Weekend....

HERE IS A POST FROM VIM:

This past weekend Anant my nephew came to visit us.  He flew in from Delhi where he is on a ex-pat assignment until July-10. 

 

The most notable part of the weekend was that we all went to Iron Man 2!  About a year ago…… Dev wrote about our experience of movie watching at an Indian theater with a Gold Class Pass  where one actually gets his/her own 180 degree plush reclining Lazy Boy leather chair to sit and watch the movie, accompanied with full butler service for all your needs; foot massage to whatever you want to order off the menu to eat. 

 

Iron man 2 was screened in Silver Pass Class.  Now these theaters in Indian do truly out-do what you get back home in terms of space, view angle, rocking seat and theater staff that bring you your food rather than you wait in line for it – Disadvantage; no reclined plush seats nor a foot massage.

 

Now….  The interesting part of the experience was not the seating or movie for Silver Pass.  After few movie / commercial advertisements, I was surprised to see a message on screen,  “Please stand up for National Anthem”.  Everyone stood silently,  then as the short movie clip started, everyone started to sing.  During the Anthem, heard two off beat voices, next to me – Yes Milan / Mira were singing along with the on screen artists.  That made me so Proud that these two youngster have embraced so much culture and experience that they actually sang the whole Anthem.  In past conversations they have discussed the anthem and tried to make Dev and recite it.  The short clip that everyone sang along to was fantastically produced – with top Indian International Music Artists who are world renowned and the most famous we all know today who won an Oscar / Grammy’s that being; A.R.Rehman. (Jai Ho – Slumdog Millionaire).

 

This link will guide to the actual Anthem Short Clip:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3TtgYuaVFk&feature=relate

 

The English translation of the Indian Anthem – It is actually poetic which makes it a good read:

 

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind,
Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Ocean.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.