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The Weimar Republic was established in 1919 in Germany. Although started with good intentions, in fourteen years, the governance was marked by an overall lack of direction, hyperinflation and rampant corruption. In 1933, the Weimar Republic was overthrown by Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Although a well known extremist, Hitler was a very popular leader, who…
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There was a time in cinema where almost every film would have a scene where a doctor would make a house visit to see the bed-ridden patient. On his way out, his leather bag would be carried by the patient’s son, and the doctor will stop at the door, and reveal in hushed voice about…
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From Galileo to Einstein, scientists who have questioned the popular thinking, have faced the wrath of the establishment. It is also interesting to note that wars have had a tendency to accelerate the process of scientific inventions. May it be the atomic power, or computers, wars have been the reason behind the great leaps in…
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When the people of Jharkhand fought for a separate state, their goal was liberty and greater control on their lives. But ironically, the formation of Jharkhand has, over the years, given greater control to their oppressors and consolidated the hold of corrupt politicians, industrialists and contractors on the masses. It is even more unfortunate that…
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I remember reading Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Bet‘ in school. The story brilliantly emphasizes the idea that human life is far more valuable than money. It begins with an argument at a party over which is more moral – capital punishment or life imprisonment? A rich banker believes that capital punishment is more moral. A young…
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It’s interesting how some films manage to accomplish so much with their opening sequences. The seven shot opening titles of Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976) beautifully manages to establish the dark mood. Two of those shots are close ups of De Niro’s eyes, while other five show distorted images of a hazy and obscured Manhattan through the windshield…
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Rural India is filled with examples where one man’s vision and hard-work have accomplished seemingly impossible dreams. May it be Dashrath Manjhi of Gaya who single-handedly carved out a 110 meters long tunnel through a hill working day and night for 22 years; or Armstrong Pame, a young IAS officer from Manipur who is set out…
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If I were to recommend films for children’s viewing, 8 out of 10 films would be from Iran. Iranian cinema is known for its childlike innocence, moral values, rural beauty and poetic elegance. It is entirely different from the western media’s portrayal of post-revolution Iran, which paints a picture of war, repressive mullahs and fundamentalists. Propagandists…
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How does a refrigerator maintain the cool temperature inside? It does so, by disposing off the hot air outside. Even an air conditioner works on the same principle of compressors. This may work fine with machines. But in reality, can human lives be compressed the same way? Can their emotions, their agony, their complaints be…
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It is unfortunate how man has come to believe that it’s existence has to be at the cost of nature’s destruction. In the mad run for urbanization, industrialization and ‘civilization’, we have brought down numerous forests, flattened hills and dried lakes and rivers. Rarely do we realize that, natives of India have a lasting legacy of man’s…
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सौरभ राय | Sourav Roy 