Allende

Allende

Allende image courtsey: eb.com

Allende (Salvador Allende Gossens and Chile’s 3 year tryst with revolution).

A Chilean dream that turned nightmare.

When Allende leader of Unidad Popular coalition came to power in September, 1970 by the power of ballots (his party could garner only about 36% of the total votes polled) it was a surprise to the socialists all over the world and they were dreaming a world ‘full of socialism’. Young Turks of the party in their overflowing ecstasy requested him to move in to a slum and reside there as a truly proletariat president! Fidel Castro (the father of all revolutions) in turn advised him that ‘never be a democrat as it is against the fundamentals of socialism’!

A lover of all good things.

Moneda palace image courtsey: flickr.com

As a gentleman to the core Allende ignored both, he preferred to live in the Moneda palace itself among all the luxuries due to a capitalist president as ‘he could only maintain the proper revolutionary spirit among the lovely paintings and exquisite carved-ivory pieces of his luxurious suburban villa’. Moreover he loved good food, class-drinks and enjoyed company of pretty women (classier the better)! When his soul craved for socialism body desired to be engulfed in bourgeois luxuries.

In a hurry!

As the first democratically elected Marxist President Allende’s honeymoon in power was endowed with the ‘glory and freshness of a dream’ as in the case of all debutants he was all set to sweeping changes in the economy of the nation. The long pending demands of his party was first to be met, as a first step wages and welfare measures to workers were enhanced, prices were frozen and all the mining companies were nationalized. There were pressures from comrades for more radical steps; which he was forced to follow as a coalition leader.

Honeymoon is over.

For about one year all worked but no body noticed the dark fact that nations exchange reserves were fast depleting due to the unsustainable measures, the unprecedented hike in wages and welfare measures increased cost of production and the artificial price-freeze made production unviable and all industrial activities came to a grinding halt, shortage of commodities became the norm, inflation exceeded 300%, shops were with empty shelves, women began to demonstrate clanging empty pots and pans.

The extremists in the ruling party were engaged in seizing land belonging to ordinary people and the government was looking the other ways when party-men were taking law and order in their own hands, these situations invited the wrath of middle class and without fearing police or army they voluntarily jumped in to agitations.

From the state of a well to do nation Chile was sliding to poverty people were driven to starvation. USSR ‘the godfather of all revolutionaries’ was not in a position to lend a helping hand as that itself was mired by internal problems. Flow of capital from America was stopped as the nationalization policies irked industrialists who fled to other green pastures. Mining (the bread and butter activity of Chile) was hit for want of capital infusion as well as lack of entrepreneurs. The initial dreams floundered in to nightmares!

Allende was aware that things are not moving as he desired, he had only the mandate of 36% and was only legal rights to sweeping changes, put between hardliners in his own party and the opponents he had to take many half-hearted steps which worsened whole affairs. The formation of Neighborhood Judicial Tribunals constituted entirely by extremists to harass those were not with them and the ‘Unicameral Parliament’ for the election as well as manipulation of judiciary, nationalization of small business (a futile attempt to appease the extremist elements) was the last straw on the back of the Chilean horse which made it to go berserk.

Chile map image courtsey: geology.com

When the condition was already explosive in 1972 a move by the government to nationalize transport by forming a state owned transporting company, this triggered the final explosion. Chilean truck drivers struck work en masse, Chile being a longitudinally stretched nation like a ribbon, the transport strike was paralyzing to it. People of all walks of life like doctors, engineers, small and big business men all joined the strike and Chile was on the verge of collapse.

There were nothing in the shops and people scrambled for whatever that was available, the national currency became utterly worthless as it was exchanged about 10,000 percent less in the black market Chile was returning in to the archaic barter system. Allende had to resort to a state of emergency followed by mass arrests. His popularity was digging greater depths; once a hero turned in to a villain with a less than three years rule.

The military so far a spectator moved in the early morning, Navy confiscated government’s communication systems, and radio stations began to transmit the joint communique demanded Allende’s resignation. His reply was a brave one “I will not resign. I am ready to resist with whatever means, even at the cost of my life’. But the palace was already surrounded by army tanks, Allende, his daughter and his personal body-guards were in it to face the army firing. His last words heard in radio were “Air force planes are flying threateningly”

Augusto Pinochet image courtsey: wehaitians.com

There is no clear indication how Allende got killed, as per army’s version Allende shot and killed himself. His wife also initially stating in similar lines as he shot himself with the submachine gun given to him by Cuba’s premiere Fidel Castro and she contradicted her initial statements. It was the combined forces which installed Army’s commander in chief Augusto Pinochet Ugarte as Chile’s president. Pinochet had many geography books to his credit and he had taught in Quinto and Santiago army colleges in Ecuador. He also had served as military attache in Washington.

After the fall of Allende the forces were engaged in a hunting spree; the communists were hunted in their on bastions they were herded to soccer-grounds most of them exterminated. The events occurred in Indonesia were repeating in Chile- a phenomenon unheard of in American continent.

The fall of Allende was natural fallout of events as his continuance would have brought more sufferings to a nation that was not used to poverty it was a natural progression of events. As far as there is no bread in the stores and no fuel to light the stove people will remain unsatisfied and they will revolt. Leftists claim that Allende was ‘too slow and soft’ actually means that he should have shot those who asked bread. Capitalists claim that Socialism and democracy never go hand in hand only partly true it is just the “I told you so” attitude;

The growth of a nation is meaningful only when all the people are benefited. Allende basically a good man lacked economic sense, he thought that artificial freezing of prices and increase in wages would do good to the people. Being a partner in a coalition consisting of hard-core extremists his hands were tied and he had to do things beyond his comprehension, which led to his final fall.

Voters in a democracy are an all powerful lot they can elect whoever they like; voters are easily taken for a ride by charismatic orators who chant sweet slogans. Electing candidates based entirely on glamour and charisma was the real culprit in this Chilean story. There may be more ‘Allendes’ in future as far as parameter for voting remains to be glamour and not economic sense.

The Bollywood Curry Western

The magic of Sholay

Image courtesy: 216.168.37.61

It is often said that other than war, only three other things unify this vast and diverse nation of ours. They are Elections, Cricket and Movies. Of the movies, the one that must have been watched by the largest number of Indians to date would be “Sholay”. The movie is a cult classic, a trendsetter and an evergreen entertainer. Its impact in the popular culture of the country can be felt even today. One can find ads spoofing it or it being referenced in one way or the other in every Indian’s daily life. The excitement about the movie is expected to reach a crescendo with the imminent release of its remake by a prominent Bollywood director.

Released in 1975 and directed by Ramesh Sippy, Sholay is the story of a village where people live in perpetual fear of a bandit gang led by the infamous Gababr Singh. A retired police officer of the village named Thakur Baldev Singh, himself a victim of Gababr’s atrocities, enlists the services of two convicts to capture Gabbar. The two convicts Jaidev and Veeru learn during the course of their stay at the village that Thakur’s entire family was murdered by Gabbar (with the exception of his daughter-in-law, who was not at home at the moment). Thakur however is unable to take revenge upon Gabbar as the latter had cut off Thakur’s hands.

In the village, Veeru falls in love with the chatterbox Basanti who makes a living by riding a horse-cart. While the more serious Jaidev feels drawn to Radha, the reclusive widowed daughter-in-law. The duo of Veeru and Jai constantly thwarts the plans of the bandits when they try to raid the village. However matters come to a head when Viru is captured by the bandits when he tries to rescue a kidnapped Basanti from their clutches. How they overcome Gabbar and how Thakur extracts his revenge forms the rest of the story.

Image courtesy: sulekha.com

Sholay is considered a masterpiece mainly because it got all the ingredients of a blockbuster right as far as Indian movie audiences go. It had a high power star cast with some of the big names of the time in the industry collaborating in the movie. It even propelled the careers of future big names like Amitabh Bachan and Gabbar Singh. Often multi-starrers take away the focus of the director from telling the story to making the stars look good. However in this case though all the actors give powerhouse performances that enriches the movie to no end.

Sanjeev Kumar as the Thakur desperate for revenge is riveting and lends credibility to the character and his emotions. Dharmendra as the extrovert Viru is colourful and essays the role with ease. Amitabh Bachan as the serious Jaidev essays a role that would become a template for his future career defining roles. He would later go on to become a superstar on the back of those roles. Unusually for a movie of this kind the women are not degenerated to mere show pieces but have characters with substance to essay. Hema Malini essays the role of Basanti with such conviction that nobody hence has been able to essay the role of the chatterbox village belle with such aplomb. Jaya Bachan as the ill-fated widow gives a performance where her silence is as memorable as any of the great dialogues in the movie.

Image courtesy: dvdtimes.uk

But the tour de force performance of the movie definitely comes from Amjed Khan as the evil Gabbar Singh. It is ironic to think that he was not even the first choice for the role. He gives the character, which not just enjoys evil but actually revels in it, a larger than life attribute that makes both the character as well as his performance truly memorable. He gave such a great performance that all his subsequent performance never seemed to achieve the same heights.

The movie as said earlier had all the ingredients of a Bollywood blockbuster: good music, a comedy track and drama. The background music by R.D. Burman enhances the underlying tension in the movie manifolds. But the real stars of the movie are the script-writer duo of Salim and Javed. Sholay was one of those movies which had its dialogues released in audio cassettes. It went on to become bestseller on its own. Every kid in India even today knows at least one memorable dialogue from the movie.

Image courtesy : thirdi.org

The technicalities of the movie too were brilliant for the time it was released. Ramesh Sippy captured the mood of the movie to a T by shooting it in the rocky taverns of Ramanagaram. The place is so much identified with the movie that a part of it was later renamed ‘Sippynagar’. His techniques were innovative. As part of the story he would have been required to show some brutally violent scenes. His use of symbolism not only helped him get past the strict censors of the time but also gave the movie that masterly feel of leaving the more brutal scenes to the imagination of the audience. This in fact made those scenes even more terrifying without actually showing any gory details. It also helped that the great action sequences in the movie were conceived by someone from Hollywood. It was also the first 70mm stereophonic Indian movie that enhanced the theatre experience of the film.

When the movie got released it was not met with favorable reviews or response. Many felt it was a flawed attempt at making a Spaghetti Western with Indian values. Theatre owners wanted the length of the movie to be shortened. Many trade insiders and columnists even started declaring it as an expensive flop. Then slowly the cinema halls started to fill up with people who came to watch the movie because their friends liked it. All of a sudden the movie became a cult craze and queues that stretched more than a kilometer began to be formed outside the theatres. People began to watch the movie multiple times and it became usual to meet people who have watched the movie 30-40 times. So much so that later on the shows became a karaoke experience with the entire audience mouthing dialogs in unison with the actors on screen!

Image courtesy : thirdi.org

The movie was later declared a superhit and went on to become the highest grossing film in Indian movie history. Some claim that it still is when you consider inflation and other factors. It created history when it ran in Bombay’s Minerva theatre continuously for 5 years. In its wake several films were released that tried to cash in on the trend of multi-starrers and male bonding. But none of them were able to recapture the magic of Sholay. When it was shown on Indian televisions for the first time in 1994 it is said that streets became empty during its screening. Sholay epitomizes the magic of the Bollywood even today.

Lord Jaganath Temple of Puri – ‘The Juggernaut’

Lord Jaganath Temple of Puri – ‘The Juggernaut’

Image Courtesy : gosai.com

The Golden Triangle.

Image Courtesy : go2india.in

Orissa one of the backward states the Eastern coast of India. It has nothing much to boast of but the temple of Lord Jaganath at Puri one of the most ancient and the most beautiful temples in India. ‘The Lord Jaganath Temple’ is one in the golden triangle of grand temples, the other ones Konarak and Bhubaneswar where Lord Krishna is worshiped along with his siblings (Balabhadra and Subhadra). This temple was constructed in the 12th century in typical Orissan architecture prevailing at that time, much in tune with the style of Lingaraj temple.

World standards.

The image of Sri Krishna is in erect posture standing on a raised platform towering about 65 Meters tall along with his siblings is one of the biggest images of god in the world. The number of priests in the temple is astounding (more than six thousand) and assistant priests, attendants and guards constitute another 14,000! A temple with 20,000 staff may be the biggest in the world. The kitchen of the temple is the biggest which feeds thousands of devotees with its ‘Holy-Mahaprasad’ (food served from temple –considered as a holy gift from god.

Origin of Juggernaut.

Image Courtesy : gosai.com

It is in Puri the beachfront town in Orissa where the Jaganath temple (in Sanskrit; ‘jagat’ is world and ‘nath’ is lord, meaning the Lord of the world) is located. Jaganath temple and its magnificent chariots are referred wherever the English word ‘Juggernaut’ is mentioned; as Jaganath is the word that got transformed in to juggernaut, which means any object, organization or contraption that is huge, powerful and overwhelming.

The three chariots.

It is the annual ritual celebrated there ‘The Chariot Festival’ that has made this temple famous and it remains as one of the most crowd pulling events in India. This ritual consists of dragging three huge chariots (each 14 meters high and carries idols of Krishna and siblings) placed on huge platforms that are mounted on sixteen giant wooden wheels each of about two meters in diameter. These chariots are dragged thousands of devotees (who scramble for a space to catch hold of the shaft. These huge wooden shafts are called (Bada Danda).

Image Courtesy : gosai.com

The mega-procession dragging the chariots witnessed by millions of devotees passes through the road to the Gundiche Temple less than 3 KM away where the idols are left for eight days. There the images are given new attires and the procession returns to its abode – The Lord Jaganath Temple. This journey is to celebrate the memory of Lord Krishna’s journey from Gokul to Mathura in the Veda era. Once the celebrations are over the chariots are dismantled and the parts are used for religious relics (they are not re-used for the next season).

The season of frenzy.

The mammoth procession that pass through the fully packed thoroughfare dragging the gargantuan chariots- each with the idols as well as all paraphernalia of a big temple- for their annual sojourn to another temple. This remote town turns uncontrollable as millions taken over by devotional frenzy perform everything they can do to please their Lord Jaganath. Devotees who have flocked the town from all the surrounding as well as distant areas resort to the rituals of their native areas.

A mass delirium.

Image Courtesy : gosai.com

In early times devotees used to jump in front of the chariots thereby ending their life under the giant wheels in utter madness invoked by sheer devotion. In the burning mid-day sun drenched in sweat a million of odd devotees dissolve in to a mass hypnotism. Some sway to the chants others stand with folded hands whispering prayers addressed to Lord Jaganath.

Contribution to English lexicon.

Whenever the word Juggernaut is read, heard or said remember this big and beautiful temple the huge man drawn ornamental-chariots and the millions innocent devotees from rural India who flock to this festival in search of salvation, because in their dull and dreary day today lives (their cup of woes always filled!) these celebrations make them forget their everyday miseries and lift them to world of momentary fantasy.

Lady Gouldian Finch

Lady Gouldian Finch

Lady Gouldain Finch image courtsey: efinch.com

Lady Gouldian Finch – The cute little creature that is at our mercy.

The Finch Couple.

There may be more beautiful birds in the world but no species sport such a variety of coloration than these cute creatures known after Mrs. Elizabeth Gouldian Finch wife as well as research partner of Mr. Gouldian Finch a famous ornithologist who discovered this species for the first time. This couple has one more credit in history as who brought a pair of live love-birds (Budgerigars) to England in 1840 for the first time. At present these birds are faced with many adversities its number is fast depleting.

Lady Gouldain Finch image courtsey: epage.com

Food habits.

Australia is home to many exotic varieties of animals and birds its geographic isolation for millions of years had been conductive to the evolvement of many species far different from their brethrens abroad. Lady Gouldian Finch is one of the most prominent among them in their colorful plumes that can catch the attention of any onlooker. It grows to about five centimeters in size from head of tail, make nest either in hollows of trees or in termite mounds. Their voice is shrill and cannot be heard at a distance, only the male birds sing.

Habits.

Gouldian Finch is a very social being and always moves in flocks. They are afraid of human beings and keep away from human settlements. They are nomadic and during wet season they are found on the grass lands and summer times in the woods. Nesting is done on the hollows of trees (varieties of eucalyptus tree) or in termites mounds. In captivity they thrive but breeding will be successful only if proper care, ambient atmosphere as well as good feeds are provided. The young chicks are very delicate they die if not cared.

Colorful plumes.

Gouldian Finches exhibit the largest variety in color (stark yellow, black or red) and previously they were thought to be different species by bird watchers. When males sport bold colors females are having mild colored plumes so that it doesn’t attract predators. It is believed that the colorful males divert the attention and mislead the predators thereby protecting the brooding females.

Their survival.

Gouldian Finch

These little birds have been facing extinction due various threats like wild fires which destroy their nests and the young ones, overgrazing by cattle destroying their habitats, bird-catchers etc. The latest epidemic ‘the air sac mite’ (a parasite) that infects them is more serious than the threats stated first. There are only around 2500 members of these birds left in the wild their survival is seriously challenged.

Many attempts.

Many agencies like ‘Fabulous Finch’ have bred them in captivity and let them to their natural habitats but so far could not succeed in getting them well settled again in the wild but all hopes are not still not over as optimism prevails as long as they are available in captivity there are chances of further attempts.

Breeding them in captivity. (nest making)

Courtship dance of Lady Gouldian Finch

The Gouldian Finches are not easily bred in captivity like the lovebirds. Only those who have sufficient time to spare and genuine interest can opt to it. Without basic knowledge in bird keeping it will not succeed. you can find more info on breeding here Fabulous Finch Home Page. The aviary can be as big as possible! But in no case it should be less than 4x4x4 feet. Direct sunlight may be avoided it would better if the nest is placed in a corner without much human traffic as these birds are a bit shy. The cage can be made of wire mesh or cardboard (bottom should be of wire mesh with a sliding tray beneath make it easy to remove droppings) but it should be unreachable to predators like snakes, cats, rats etc.

Ambience.

Nests should provide ambient atmosphere to the birds, this can be facilitated with enough place to fly and placing dry branches of trees with dangling swings for them to sit, play and take rest, small colorful balls (color black may be avoided). Small cardboard cases with holes for them to enter to give them some privacy, small wooden pots with bottom layered with coconut fiber for laying eggs etc will do to give them some natural settings.

Feeding.

Gouldians are generally seed eaters but during breeding season they eat insects, larvae, spiders etc for protein requirement, therefore care should be taken to see they are not malnourished in a cage. Minced meat, good quality grains (finger millet, ragi (thina)), vitamins, fresh-water etc should always there in the cage. Leftovers should be removed daily and never kept in the cage. - Fabulous Finch Online Store

The semi-god man.

In the last five or six centuries man has gained a semi-god status, a number of other living things look at human beings for their existence; this cute little bird is one among them, They are utterly defense less against the daunting threats like wild fires, greedy bird-catchers, predators and parasites. Lovers of nature and its beautiful diversities alone can lend a helping hand by supporting these creative activities. - Save the Gouldian Fund

‘Loka samasta sukhino bhavanthu’ as the stated in the Hindu Scriptures meaning ‘let all the beings in the world live in happiness’.

Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window

A voyeuristic suspense

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Rear window is considered by many to be one of Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest works. The master of suspense focuses on the pleasures of watching the mundane and everyday lives of others. He appeals to the dark and instinctive nature inherent in all of us; to know about the lives of others. However, he also twists around the concept of voyeurism to serve a good purpose lest anyone have too much of a moral inhibition to enjoy the movie. Whatever be the moral implications of the movie be, there is no denying that Rear Window is a suspense movie par excellence.

The movie is about L.B Jefferies, professional photographer who has been confined to his apartment in a wheel chair after he broke his leg in the pursuit of taking an exclusive picture. As he has been confined in his apartment for six weeks he becomes progressively bored. To amuse himself he takes to watching the lives of his neighbors from the rear window of his apartment. There he is able to see them going about with their mundane lives. He also gives them some interesting nicknames. He calls a ballerina Miss Torso, a spinster Miss Lonely Hearts and so forth.

His only visitors are his nurse Stella, and his girl friend Lisa Carol Fremont with whom he shares an uneasy relationship. He believes that Lisa maybe a bit too perfect for him. Lisa on the other hand loves him but even her patience is running out because of Jeffries’ moodiness from being cooped up within the apartment. However from being a passive onlooker of the events happening around him, Jefferies becomes more obsessive about their live and even becomes an active participant in it when he begins to suspect a neighbor (a traveling salesman) to have murdered his wife. Though nobody believes him at the beginning he eventually manages to convince Lisa of the crime. Together they try to find out if the murder actually occurred or whether it was all a figment of Jefferies’ imagination.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Hitchcock shoots the entire movie from within Jefferies’ apartment. Most of the time, we are shown the same view that Jeffries has from the rear window. By doing so Hitchcock gives us a glimpse of all the happenings in the other apartments of the building. Through the open windows (due to the oppressive heat) we see the other bit characters of the movie go on with their live with varying emotions. Jefferies as well as we, see their anger, joy, sorrow and frustration. The most amazing part of it all is that not even once are they aware that someone is watching them and is paying close attention to them.

Hitchcock creates a comic panel kind of feel when he shows different stories unfolding opposite to Jefferies’ apartment through the windows of the various characters’ apartment. Because of this he is able to show multiple stories and lives simultaneously. This creates a natural sense of identifying with the setting rather than being distant from it. Also by giving us the view from protagonist’s angle we are able to identify with the same feeling that Jefferies has. We sense his boredom, his anxiety and even his initial mild interest in the lives of his neighbors.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Hitchcock shows his master class in keeping us hooked with such limited setting and keeps us engaged with some imaginative narrative. He is able to maintain, almost throughout the movie, the suspense of whether or not the salesman murdered his wife. By giving us a glimpse of an event which occurs when Jefferies’ is asleep he casts doubts in our mind as to the veracity of Jefferies’ claim. This helps in generating the right amount tension in us to find out the truth.

The performances in this movie are all superlative to say the least. James Stewart is brilliant as the complex Jefferies, who go through a gamut of emotions. Due to his character’s lack of mobility Stewart has to convey the various feelings of Jeffries through his eyes, facial expressions and vocal variations rather than with body language. Grace Kelly as the perfect Lisa is indeed just that: Perfect. She brings an unknown something on to the screen every time she comes on it and lifts our hearts instantly. She adds that much needed glamour to an otherwise dreary setting of the movie. The snappy dialogues too make the movie immensely enjoyable to watch.

Image Courtesy: wikipedia.org

Voyeurism is a topic that Hitchcock briefly touched upon in Psycho. It has been showcased in many movies before and since Rear Window. But what Hitchcock has done here is to turn it more into a harmless pastime rather than something for sexual gratification or for other dark pleasures. He is not concerned with moral issues raised in the movie either. He is there to entertain us and to make a memorable suspense drama. And he is more than successful in that.

Lake Issyk Kul

Lake Issyk Kul

Lake Issyk Kul image courtsey: silkroadandbeyond.co.uk

Lake Issyk Kul – A big and hot lake in the icy ranges.

“Precious aquamarine in the silvery setting of snowy mountain ranges” wrote the famous Russian traveler Pyotr Semyonov (1827 – 1914). Issik Kul (issic = hot and kul = lake) is an endorheic lake (formed of the underground springs beneath) in the Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan - a former member of the erstwhile Soviet Union. This lake is big enough to be called a high mountain sea; as it is about 1609 feet above sea level. It is one of the biggest in fresh-water lakes (178 kilometers in length and 60 kilometers in width) and covers an area of about 6236 sq.km.

Issyk Kul image courtsey: alia.lg.kg

A journey to the shore of Issik Kul is a bit tough one, from Frunze (the capital of Kyrgystan) the road twines to Spurs of the Tienshan Mountain, it then zigzags through the mountain to a height of 1609 meters. Before the completion of the last turn there appears a basin with flowers all over and the colossal lake stretching to the horizon. It is second only to Lake Titicaca among the huge mountain lakes but far deeper than that (depth 702 meters).

This valley is inhabited by Kirghiz people with exclusive cultural standing they are friendly simple healthy and hard-working. They are mostly engaged in tending cattle, sheep and horses in the foothills. The exotic climate medicinal water of the lake and fat fish of the lake all make the people a fortunate lot. Recently they have got adequately accustomed to urban life styles. It is Kirghiz who first recognized the nutritive and curative properties of koumiss (fermented mare’s milk) which they use abundantly.

Lake Issyk Kul image courtsey: horizonsunlimited.com

Its water is crystal-clear but a bit salty when scooped in the palm of the hand it appears to have a slightly bluish tinge (the reason for this lake appear turquoise in a cloudless day. Many rivers and streams flow in to this lake (altogether 118 among them Djyrgalan and Tyrup are major ones) but there is no outlet from the lake, There are many underwater ground springs which pumps hot ground water in to this lake; so that this lake is always warm (it doesn’t freezes even in the harshest winter). This phenomenon is responsible for controlling the microclimate of the valley where winter less cold and summer less hot.

As the autumn approaches the lake takes the role of an aviary as of birds of all sorts’ flock to the lake and surrounding valley. White-Swans are the first to visit followed by many other migratory birds filling the entire air with their sounds. Until March they enjoy the warmth of the lake and the fat fish beneath and fly away when winter is over. The fertile valley with temperate climate is ideal for the wild poppies bloom making the valley a bed of flowers. Thousands of swans on the lake surface and full bloom wild poppies on the shore jointly give this area a nothing short of a paradise.

Lady Milking Mare

The Kirghiz were the first to discover the nutritional and healing properties of koumiss (fermented mare's milk).

This lake is not always as placid as it looks most of the time, during spring occasionally there are fierce winds that blow triggering terrible waves which at times throw some of the hidden treasures like old copper vessels, remnants of archaic potteries, old coins and such trophies from its bottom to the shore. The bed of this lake has always been a mystery for those living around as well as historians and archaeologists and their searches have recovered many precious evidences as proof of a township that existed centuries before where this lake placed.

The extreme depth of this lake is beyond the reach of ordinary people hence the bottom is always filled with mysteries for them for some there are valuable treasures to be recovered those with high imaginative capacity tell stories that are weird as well as funny, one of the most funny may be quoted below.

‘It was king Ossounes’ who ruled the area once upon a time. He had tow ears shaped as that of ass! It was a top secret and the barbers who did the job of his hair-dressing were killed after the job to keep the secrecy. One barber soon after the job yelled in to an unused well that ‘the king has ass ears’ before he could be killed. The well kept on repeating the words in loud echo. King and his cronies filled the well with rubbles to silence it, but the water from the well over-flowed and flooded the entire empire! This lake Issyk Kul was born and beneath the lake are there the palace and all the treasures the king kept.

This valley was a stopover in the ancient silk-route that connected India, China Afghanistan etc and from time immemorial served as health and leisure centers for visitors. The curative properties of its mineral rich water have always been a crowd puller during the Soviet times the valley had a good time catering the needs of travelers from all member states. The present government has recognized the importance of tourism and doing all to promote it.

Tombs Issyk Kul Lake image courtsey: tabisite.com

It is a fact that each big lake keeps exclusive cultural setup to the people who live around it, because a lake is an enclosed area and impose limitations to the peoples’ mobility and bind them together with a magic string giving birth to exclusive features to their cultural dealings. The Issyk Kul also have nurtured a very special culture in the inhabitants of its shore. Tall Tien Shan Mountains around and the lake in the middle have so far protected their culture as an entity and they were able to lead a life of child-hood innocence which let them live long and stay healthy all their life.

Pirates of the Carribean - At World’s End

Hang on!!!

Image Courtesy : wikipedia.org

The third installment of the successful Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise was eagerly awaited by its millions of fans who must have been mighty anxious to know the fate of Captain Jack Sparrow and his rugged mates. It must be remembered that the swaggering Captain Sparrow was last seen getting swallowed by the abominable Kraken at the end of the previous edition of the franchise. We also saw that Jack’s ‘Friends’ were getting ready to go to The World’s End with the help of the resurrected Captain Barbossa to bring him back. The third edition is just a continuation of those events.

The movie starts off by showing us what had happened after the East India Company, led by Lord Cutler Beckett, took full control of Davy Jones’ heart and thereby the world’s oceans. We see that the pirates of the world, young and old, men and women, are all being rounded up and hanged at the gallows. There is no denying that times are tough for anyone who is a pirate. In response to Beckett’s assault, the nine pirate lords comprising the Brethren Court have been summoned to convene at Shipwreck Cove. However, the absent Jack Sparrow, pirate lord of the Caribbean, is without a successor, and therefore must be present.

Image Courtesy : thecia.com.au

Captain Barbossa leads Will, Elizabeth, Tia Dalma and the Black Pearl crew to retrieve Jack from Davy Jones' Locker. However to reach there they need the navigational charts that are in the possession of the Pirate Lord of Singapore, Sao Feng. Although initially reluctant to help them, Feng finally gives in when Will strikes a secret deal with him where he promises to give Feng Captain Jack Sparrow in exchange for the Black Pearl. Feng intends to barter Sparrow for his freedom with Beckett while Will intends to trade the Black Pearl for his father’s freedom from Davy Jones’ hands.

The crew then sails through tough conditions eventually sailing over an enormous waterfall into the locker where Jack is aboard the Black Pearl. There it is seen that in his lonesome state Jack had begun to hallucinate. He is however taken aback when a swarm of crab-like creatures drag the Pearl to an ocean shore where he is reunited with his shipmates. Initially he believes that he is hallucinating again. But when he realizes that they are indeed real, he hesitates from joining a crew where most of the members either tried to kill him or mutiny against him. He eventually gives in and what adventures await him and the rest of the major characters of the franchisee form the rest of the movie.

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Most of the cast does a creditable job in the movie with the sole exception of Orlando Bloom. It is indeed refreshing to see Geoffrey Rush back in the franchisee. His Barbossa is needed to challenge the acting prowess of Jonny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow. The two together bring the kind of rivalry and chemistry that was sorely missing in the second edition. The scene stealer though is Keith Richards in a cameo as the Keeper of the code for the Brethren Court. He is also the father of Captain Jack Sparrow.

The visual effects are great in this movie and provide the needed elements to give this movie the thrill ride effect that it required. The action sequences are well choreographed and the CGI is stunning. It was fun to watch the climatic battle scenes. The battle scenes and the various duels were suitably impressive. Having said that, the makers of the movie seemed to be stretching the adventure angle a bit when they chose to get Will and Elizabeth married off in the middle of the climatic battle aboard the ship. It just didn’t make any sense and neither did the crab sequence earlier on, but then again this movie wasn’t intended to make sense in the first place.

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Maybe that’s why the movie had such a convoluted plot. Each of the main characters indulges in double crosses against one another. There are just too many meetings happening in the movie where everyone involved doesn’t trust others participating in the meeting. Each of the members pursues their own goals and interests. This is all fine as we are dealing with pirates here. But did it really have to be so complex that everyone who watched it would be left confused about what exactly was going on in the movie. If it was intentional then I must say that the writers outdid themselves, maybe a bit too much. But then again who cares right? Most of the fans come to watch Depp and the rollicking ride that the franchisee provides. So just hang on and enjoy the ride and you will enjoy it even more if you don’t pay too much attention to the plot.