Lawrence Olivier as Richard III and Utpal Dutt

@ Kamal

Very innovative ideas. But unlike you, I am a cynical economist. A total non-believer. Whatever you do to tax rates, however simple you make them, the fact will remain that corrupt people will remain corrupt. And you know what? Those diamond cards will be available for sale in the black market too.

Too many people have been too corrupt for too long in this country. And I doubt that we can ever get out of the mess. Eliminate corruption and you are there.

And, in my opinion, the best way to irradicate corruption is to educate people. It's my pet idea now. There is only one kind of economic development. Education. Not in the sense of nuclear science, but in the sense of ability to read to the newspaper. If we had a country with more than a billion people where everyone could at least read the newspaper, we would have solved all our problems. Corruption, povery, lack of development. You name them.

Instead we spend on atomic bombs and nuclear powered submarines. Tomorrow's (Wednesday) programme is on the defence budget. I hope I don't get into an arugument with the people from the military establishment.

Anyway, we'll see.

All the best.

oj

 

@ mindi

I agree with you. Utpal Dutt was one of my favourites too. Particularly so since I was exposed to his genius at a very impressionable age. I can't forget his classes. Each one was a lesson in acting. I know how much I owe to him. I was a horribly bad student. But for him, I would probably have ended up as a rickshaw puller. He inspired me so much that I started taking all my lessons seriously!

And of course, I have watched all the movies that you mention. Incomparable acting skill. It was this same man though who taught us to appreciate Sir Lawrence and other great theatre personalities.

oj-da

 

@ Cheeniya

Fortunately, I have seen Sleuth too. Now that both Kamal and you mention it, I will go and search for it in Music World. May be they have a copy. That movie is simply unforgettable. Two towering personalities in the acting world interacting with one another!

Peter O'Toole too is one of my favourites. Have you watched Becket (O'Toole and Burton) and The Lion in Winter (O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn). Once you have watched those performances, you know that you have been very lucky indeed.

I have seen all the Utpal Dutt movies you mention. They were examples of great performance. Include Naram Garam too, won't you. His style was so unique and they made good use of him in Mumbai. Of course, he was a Mrinal Sen favourite, Bhuban Shome! That's what launched him into filmdom I think. But he gave superb performances in a few Satyajit Ray movies too. They were all Bengali films.

NewsX is fun I guess. They have these short programmes and enjoy them. In long programmes, people tend to speak too much. I am a little worried about tomorrow's Defence Expenditure programme. They know my view on the subject and I know that's the reason they want me there. I could get into an argument with people from the Defence Establishment I guess. But I will face it. My conscience needs me to speak out on this.

I never wear suits. Not even when I am abroad. And this is India. I would never ever wear a suit for a TV panel. The studios know about this and they don't expect me in any other garb.

Thanks for watching. By the way, I am happy that you liked the Olivier piece. Incidentally, it's available on u-tube. If I can find it, I will send you the link over email.

oj

 

@ TL

Yes, you know him quite well. As Cheeniya says, he is just the casual next door man. Avuncular probably, but hardly the Don!! Wizardry of OJ, ha, ha... excellent one my dear, dear Ekalavya. My days are numbered no doubt. But I will die with the ultimate sense of satisfaction. I found a young student who'll rise to stardom. If you stick to it, even if this is hard with the little baby to attend to, you have little idea where you are headed. But I know!! So does Cheeniya I think.

And you have guessed correctly. I am the same one who rambles in the loo! Hopefully with more finesse than I ramble in NewsX. I like this channel, because their programmes are short and to the point. Tomorrow is scheduled for the Defence Budget. Last year, I literally delivered a long tirade against the way money is wasted on buying sophisticated weapons, all in the name of protecting our country from foreign aggression. In truth, there is a nexus with foreign arms producers. We make atom bombs, send machines to the moon, when the majority of people don't know how to even read and write their names. What kind of development are we headed for? We can't build hospitals for the masses, but go for moon missions. What kind of luxury is this? At whose expense?

Did I smile? Really? I must remember to end up with a smile tomorrow too, unless they make me very grumpy. Shweta Bajaj knows my opinion quite well and, if she is around, she might try to get my views out for public hearing.

Yes, figures are important. I have to do a bit of homework on defence for tomorrow.

Hope all goes well.

All the best.

oj-da

 

@ k2s

Thanks friend. I have always avoided formalities. Except for very formal occasions, I have never even worn a suit or a tie. During my first trip to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Japan</st1lace></st1:country-region>, I couldn't avoid it, for all my colleagues went to classes formally dressed. But second time onwards, I gave it up. I teach my way, you do whatever you wish to do. In US and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1lace w:st="on">Canada</st1lace></st1:country-region> too, I did have to succumb to formalities initially, but then I gave up. Of course, for job interviews, I couldn't risk being informally dressed.

Given my preference for light-hearted informality, it is natural that I like the oj-da form more than the other alternatives. On the other hand, I can understand how strange it sounds to a non-Bengali speaker. But here at IL, it appears that most of the I'Lites who interact with me have now gotten used to it.

Oh yes, each class used to be a special experience. A great actor, interested in school teaching, is a rare animal in fact. And, on top of it all, his erudition was mind boggling. He was an avid reader too. I was very lucky to have him as my teacher.

The picture you located, if I was wearing a black shirt, was taken in <st1lace w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Kobe</st1:City>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Japan</st1:country-region></st1lace> in a conference hall during lunch recess. Regarding British accent, you must have noticed what Tubelight had to say:

This girl is remarkably observant and sensitive.

All the best.

oj-da

 

@ kamal

I am not sure yet if I shall be there on the 24th. But I will be participating tonight, 23rd, on a programme relating to excessive defence expenditure. I am preparing for it now. Will write again later on.

Best.

oj