sarkar” the political leader/enforcer who thought of the masses before anything else and Marlon Brando plays Don ught Vito Corleone popularly referred to as “Godfather”, a Sicilian Mafia Head. Abhishek Bachchan playing the part played by Al P Pacino as the youngest son Michael and Kay Kay Menon playing the role of Sonny (The hot tempered elder brother), originally starring James brother) Caan, played their part to perfection. Both the film were intense, well crafted and filled with award winning performances. One point . films where Verma might have scored over Coppola is the drama quotient. Also the bad guys in Sarkar got a lot of opportunity to showcase showc their villainy in the film, especially Rasheed played by the talented Zakir Hussain. His stare in the film would actually send a chill down eed your spine. Sarkar was wonderfully adapted from the novel “The Godfather” and very subtly inspired by the film. A master lly master-piece and that is why the no.1 on my list. Hindi English Telugu tamil
Dil Bole Hadippa! (September 18, 2009)
9 (September 9, 2009)
mallanna (august 21,2009)
Azhagana ponnudhan (September 11,2009)
Wanted (September 18, 2009)
Final destination (august 28, 2009) yaagam (august 24, 2009)
kettavan (October 2009)
Upcoming movies
Page 11
Masti Sector
y x (come dy come)dy come
Shubhra Kashyap Mauj’s Cartoonist
Hastey reh jaogay
(1) A Rookie drinker (Chemistry Graduate student at UMass) comes up to his senior to ask for a pint of NEAT beer. He who talks only in terms of pH, normality, concentrations & dilutions, forgot that the national drink of America need not be further diluted for optimum pleasure. (2) “Yaar ! Yeh Sports Ilustrated ka one month ka PRESCRIPTION ka kitna dollar lagta hai US main?” – We wonder how our ISA president managed to clear TOEFL and come to the US. (3) Some people follow instructions very well (BLINDLY). Classic example – A new student downloads and sends a uctions blank pick-up form along with his request for t up temporary accommodation. Because, the website said Please download and send the form across along with your request. As a resul ISA had to re-word it on their website, which now says result word please download and “fill” the form before sending it. (4) ISA Treasurer walks up to the bartender at The Brewery Exchange in Lowell; being very happy at the fact that the most beautiful girl is attending him. Too engrossed in her physical appeal, he misunderstands opening a Tab to ng he opening a Tap , and literally walks parallel to her and opens the beer tap before she can stick a glass underneath. This is what u call “Unke NAshe Mein “. at Please do not take this column dil pay. It is not intended to offend anyone.
Page 12
Fundu Timepass
UML CrOsSwOrD
Across (1) We provide food, no matter where, in UML (2) Run and swim next to the nuclear reactor (3) Bleed red and blue - Those people are the __________ (4) UML cricket organizing club (5) Home of UML waterbird (6) Jishnu & Mauj Down (7) Courses at UML designed to train you to be an officer in the United States Army (8) Books, patents, papers, publications, thesis, scifinder (9) Closest pizza joint to the north campus (10) I was responsible for the industrial revolution in Lowell (11) UML’s version of the ‘Gateway of India’ he (12) There is no one taller than me in UML
You know you are in UMass Lowell when All the other departments with the exception of Plastics crib about funding. Your CCD n Barista dreams end at Dunkin Donuts. You walk a marathon travelling between campuses campuses. All you would find is only Indians in Uni University Ave., Riverside St., Gershom Ave. You have the same ambience at Tsongas Aren when ou Arena the Riverhawks play the Boston University as an University, India - Pakistan cricket match at Eden gardens. University Ave is recommended as the most secure commended place in Lowell You see the huge dumpsters set up in the main corridor.
Answers for the Mauj’s crossword
Page 13
Mauj Mania
Infinite baap Horoscope
Traffic lights, rail crossing lights and road crossing lights are set to act in an erratic fashion. Hence, keep your temper act under control as it may very well get you an occasional slap, punch on the face or even put u behind bars. You consider yourself a born leader, while others think you are pushy. You are vain and cannot tolerate honest criticism; your arrogance is disgusting. You will overeat not for compensation but from sheer gluttony. You are the logical type and hate disorder. This nit picking is sickening to your friends. At least pets and babies find he nit-picking you somewhat amusing. Well, not really, but they can't speak up. You will mysteriously injure yourself in your sleep. You are getting old and fat. Be honest about what you really think when debating butter vs. margarine this month.
People laugh at you a great deal because you are always getting screwed. Going out and not coming home again is well starred for all of the month.
imistic You are optimistic and enthusiastic. You have a reckless tendency to rely on luck since you lack talent. When setting off on long to middling walks Pluto suggests starting off on the left leg. Do this and the planet promises rewards aplenty. People will choose to stand in front of what you want to buy at the Indian grocery store. No matter what aisle you go to, they will be there-just standing there. Some will shop. Others will just be obliviously blocking your way. just An old crush comes back and crushes you more. more You are shrewd, canny in business and are not to be trusted where money is involved. You will achieve great success because you are not hindered by ethical considerations. A hostage situation or maybe you have locked yourself out again, is in prospect this month. Worries about things you have no direct control over will increase once again this month.
You are practical and persistent. You have a dogged determination to work like hell. Most people think you are stubborn and bullheaded. You are nothin but a communist. nothing Aquarians have an inventive mind and are inclined to be progressive. You lie a great deal. On the other hand, you are inclined to be careless and impractical, using you to make the same mistakes repeatedly. Bar brawling, insult hurling and projectile spitting are just some of the highly starred activities this month to affect all Pisces.
The Indian Student Association (ISA) would like to thank all the people who helped them with the pick ups of the new students from the airport and pick-ups airpor the temporary accommodation.
Tarisha, Sunny, Prashant S, Nisha, Malavika, Parinita, Pramod, Deepashree, Prachi, Sujit, Yashwanth, Kalyan, Sethu, Shweta, Deepthi, Ratnesh, Aniruddha, Shubhadeep, Deepthi, Rakesh, Sagar, Ankit, Raunak, Jimit, Sanjay, Arnab, Shrikanth, Dhaval S, Sanket, Rahul P, Charan, Anoop, Kuldeep, Harsh, Sebastin, Anshuman, Neeraj, Arunkumar. kanth, Anoop, P.S. If you have your name in the above lineup and if you are wondering as to why your name is included in this elite list, be rest assured that you will hear from us very soon. be wil
Page 14