The Middle of the World

This weekend I watched another movie based on journey and unlike Duma, it’s a family drama; The Middle of the World is a 2003 Brazilian movie – originally titled ‘O Caminho das Nuvens’, takes a family of seven on a bicycle journey from the State of Paraiba to Rio de Janeiro of Brazil to lead a decent earning in city. The film is based on a real event in the history of an unemployed truck driver who rode his wife and five children from Santa Rita to Rio in search of a job.

The movie begins at a T junction, where the sign reads in Portuguese meaning The Middle of the World, travels along the way from northwestern province to east for Rio, the nearly 2000 miles journey leaves the family at many hardship, event and emotional bond and desperate. The family also faces challenges over seeking on shelter, hunger, deals on adolescent; the movie make us believe that poverty is not that tough when we have great love for each other with faith.

The movie leads a path not many traveled and there are no more usual things about Brazil – pretty beaches, girls, greenery...  but a beautiful life and love for family relationship drawing against the dry northeast province. The ‘Rose’ and ‘Romao’ as husband and wife led so beautiful the movie, the young Rose was expressive, smiley, charming and singing despite fatigue over traveling. Antonia as their teenage son, was faithful to his character and expressions at defiant and desire for exploring the manhood.

The movie end at the foot of Christ the Redeemer, the iconic statue of Rio de Janeiro leaves not alone a breathtaking view, but expresses  life at redeem that not only befit to an incredible cycle journey. The locations that captured are not so enchanting but lives up to behalf and believed to be real; the movie runs for 80 minutes is a good watch under the eng subtitle that release along.

Download the movie at torrentz.eu 

Bird watching in neighborhood - Kingfisher

The white-throated Kingfisher is a regular visitor to the Gulmohar tree on the open ground opposite to our house and the branches extends into our compound. This is the first time for me to capture the one of the most beautiful birds, very closely and clearly! 

If there are few things that give me happiness and cheer often, then bird watching is something indeed and among the many birds that visit my neighborhood or the open ground against my home... Kingfisher is one of the birds that close to my heart :)
(Click images to enlarge)

Love IV

Image: google

Love is an essence of heart

sucked via thoughts;

Love is a ripe heart’s mango

tasted via pulp lips.

Love is a reliable source of life

exchange via secrets;

 Love is a hormonal change

exists via heart’s emphasis.

Buildings on Mt. Road

Last year I come across the heart of Chennai – the Mount road or Anna Salai, after long time and I got to capture few shots on the buildings that exist as one of landmarks and heritages of Chennai.  We took a drive on Sunday which is the best time to take this stretch that’s almost busy throughout the week since it’s an arterial road and even it was little crowded that day, we managed to capture few photos on the buildings from the movie car, that follows below.

LIC Building

LIC Building doesn’t need an introduction in Tamil Nadu as well throughout the country, but for others information, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) is the Chennai’s first skyscraper and tallest building in India, when it was inaugurated in 1959. The 14 story building serves as the southern regional headquarters of the LIC India and the building marked the transition from lime and brick construction to concrete columns in the region.

The building was designed by the London- based architects on the lines of the UN Secretariat in New York City; but the withdrew of architects from the construction after 4 years of its  commence was overseen by Chennai based architect L.M. Chitale. The location on the Mount Road to construct the building was identified by Chidambaram Chettiyar, the founder of Indian Overseas Bank and the United India of Insurance, for his group’s headquarters. 

Spence Plaza

Spencer Plaza is the oldest shopping mall in India and a renowned landmark of modern Chennai (Madras). Originally built during the period of British Raj in-between1863-64, the Spencer Plaza is the first Departmental store in the Indian subcontinent, comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The building established by Charles Durant and J. W. Spencer was one of the biggest shopping malls in South Asia when it was built and the original building that destroyed in fire in year 1985 was an example of Indo-Saracenic style of architecture. The present Spencer Plaza was opened in 1991 on the same site, measuring about 10 acres and spread across a million square feet built in three phases with parking space for 800 cars.

The plaza is one of the major hangouts for the Chennaities.

Aguchand Mansion

Agurchand Mansion is a red brick stone building that date back uncertainly more than a century; and it is near opposite to the famous Spenser Plaza. The building is built by an old Madras family called Agurchands; and today the building holds quite commercial shops on the ground floor, whose number of hoardings occupies much space of the building facade, but there are no details about the Mansion, whether it’s running or not.

Tarapore Towers

Tarapori tower’s is half a km from LIC building and the large sign hosted on its terrace was one of the attractions on Mount Road. This is the first public LED display come up in Chennai, over 25 years ago or certainly longest time in survive and it usually displays time and temperature of the city.

Our drive doesn’t stop with Mount Road, and we also come across Parris and Central Station, capturing few more buildings along.  I will post on them in further posts...

Duma

I watched this 2005 adventure drama, Duma, which is a movie based on the friendship between a boy and cheetah and it is a true story loosely adapted from the book titled ‘How it was with Dooms’. The story set in the South Africa, takes us thought a wonderful journey across the dry grasslands, deserts and wildlife... filled with various adventures and revealing the beautiful relationship between a boy and cheetah.

Alexander plays the role of a fearless schoolboy, adopting cheetah as his pet and venture into the wild as per his father’s decision to leave the cheetah back at its real home. The movie wasn’t distinctive among the wildlife adventures and its dealings are very simple and lighthearted to quick pass with strong emotion shared by the boy and cheetah. The desert sailboat rides on the converted bike and cheetah chased beside the speeding bike are few exciting moments and the background score was so fascinating through the 5.1 channel.

What more enthusiastic was the cinematography, which is a real visual treat with scenes changing on landscape and wildlife are notable. The movie directed by Carroll Ballard and produced by Warner Bros also stresses the comfort at home and for the wild animal’s forest is the only place to alive and it’s impossible to exchange its base. Duma is the name of the cheetah and since the story adapts fiction its enjoyable quite unquestioning the impossibilities.