30SomethingNow

The Road Not Taken

Arnab — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:20:04 +0000

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- Robert Frost

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Arnab — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:19:17 +0000

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
- Robert Frost

Daffodils

Arnab — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 09:16:49 +0000

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never - ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out - did the sparkling waves in glee.
A poet could not be but gay.
In such a jocund company;
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought;

For often when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

- William Wordsworth

Freeze Ya Lock ? Its all the same !

Arnab — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 10:44:37 +0000

This might sound like one more post on the ever increasing comparisons between Mr. Bachchan (Big B) and Mr. Shah Rukh (King Khan). Surprise, Surprise - It’s not ! While the press goes crazy covering who was better and by how much, and how the TRPs are plummeting or gaining and by how much, there is one kind of viewer who remains untouched by the controversy. The Quiz Lover !

For a game which was built around the concept of Quizzing (though I admit the Big Prize Money contributes to the interest levels), too little of the attention seems to be levelled at the Quiz itself. The excitement that a Trivia Quiz can create, the buzz in the mind on hearing a question that was part of your memory, but has faded with time, and the way that knowledge and logic can be used simultaneously to eliminate some of the options, letting you close in on the right answer is the REAL thrill for some viewers. How much do I really care about Mr. Bachchan or Mr. Khan as long as they are doing a decent job ? And I dare say both are/did, if you were to compare them to Mr. Kher & Govinda in a similar role.

The discussions on TRPs are important since they have huge Economic relevance. I venture, however, on that part of the whole show which is being executed, IMHO, pretty decently. That part which makes the whole show happen - The Questions/Queries on KBC! I feel that the team doing the selection of questions is doing a great job, has a great feel of the pulse of the audience and has well researched data telling them what sort of trivia people are likely to know. I also think that the questions are well positioned, and placed reasonably in an increasing order of toughness. Just as it should be, one would think, but not as it always is, if you attend some of the other quizzes I keep attending.

I also believe that the questions are well researched not to favor people with any particular up-bringing, background, or any other demographic. And though I sometimes wish that there were some questions from the world’s current affairs, I also understand that would probably put off a certain part of the crowd. And I definitely wish that they would stop asking questions on Hindi movies (in my mind I am immediately asking for an Audience Poll), though I would be the first to admit that 5 9’s is the percentage of viewers in India who would find those easy.

There are people who like quizzing and there are people who don’t like it too much. And then there are those like me who absolutely love it, and have loved it since forever. I suspect it is people like these who have their best moments with KBC. We don’t care much if it is Mr. Khan or Mr. Bachchan, we don’t care if it is lock or freeze, we don’t care if TRPs are High or Low, we are at our “relaxed-competitive” best at 9 to 10 PM weekdays, a Great way to end the day, if you ask me !