Shah Rukh Khan: Poor show by the star

A good recipe, my grandma said, needs to have the right ingredients in the right amount. This way each does what it's meant to do and you get a good dish.

This piece of advice holds true in life too. And the latest example of such a dish going completely wrong came from Shah Rukh Khan or SRK.

SRK's acting histrionics (or hamming as you want to call it) are well documented on reel. 

But give the man a podium and a written speech-- a dissertation on the 'utopian thought of art overcoming hatred'(don't ask why)-- and he really really comes a pauper.

To his credit SRK started off well at the India Today Conclave, with diggs at India Today Group journalists, Kaveri 'Bam'zai, Aroon Purie and Prabhu Chawla. He even pulled a good mimic act on Prabhu. But then he opened up his ledger and put all on snooze.

You can watch SRK's funny introduction of being bullied into the conclave here. Skip the rest of speech though. But if you have the time then check out the panel discussions here and here. Quite interesting.

Tip of the day:
Let people do what they're best at. And actors should not even try to done the intellectual hat--not even the mighty Shah Rukh Khan.

Violence -- acceptable for the Dalai Lama?

There was an interesting moment at the India Today Conclave today. His Holiness the Dalai Lama wound up his speech on the importance of compassion in today's changing world.

Then during the QnA round, the chairman of the India Today Group, Arun Purie had a tricky question for the last guardian of non-violence in the world.

'Can under any circumstance violence be justified instead of nonviolence' or as he put it in other words...'If you were the President of US with all its power and might at your disposal, how would you deal with China to get something for your country?'

The Dalai Lama was visibly caught off guard, he stumbled a bit and then said, yes violence is acceptable...as a method if the motivation and end-goal is based on compassion and peace.

Just before I could blink, His Holiness quickly clarfied that this was possible only in theory...in practical world it is impossible since violence begets only anger and hatred. He also added that only the highly trained or skilled professional can possibly follow the theory in practice, but for the world at large this should never be an option.

Watch the video here. Refer to part 10 for this specific QnA.

Not too sure if I get His Holiness's comment in the entirety...but it makes me wonder can this comment be cooked up to validate violence? Can compassionate motivation and a greater good as the goal mean that violence as a means is acceptable?

I know I'm probably brewing the pot a bit more, but who is this 'skilled practitioner'? If I stir it a bit more, can't a Jihadi also believe himself to be a 'skilled practitioner'?


P.S.: Got another cooked theory from a colleague. 'Practice before you preach'. Well that ain't possible you see, cause you practice what is good for you and preach what's good for others. How can you practice what's good for others?--- hmmm now that tastes spicy.

Just a bite about this blog

Cooking food used to be the most boring job for me. The prospect of chopping, cutting, and stirring patiently while the food cooks itself was just not my way of spending 1-2 hours precious hours daily.

Why bother when you had mother/order in services/instant food at hand? And so I reveled in my 29-happy years of existence without spending anything more than 2 minutes in the kitchen.

But all of that changed overnight (OK may be not as quick but every bit as dramatic). I got married, set up house...and learnt to love cooking... well almost. After all--a hungry spouse who does not think of oats-in-milk as hauteur-cuisine leaves you with very little choice.

Especially because I failed to find anyone else to take up the task on my terms. (The Professional Cooks/maids/tiffin/dabba wallahs I found didn’t seem to agree with my timing or sartorial tastes) and the better- half was worse-off in the department.

So after many an evening of high cholesterol ordering-ins, yours truly decided to take matters into thy own hands.

So there I was apron on body and spatula in hand rustling up dishes that I can bet no one has tried or eaten before but which nonetheless turned out to be quite delectable. And just then, a year into leading this ‘grown up life’, I had a realisation.

Isn’t everything in life also about cooking? Add the ingredients, stir a little, brew some more and voila you’ve created something new. Next comes the part of devouring it…just like taking in the many experiences of life… some sweet, some bitter, some half baked, some over girdled, select few that somehow got burnt and those that turned out as simply delicious.

This blog is all about my journey to find that ‘perfect cook’ in the kitchen of life. Join me if you like to follow all of what’s cooking in my kitchen, life and the world.

Caution: Please try the recipes mentioned here at your own risk. The author holds no responsibility to the reactions these experimental dishes may get you. (But do pass on the compliments if any )