JishnuGopanbr

“In the yellow street lights, to the cool breeze of a full moon night, a flower floated towards us. Nila grasped it in between her fingers, offered it to me, and asked, ‘Its name is Frangipanni, whenever you see this, will you think of me?” Thus wrote Kaber Vasuki in his song ‘Frangipanni’, about a girl named Nila. She is a beacon of hope that sheds light on the souls lost in life's chaos. She isn’t so pure as it might seem, or is there any human being that has ever been devoid of any impurities? But her presence was soothing for those who had the grace of knowing her. Nila is someone who giggles when the night’s cold breeze wafts the thick smell of Jasmine flowers along with it; she is someone who packs her bag and leaves for Calcutta because, why not? She is someone whom you will wish to know, to have that shed of light to reach upon you, when described by such a songwriter as Kaber Vasuki. That is why, when her death flows in like a poem in this song, I felt my heart yearning ...

  Incendies (2010) is a French movie directed by Denis Villeneuve. The opening scene of the film is by far the most unnerving I have ever watched. It begins with a wide-angle shot of a large landscape and gradually zooms in on the inside of a shattered building. Inside, there were a few children whose hair was being trimmed by some adults. As one of the kids’ hair was being cut, the camera focused on him. And that kid gives a cold stare down, looking right at us through the camera. That stare was so unnerving for me as it was trying to say a lot of things. That stare was filled with sadness, helplessness, and pure anger. The stare was so diabolical that it looked straight at my soul and said, “You take your life for granted, and I am angry at you for that.” This 3-minute opening of Incendies is a movie of its own. A kid with lots of questions and confusion on what is happening, a kid who was born in a world filled with hatred and horror. And the anger that he feels is something t...

  ”In the Cafe of Lost Youth” by Patrick Modiano is a profound work. It is deeply philosophical, aesthetically pleasing, and filled with brilliant prose. The story is incoherent in its form, with different timelines, shifting perspectives, and various locations. But everything revolved around only one character, Louki. This novella is about this girl, told from multiple perspectives, including her own, but still, when I finish reading, I am as new to her as I was when I first read Chapter 1. Just as all the other characters felt about her. She doesn't hide much; she is as open to others as she is to herself.   But still, there is always a mysterious aura in her presence. Roland is one of the characters from whose perspective we get to know more about Louki. He falls in love with her, dreams of a future, and in her way, Louki also reciprocates the love. He is so intrigued by the place where it all is happening, Paris. He believes that Paris has few places that he calls ‘Neu...