Pics of the Day

These are photos taken by me at 5:30 in the morning. I hope you like them.

Armenian Genocide

The Armenian Genocide is not a very common topic of study for students of History in India. We learn about the Holocaust, the Partition riots and the Sikh riots. The Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923 occupies as important a place in the annals of history as the Holocaust of World War II. I shall try to summarise it here in a few words. The images have been carefully chosen as most of the images of the genocide are too gross. If anyone is interested in seeing them they are available on the net. If you need further information do mail me.

The Armenians were a part of the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. They were Christians and an ethnic minority. They inhabited the border region between the Ottoman Empire and Russia. The Armenians had an inferior social position but a dominant economic position.

In 1913, the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP) took over the control of the Empire. This group, called the Ittihadis, were led by the triumvirate - Enver, Minister of War; Talaat, Minister of Interior; and Jemal, Minister of Navy. This new group saw the Armenians standing in the way of the creation of a Pan-Turkish Empire. They also wanted to destroy the Armenians hold over the economy. The presence of the Armenians on the borders with Russia was also creating suspicion.

The start of World War I gave the Ittihadis the perfect cover to carry out their goal of eliminating the Armenians. All able bodied Armenians were enlisted into the army or sent to labour camps. Here they were separated and murdered. After this, the government embarked on a huge project of deportation. With all able bodied men eliminated, the Armenians had little choice but to accept deportations to far away places. On the way they were ambushed by groups formed by outlaws, specially recruited by the government for the purpose. The state took over all the movable and immovable property of the Armenians. All those who escaped the ambush were made to march to different far off camps. They were refused food and water. The massacre and death that ensued from all these was enormous and painful.

Charges were brought against the Ittihadis after the end of World War I but due to political reasons many remained at large. The Armenians formed a special group that hunted down the perpetrators of the genocide. Many scholars refer to the Armenian Genocide as the first Holocaust. Even today, the Turkish government refuse to apologize for the genocide, and the event has more or less been avoided.

The General's Daughter (1999)

A brilliant movie! This is a movie dealing with a very delicate subject - the rape of a woman and her psyche after that. The whole plot is set in the perspective of the US Army. John Travolta plays the role of a detective in the army trying to unravel a murder mystery. He plays his role admirably. This movie is worth a watch. Enjoy.

Four Christmases

This 2008 movie is not one that I would recommend to a serious movie watcher. It is kind of funny but the humor is forced. Vince Vaughn dons his usual over-loquacious character, which sometimes gets on the nerve Reese Witherspoon looks kind of pretty but it ends there.

This is the story of an unmarried couple who are both estranged from their respective families and tries everything to avoid meeting them. They lie to their families to be with each other and not with the family. On their third Christmas their lies are found out and they are forced to visit their parents who are divorced. They go to meet their four parents individually, thus Four Christmases. Here they end up learning the value of family. The only thing you get from the movie is that you get caught if you lie. Watch it if you have nothing better to watch.

Centurion

It looks Roman at least.
The setting is very apt and the music suits the ambience. The story line is smooth and compact and no mushy business. The attitude of the Roman generals and soldiers have been wonderfully portrayed and so have been the love for freedom of the Scots. Olga Kurylenko has done a pretty good job. I liked her. Michael Fassbender also has done a good job. The best thing I liked about the movie is the dialogue used both in the beginning and the end "This is neither the beginning nor the end of my story". I simply loved it. Watch it for the love of history, at least some bit is history.

Prince of Persia

The movie, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, reminds one of Aladin. The backdrop is the same and the running over bamboos and roofs kept reminding me of Aladin. The whole movie is made very attractive by the special effects and the fighting sequences. Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton make a good pair. The movie is fast paced and keeps one interested. I would give the movie a 6 rating but for the way the story has been concluded. I simply loved it. I would give the movie a 7. It is worth a watch.