MAHABHARAT incidences

Mahabharat; the great Indian epic, has motivated lots of people across the globe. This story of great warriors always inspires me to portray the incidences of Mahabharat. Here are some of my paintings and sketches depicting incidences of Mahabharat.



1. Bheeshma's Grief:


This oil painting may be seen as a scene depicting sorrow of the grandsire Bheeshma, who although was a great invincible warrior, respected son of goddess Ganga; but who was helpless when wife of his grandsons (pandavas) was humiliated in the assembly after the dice game. Bound by his vow, he could not oppose the acts of the king's sons. He was the eldest in Kuruvansha. He couldnot show his remorse to others. But Mother is an exception. The only lap in the world where you can cry out loud, and lighten your pain. The Ganga-putra is doing the same.
Note the hands of Ganga, (I have not shown her face because its not needed)They look a bit dirty, which shows the burden of evil and sins the godess is witnessing on her land. As nicely put by Bhupen Hazarika in his song
"O Ganga, NIrlajj Bhaav se behti ho kyon"


2. And the Grandsire smiled:



This painting is self explainatory. The joy a grandfather would feel by watching his sons excel.


3. The burden of lie


Now it is said that the chariot of dharmaraj Yudhishthir, because he always speak truth, used to move 4 inches above the earth in the battle. It was only when he uttered that Ashwatthama is dead, his chariot landed on the earth. Now it was not a lie because an elephant named Ashwatthama was actually killed and on the advice of Lord Krishna, dharmaraj acknowledge his death as "Ashwatthama is dead" in aloud voice, loud enough to be heard by his guru Dronacharya, and "Ashwatthama; the elephant" in a low voice. This incidence shows that its not what we say becomes a lie its the intention which makes our words sinister or holy. As soon as Drona heard that sound from Yudhisthir, he thought that his son Ashwatthama is dead, as he believed Yudhishthir's words can never lie. He dropped his weapon and was killed by Drishtadyumna. It was actually a conspiracy. So this is said that a lie that can save a life is hundred times better than the truth which can take a life.



4. Duryodhana's final confrontation.



The fallen warrior after being defeated unjustly by Bheema by breaking the laws of duel fight and hitting the opponent below the waist, blames it all on Lord Krishna. Now Duryodhana was evil. He was bad. He was the villain and root cause of all enimosity. But his final confrontation with Krishna is an interesting incidence of Mahabharat. It is said that even Gods from heaven showered flowers on him when he declared proudly that "I die like a warrior". Even thoough the villain badmouthed the supreme God Krishna, he was praised by Gods, this shows that bravery is a man's biggest virtue.


5. Evil grows from evil submerging righteousness

From Mahabharat

Ashwattha, a great warrior feared by the most, in the end slaughtered all the Panchals and sons of Draupadi in their sleep. It is said that in the end from the Kaurava's side the only survivors were Ashwatthama, Kripacharya and Kritvarma and from the Pandavas side the survivors were the 5 pandavas only. This painting shows how in the end of this ugly battle, even after the death of one Adharmi (Duryodhana) another sin was committed and that too by son of a brahmin. Kripacharya and Kritvarma became aide in this horrendous act. Ashwatthama was paralysed due to curse of Lord Krishna and he and Kripacharya are doomed to wander on this earth forever, as said. Kritvarma was killed in the famous Yaduvanshi slaughter.

Making of a Perfect MBA -- Cartoon strip for MBA students and Graduates

I started this cartoon strip on MBA studies and concepts and, particularly for incidences related to ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad Campus. My friends contributed with ideas for the cartoon strip. This strip was displayed on the college intranet and was updated once a week.

The main idea behind this cartoon strip was to extract humor out of the regular Management studies, as what I believe is 98% of MBA studies is common sense...

To view the complete series go to link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/rai.mrinal/MakingOfAPerfectMBA

GARY OLDMAN

Gary Oldman, born on 21st March 1958, is one of the legendary actors of Hollywood. Though I also admire various academy award winning actors like Robert De Niro, Daniel Day Lewis, Anthony Hopkins,etc. but something about Oldman made him my favorite actor (May b coz we share the same sun sign :)). The intensity with which he plays all his characters is just awesome. I am here discussing some of his performances I really admire.

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992):
His first movie that I saw, Gary's biggest commercial success was Francis Ford Cappola's Dracula, in which he played the lead role of vampire Count Dracula living for 400 years, who haunts the city of London in search of his princess reborn as Mina, played by the gorgeous Winona Ryder. The film also starred various other great actors like Anthony Hopkins and Keanu Reeves. But ओउत्स्तान्डिंग Oldman excelled in the peformance of Dracula. Gary Oldman used three different getups for the film. When I saw this film I thought these are two different actors playing the role of old and young Dracula. I have read the novel also, so I also admired his portrayal of older Dracula. His intense deep voice and intentionally broken english made that role memorable. In the role of younger Dracula, he perfectly portrayed the pain of a departed lover in his scenes with Ryder.
memorable quotes: Though there are many memorable quotes of Oldman in this movie, some are really unique;
"...... and I never drink....... wine...."

"....your impotent men with their foolish spells cannot protect you from my power, I condemn you to living death, to eternal hunger..... for living...... blood"
"...I am a monster that breathing men would kill... I am dracula"

"The luckiest man who walks on this earth is the one who finds true love....."
"(after watching blood trailing down from Keanu Reeves neck while shaving) Take care how do you cut yourself.... it is more dangerous than you think.....(he looks at the glass and the glass smashes) Ohh, a foul bauble of men's vanity, perhaps you should grow beard..."

True Romance (1993) :
1993 action flick True Romane had a team of great actors like Christopher Walken, Dennis Hopper, Samuel Jackson, Brad Pitt and Val Kilmer, playing small roles each barely lasting 15 minutes. But each of the performances was unique. Gary Oldman played the role of Drexl Spivey. In the original movie, Drexl had 2 scenes but in the edited version of the movie, the second scene was shown uncut while the first scene was edited. The first scene showed Drexl, along with a nigger Floyd and Big Don played by Samuel Jackson. In this scene, Flyod calls Drexl a"white boy". Now Drexl is a crazy pimp who is actually white but he think he is black, and this is evident from his getup. So in that scene, Drexl kills Big D and Floyd and takes away their drugs. Later, in the second scene there is a confrontation of lead character Clarence, played by Christian Slater, and Drexl. This is one of the most famous scenes of the movie. Drexl offers Clarence to sit on chair, but he refuses. Clarence has come with full determination to kill Drexl. But Drexl is a dangerous crazy person who is not one-to-be-messed-with. Oldman himself decided on his getup for the movie. His makeup, getup and carefree tone made the role memorable.

memorable quotes:

"...I know I am pretty, but I aint as pretty as a couple of ti**es..."

"....It aint a white boy day, Is it?"



Leon (1994):
One of the most memorable roles of Gary Oldman was that of Norman Stansfield. I have also read somewhere that this was an oscar worthy performance. He plays role of a psychic, dangerous and really unpredictable character who is a corrupt cop. A true villain. Stansfield kills the family of Mathilda (Natalie Portman; it was her first movie), who then joins a hitman Leon (beautifully played by Jean Reno). Oldman's hasty expressions and sometimes confused face made this role memorable. The scene in which he points the gun at Mathilda is one of my favorites.

memorable quotes:
"I like these calm little moments before the storm...... it reminds me of Beethoven"
"(to Mathilda) thats good, I never take pleasure in taking the life of a person who dont know its meaning...."

Murder in the First (1995):
Though his role wasnt among the lead characters and neither did he got more than a few scenes, Gary's portrayal of Milton Glenn is a special one. He played the role of cruel and heartless warden of Alcatraz prison. His makeup and hairstyle added spice and chill to his role. The scene in which he cuts the ankles of Kevin Bacon with shaving blades really made me shiver. His face and performance showed that the character wasnt at all guilty or ashamed of his deeds.
memorable quotes:

"For Every action, there is a reaction..."
"(in the climax)Welcome back Henry,......I missed you..."

Lost in Space (1998):
Lost in Space was a full time entertainer, I believe. Though I havent seen the original TV series but I really enjoyed the movie and that too just because of Gary Oldman. He played a stylish, funny and cunning villain, Dr. Smith. On a mission to demolish the mission of Dr. Robinson (William Hurt), he changes the settings of personal robot machines and gives them order to kill the Robinson family as soon as their spaceship leaves earth. But he is double crossed and also gets locked up in the same spaceship. And he is also lost in space with Robinson's family. Even after being lost in the middle of nowhere, he did not loose his nature, and remains cunning throughout.

memorable quotes:

"Black was always my color"
"...Yes..... I am a doctor...."

The Contender (2000):
Oldman's portrayal of Shelly Runyon is always my favorite. The best till now. He plays the role of a stern, adamant and orthodox Republican who is all set and determined not to let the newly nominated senator (Joan Allen) to become vice-president. Shelly Runyon is a person with radical thoughts and he dont want to support the lady and will try to do anything to stop her. He takes advantage of the sexual allegations made on the senator and uses it as a leverage. In one particular scene, where Joan and Gary had a confrontation regarding women's choice of abortion, Gary's tone and expressions show Shelly's true nature and the silence that follows the confrontation is really superb.

memorable quotes:

"Greatness is an orphan of urgency...."
"What I say American people will believe, and you know why? bcoz I'll have a big microphone in front of me"
"We both are pointing guns at each other, the difference is mines are loaded"



Hannibal (2001):
Very rarely mentioned and ofcourse not officially credited, Gary's performance of Mason Verger remains another unique one. I believe that it was not just the work of make up but also an intense effort on his part which made Mason's character so memrable. He was a gruesome villain, ugly by face and ugly by heart. He was a psychopath and his crazy feelings and thoughts were very well expressed by Gary in his tone (he mimiked a different voice for the movie).

memorable quotes:

"Isnt it funny? you can look at my face.......... but you shied when I said the name of God...."
"When the fox hears the rabbit scream, he comes running, ..............but not to help"

Harry Potter and Prizoner of Azkaban(2004) & Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007):
I wont say much about Sirius Black. Potter's fans already have complaint that the character wasnt given much importance in the films. Its true. But looking at the novels and its movie adaptations, its Ok for me. He got good part in the 3rd Potter film but the 5th movie, the supposedly important one, his role was chopped I think. But whatever part he got, Gary did it with full justice and successfully became a tragic hero, like the character in the Potter series.

memorable quotes:

"The ones we love never really leave us and you can always find them, (touches Harry's heart) here"
"The world isnt split into good people and death eaters, we all got both light and dark inside us, what matters is the power we choose to act, and thats who we really are.."

Harry Potter and the order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter Drawings "BY HAND" on computer

Airport-- a short story

Monika:After looking at her watch, she thought that watching those small pointers moving in a circle enclosed by a glass is not a bad time pass. It’s still half an hour. Air Deccan sucks! but not more than her life.

She had never thought that her life would ever come to a situation where her decisions are guided by the wishes of some old chaps! When they started the business, it was like “your-family my –family” thing. They never witnessed true competition. That’s business! when you call a client showing all possible positive aspects of your service and when the client comes in, you irritate him with your one necessary condition, and he will be gone. How hard had she tried to convince those people to join hands with their company? But these old chaps, my respected bosses, always used to put their shoes in between and ruined everything. When would they understand that its age of Computerization, we need automation. But "we never give incentives more than this to a middleman, even if they are having computers!” go to hell old fellows..... Then they ask me to go to Hyderabad and find some other client/middlemen. "You don’t have knowledge about which clients are to choose and which not; miss Monika" the old man had said. My foot...

Suddenly she heard a cry. She looked up and saw a kid fighting with her mother about something. She never liked such things. You should keep these little devils quite. Give him what he wants and let him go happy so that others won’t feel disturbed. She saw the mother was using words like, "if you do it again I will....." or "you said one more word and I will slap you...". For God's sake, its an airport!! its not your home....

That’s the reason she never wanted to be housewife. She was moved by the women revolution in India. She completed her Engineering and went for MBA. She never wanted to be a housewife and spend rest of her life dealing with these little devils like this woman. But this little devil is pretty. He is cute. How could a mother of such a cute boy make him cry? If I would have been his mother....

She remembered the day when Shekhar came to her house with her parents asking for her hand, she refused. Not that she didn’t love him, but the reason was that Shekhar's family was very orthodox in thoughts. They would never have allowed her to work. And she wanted to work, move ahead and achieve something, and prove herself....

She was now looking closely at the lady. She was wearing a bengali saree and a big bindi over her forehead. Normally ladies which such makeup look like 40-50 yrs old. But this lady was not looking that old. Rather she was looking as if she has barely crossed 27. She was still slim, and there was a special grace on her face which was visible in spite of her argument with her kid. Monika had noticed such a grace on the face of almost every married young woman, and that was the only thing which annoys her because she sometimes become jealous of that grace. She was now turning 30 and still unmarried.

'How good it would be to get married, to have someone to care and protect you for rest of your life, to have your own small kids who would call you mummy and hug you. No tension of office timings, no tension of declining sales, no tension to deal with elderly bosses, just you and your home, this lady is lucky.......'

She suddenly saw the kid was coming towards her. She was standing near the iron rod railing and at the very edge. She just saw the kid and thought may be I could go ahead and hug him. Suddenly the kids foot slipped and he fell down. His head was about to hit the iron rod..........



Mridula:-When she heard the announcement that the flight is late by half an hour, she got more irritated. Why the hell do they run big Airlines when they can’t provide service on time. Every minute is valuable. My mother is ill, she needs care. The care her brother and his wife can never give. She wanted to reach there as soon as possible. But, was this the reason? Hasn’t her aunt has already arrived there and was taking care of her mother? Hasn’t she told her that there is nothing to worry? Yes, yes that’s true. Then what is the reason for such frustration?

Her husband. Shekhar. 'He never loved me. He hates me. He wants to be as far from me as possible'.
How she figured that out? 'Never has he shown some gentleness. Never has he asked me to go outside for a dinner. He likes me crushing my life in kitchen. He feels ashamed to tell his friends and fellowmen that his wife is a housewife only. SHE IS NOT WORKING'. And who is responsible for that? he only. When she asked after marriage to teach in some School, he had laughed and said, "do you want all the kids to fail?". ' He never gave me respect. And after the birth of Sunny, he said that I should remain in home all the time to take care of him. Now he will tell me how to take care of my son? 'And now, when my mother is ill, he don’t have time to come with me? How cruel he is'. She had a long quarrel with him regarding this. And she left the house with Sunny, poor boy, who wasn't aware of anything. That's why he is also irritating her from the time they entered the airport.

From the time, they entered the airport, Mridula was noticing the lady dressed in executive and who might also accompany her in the flight. How smart she looked, how confident, she must be in her early 30s but was looking younger. That’s the difference a job creates in a woman's life. she gets to know her potential. She remembered she did graduation in Arts and Social Sciences, and never liked studies, but had she been aware of the change a work culture could bring to your personality, she would have tried for job after her studies, or she might have taken her studies seriously. How lucky this lady is, no tension of kitchen, of breakfast, dinner, of kids, of husband... only work, only work.

She didn’t notice that Sunny was already approaching that lady and suddenly lost his balance. His head was about to hit the iron rod......


Monika stepped forward and got hold of Sunny on time, by the time Mridula also reached there running. Monika wanted to touch that kid and she got the chance. Mridula looked worried. Monika handed the kid back to Mridula.

"Thank you", said Mridula. A moment ago she was thinking will she be even able to talk with this executive looking lady in the flight if she wants to; and now she said 'thank you' without any effort instantaneously, because that lady had saved her son.
"Its ok", said Monika. She noticed that the voice of this housewife type of lady is full of gratitude. That's a mother! How lucky she is....


Monika went back to her seat and suddenly her phone rang.

Mridula went back to her seat and suddenly her phone rang.

Monika:-
"Hello?"
"Hello, Monika its Sameer.."
"Ya Sameer..."
"Monika you have done a fantastic job, the presentation you gave to the Delhi based company last month was liked by them very much. They have agreed to work with us. The bosses are so happy ...”
"Really?"
"Yes, they asked me to call you immediately. So there is no need to go to Hyderabad now. Please come back and your ticket will be cancelled...."
"Ok, I am coming". She hung up.
Wow! Her presentation has helped her a lot, the bosses are happy ! Now she understood that working lady is perfect, a woman's life matters only in professional life. Executive ladies are great. They drive the world....


Mridula:-
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mridula I am sorry..."
"Shekhar?"
"I behaved badly with you. I am pathetic. I cannot live without you and Sunny. Please forgive me..."
"No, no don’t say that...” she could feel hot fluid in her eyes.
"Please come back and we all will together go to your mother", his voice was shaking
"Yes, yes, I am coming, now stop crying..." she hung up.
See, that’s the bond of family. That’s the bond of love which a working lady would never understand.
A housewife is the best. She is really the homemaker....

Monika lifted up her bag and left the place.

Mridula lifted up her son and left the place.

Both were happy.....!!

A hand made poster of Harry Potter