So Many fun Things, so Little time! here’s the scoop
American Beauty – American Beauty won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1999. It tells the story of an office worker who has a midlife crisis and becomes infatuated with his daughter’s best friend and decides to act on his desires. At the same time, unknown to him, his daughter is dealing with a confused, adolescent phase in her life. The film is narrated by the protagonist as his life spirals out of control into oblivion.
Schindler’s ARK – Schindler’s Ark is a Booker Prize-winning novel by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally, published in 1982. It was later adapted into the film Schindler’s List which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1993. The book recounts the story of Oskar Schindler of the Nazi party who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews from concentration camps in Poland and Germany.
Lose Yourself – Eminem’s anthem for all the wild teenagers and fans around the world, Lose Yourself was the first rap song to win an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2002. It was featured in the part-biographical film 8 Mile which stars the rapper. It also received several Grammy nominations in 2004.
Green Day – !TRE! – The last of Green Day’s album trilogy, ! Tre ! is about Green Day returning to their punk roots but experimenting with mainstream music by throwing a mix of pop into their sound. At least, that seems to be the message which is audible from the start of the album with the songs Brutal Love, Drama Queen and Sex Drugs & Violence. As the track list progresses, the songs return to the typical style that would be expected from any Green Day album. The album peaks with the songs Walk Away, Dirty Rotten Bastards and 99 Revolutions with the energy and drive that is associated with the name Green Day. The final song on the album is a down tempo, ballad-style melody called The Forgotten. Overall, the album will be a hit for hardcore Green Day fans but is probably just passable for others.
Stash it – James Taylor’s Impossible
Trash it – Will.i.am feat. Britney Spears: Scream & Shout. One word – disaster
Star Album – Grammy nominee The Black Keys’ album El Camino
Star Artist – The Lumineers have slowly crept to the top of the charts
Quick Fire Interview with Vinod Shankar Nair – Rs. 249
Pride of Lions, debut book of ex-army man and celebrated strategist and consultant Vinod Shankar Nair (better known as Captain Vinod), is one that straddles thrills and an honest insight into the army life. Working within the structure of a story within a story, the book is about how an enigmatic teacher helps a group of students find answers to the plague of corruption in India by telling them a story of a fierce war between two armies in No Man’s Land. The book is racy and gritty with numerous twists and turns which will keep the reader guessing until the end. And given that it addresses one of the most pertinent issues of India, it is sure to stay relevant for a long time.
Pride of Lions is a rather intense book. What inspired the story?
Pride of Lions is a story within a story. It had been stewing inside me for years together but life and the current situation in India today decided that it’s a story whose time has come. It just exploded out of me and the timing couldn’t have been better. We sold our entire first print run of 3000 copies within the first 10 days of release.
Your book is obviously drawn heavily from your stint in the Indian Army. How much of it is fact and how much fiction?
The story is a work of pure fiction; it is entirely a figment of my imagination. However, the characters and instances are definitely inspired by real people and real life itself.
Corruption has become the watchword in India recently but do you think the youth have decided to fight it rather than complain about it?
Corruption is the new ‘ignite’ button for Indians today. While we are all galvanized by the thought of eradicating it, I suggest we should first define it, grade its levels, then create a system of ownership and accountability which will decide how to deal with each grade of corruption.
Corruption has seeped into every strand of the very fabric of our society, such things don’t happen overnight. We could not have been completely pure till yesterday and suddenly woke up completely corrupt this morning. So eradicating it is going to be a long drawn process. I am convinced that our youth have the potential. The real question is “Will they tap that potential?”
What word of advice do you have for young people who would like to serve their country?
As long as your fundamentals are strong and you are a person of integrity, you can serve the country while being a normal citizen, earning well and living a happy life.
Read the entire interview online at www.youthincmag.com
Volume 2 Issue 8
