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.

GOAL!!!

The football World Cup fever had not failed to touch us in this small town where I live. There are a large number of playgrounds in this town and you will always find groups of people playing on these fields, irrespective of age. The games which are played on these fields depend on the current trend of events, but are confined to cricket and football. During the cricket World Cup, everyone plays cricket and during the football World Cup everyone plays football. As per tradition a number of tournaments are held during these times and this year a football tournament was held.

I play as the right back for the Sunday Club and we were participating in the tournament. I have hardly ever scored a goal for my club but am hailed as a very good defender and one who can create goals. Yesterday, we were playing the Diamond Club in a knock-out stage. They were a strong side and were to be reckoned with. So our coach had warned us to be vigilant in the defence and miss no opportunity to strike.

The first half went well for us. We scored a goal and I foiled three attacks from the right flank. Our morals were very high. The second half kicked off. The ball was being played in the midfield, neither side able to get through. I had a touch or two of the ball, but a swift, deft move from the other side ripped through our defence, only to get a corner. It was a corner from the left side and so I stood far on the right. Almost nine players of Diamond Club were now in the box hoping to score. The corner was taken and the ball curved ominously towards the goal. A rush, stretched heads and a punch. Our goalkeeper had punched the ball out and it raced towards the midfield. Everybody screamed and I saw the field almost open in front of me. I ran. Catching up with the ball I glanced back and saw the others giving chase but they were a bit far. I turned and ran towards the goal. There was only one defender. I dodged him easily on the run and rampaged towards the goal. The goalkeeper came forward to reduce the angle. I was seconds away from a goal, a goal that will seal our victory, a goal that will make me a hero. Shall I lob the ball over the goalkeeper’s head or shall I dodge him too?

I could hear the others approaching and the commotion of the crowd. They were excited. I was a hero. Oh, what a reception I will get when I go back. I can brag about it just like the others do. In the next match I shall play as the right winger and get more opportunities to score. The coach won’t say anything after this. Today is my day.

Wham!

The ball flew out from in front of me, and I fell face down on the field. The defender I had dodged had charged and tackled me while I stood dreaming of glory. I raised my hand calling for a foul but the referee said play on. I got up gingerly and trudged back towards my side of the field, careful not to look at anyone. We had won a corner, but it did not matter. Through a barrage of curses and remonstrances I trudged towards my goal. What a failure!

We did win the match but only by one goal. Our coach scowled at me after the match and nobody seemed to sympathise. I found it imperative to make myself scarce and quickly cycled back home. I opened my boots and went straight for a bath. My mother was sitting in the dinning hall and was busy solving that day’s Sudoku. As I passed her I said, “We won. I scored a goal today.”

Mother scribbled something on the paper and with out looking at me remarked, “You didn’t score a goal, now did you?”

The Reco.!!!

(A friend of mine forwarded this to me.)

I came across this letter recently and thought it quite clever.
I'm sure you will too!

"To Whom It May Concern:

"Bob Smith, my assistant programmer, can always be found
hard at work in his cubicle. Bob works independently, without
wasting company time talking to colleagues. Bob never
thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
finishes given assignments on time. Often he takes extended
measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
breaks. Bob is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
vanity, in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Bob can be
classed as a high-caliber employee, the type which cannot be
dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Bob be
promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
executed as soon as possible."

Delivered a short time later:

"That fool was standing over my shoulder while I wrote the
letter sent to you earlier today. Kindly re-read only every other
line."