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Universal Studios Singapore: A Magical Journey

While vacationing in Singapore some time back, I had the good fortune of getting to explore the then newly opened Universal Studios along with my grandmother. Located within Resorts World on Sentosa Island, Singapore, the massive theme park as one can see today took nearly two years of construction and testing to build. This one in a kind tourist paradise is stunning and extraordinary in its architectural finesse and roller-coaster layout, and has quickly risen through the ranks to become one of the best theme parks in Asia. Spread over an area of around fifty acres, Universal Studios Singapore contains a total number of twenty-four specially designed attractions. There are seven specific zones based on a bestselling television series or blockbuster film produced by the company, all surrounding an artificially modified lagoon. The park was officially inaugurated on 28th May, 2011, and since then, the tourist crowd has been pouring in consistently for the unforgettable rides offered there.

Themed after the Hollywood Boulevard of the 1970s, Hollywood forms the entrance zone of the theme park. It features a long, but adequately spacious walkthrough with the erstwhile dynamic architecture lining the faux street, complete with the signature palm trees. With an outstanding replica of the celebrated Hollywood Walk of Fame, this zone also contains a Broadway style theatre, which regularly holds live musicals starring characters from Universal Horrors and Sesame Street. Several restaurants and a variety of flagship shops also line the walkway, selling unique dishes and eatables such as chocolate fudge, candy floss, and elaborate main course preparations from many cuisines, as well as movie memorabilia, celebrity posters, books, themed souvenirs, film accessories and apparel. Different food joints in the Hollywood zone have been remodelled to resemble settings from iconic Universal films, such as Mel’s Diner, which is based on the 1973 production, American Graffiti, and serves its customers snacks and beverages as per the culinary traditions of the 1950s.

The New York zone lives up to its name, and is a perfect post-modern replication of the Big Apple, with its signature neon lights, huge billboards, towering skyline, and bustling sidewalks crafted to visual and aesthetic perfection. One of the major decor pieces here is the replica of the much renowned New York Public Library which has been created by talented artist in precision down to the last detail, and even has the two enormous statues of lions in white stone guarding its faux entrance. Lights! Camera! Action! Hosted by Steven Spielberg is this zone’s front running sound and lights show fitted with additional special effects to mimic a major hurricane about to hit the city. Other attractions in this area include New York styled pizza parlours and barbeque grills, apart from a Sesame Street: Space Chase themed indoor ride featuring beloved characters such as Elmo, Cookie Monster, Bert, Abby, and many others.

Sci-Fi City proved to be one of the most exciting zones for me in Universal Studios Singapore by far, and will indeed prove to be delight for countless other science fiction enthusiasts. It is supposed to be an imagining of the future of human civilization, with remnants of the human population and previously unknown alien beings socializing and living together in a much more technologically advanced era. The blue and red Human and Cylon roller coasters inspired from the Battlestar Galactica television franchise currently hold the world record of the tallest pair of duelling roller-coasters standing at a height of around a hundred and forty metres. A Transformers themed simulation ride, which was opened much later by the director of the famous film adaptations, Michael Bay on 2nd December 2011, is another key feature of this zone. A much minor ride of revolving teacups, named Accelerator, and various merchandise shops and themed food outlets are other things to look forward here.

The aptly named Ancient Egypt zone is designed as per the settings of the many American productions of the 1930s, rightfully called Hollywood’s Golden Age of Egyptian exploration. Sandstone obelisks, statues and miniature pyramids form the architectural diaspora of this zone, and the main ride here is the high-speed and dark Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, which is based on The Mummy film series. Treasure Hunters is another key ride, and consists of an airborne leisure car ride around an abandoned Egyptian excavation site. Apart from souvenir shopping, visitors can eat out at the Oasis Spice Cafe which boasts of a sumptuous multi-cuisine buffet serving spicy delicacies from Lebanese, Turkish, Indian, and Mediterranean cultures.

Based on one of the bestselling science fiction franchises of all time, The Lost World zone is divided into two areas, Jurassic Park and the more aquatic based Waterworld. The Jurassic Park series has been based on the popular live-action adaptations of Michael Crichton’s fictional works of cloned dinosaurs, which have been directed by Steven Spielberg. Waterworld is based on the 1997 Hollywood film of the same name which stars Kevin Costner. The Lost World is filled with action packed adventures for all people, and has a diverse range of shows and rides, including roller-coasters, pyrotechnics, water rides, stunts, rock-climbing, as well as movie merchandise retail outlets and themed restaurants.

Far Far Away is the fantastical, magical realm of fairytale characters in the Shrek movie series, and one of the more children-targeted attractions of Universal Studios Singapore. From the gentle ogre Shrek to the loud princess Fiona and the lovable Donkey, you will find all the characters from this much loved fictional universe, and be mesmerized by a huge and intricate real-life version of the Far Far Away Castle, and the delightfully dirty replica of Shrek’s Swamp as shown in the animated films. This zone includes miniature child-friendly coasters and ferris wheels, apart from a 4D simulated adventure ride and a digitally interactive live show with one of the characters. An added bonus to this area are the aptly named food outlets which sell memorabilia and food items based on fairytale myths, such as magical potions, liquid elixirs, you name it.

Madagascar is the culminating zone of the theme park, and is based on the animated film adventures of Alex, Gloria, Marty, and Melman, a lion, a hippopotamus, a zebra, and a giraffe, all of who escape from the New York City Zoo, and travel to the wild but unknown regions of the African continent. This area has more kid-friendly rides, such as a crate water ride, and a carousel, and appropriately themed merchandise shops and food outlets.

February 6, 2015
The Nairs of Old Kerala

“You take on your house name?! Whoa, that’s totally cool.” I get that from many people all the time when they ask me about my funny sounding surname. It is bound to sound funny because it is not just a simple name of a person but the name of the hereditary house (tharavadu) of that specific individual. In other words, every person will have a house name and all the people belonging to that particular house/family will take on the same name. This practice is followed by the Nairs mainly along with some of the other non-brahmin castes. Now you must be wondering who Nairs are.

They are the ones who come second in the caste hierarchy of Kerala after the Namboothiris. The Namboothiris are the Brahmins and they comprise the whole section of priests. They are the most respected in the society and the Nairs follow them in the status list. While the Namboothiris are the priests, the Nairs comprises of the ministers of the state, the state cavalry, the state administration and such. They are just below the royal family in ranking; they were the Kshatriyas.

A Namboothiri, notice the sacred thread and the tuft of hair to the front

The Nairs have always followed the matrilineal system as I mentioned earlier. Unlike the Northern parts of India, patriarchy was never followed. The decision making power fell on the female head of the tharavadu along with the senior most male head called the Karnavar. It should be noted that the powers of the female head was mainly in the inner domains of the house. Even though the power is enjoyed jointly by the female and male head, their seniority decides who has the final say in the matter.

A typical tharavadu

Also, the property and the name is passed on to the daughter and not the son. The new born takes on the family name of its mother. As a result of that, daughters are more vied in this society! This system is known as ‘marumakkathayam’. It was practiced widely in the olden days while many of the Nair families of today have turned to the patriarchal system where the surname is that of the child’s father.

The most interesting fact that we can find about this community’s culture is that of marriage. The present society which tries to hush up everything related to sex and sexual morality should learn a thing or two from them. For example, divorce still carries with itself a stigma whether we accept it or not. But things were not so bad years before. As we technologically advance, we grow more and more narrow minded, going backwards in terms of rationality. Back in those days, the Nair community did not follow the typical form of marriage of the present day.

The women especially had the luxury of having multiple partners and it was considered normal if not preferred while something like that is practically impossible in the so-called modern time! They availed themselves of sexual freedom with no attachment of stigma as opposed to us. Imagine the irony of it.

At an extremely young age, the girls are married to a Brahmin man but they don’t live together and it is called ‘kettu kalyanam’ (mock marriage) which lasts for 4 days. The girl will have nothing to do with the man unless and until he dies, upon which she observes two weeks of mourning. And once they reach puberty, it is celebrated in an extensive manner with a grand function arranged where the girl is rubbed with oil, decked in gold etc. And finally comes the real marriage where the man and woman in the relationship consummate their marriage and this was called ‘samhandham’. The woman was free to have how many ever sambandhams as she pleases! It is officially carried out with a Namboothiri. He would visit her house at night and take leave in the morning after a bath so as to purify himself (though that doesn’t stop him from having intercourse with her).

The twist to the thing is that the children born out of this relationship will have no connection of any sort with his or her father (Namboothiri) . This was a devious way to ensure that that the property never left their hands. Anyway, this kind of relationship can also be viewed as the policing of open sexual morality. It worked on a totally different level. The Nair woman was free to consent or terminate the relationship at any time just like the man and thus it speaks of mainly one thing – equality in sexual matters.

However, the Namboothiri women were not so lucky. Referred to as ‘Antharjanams’, they mostly died unmarried or widowed. Only the oldest Namboothiri son is allowed to marry a Namboothiri girl while all his younger brothers are supposed to have sambandhams. The Namboothiri girls were usually married off to old, wealthy Nambhooothiris who already might be having other wives. So, once their husbands die (when she is around 18/19), they remain widowed throughout their lives since they are not allowed to remarry unlike the Nair women. If they did commit infedility or even fantasized mentally, they were put to trial and finally excommunicated. The only famous Antharjanam to have broken this rule and to have slept with more than 65 men is the beautiful Kuriyedathu Thathri. Boy that was one beautiful, brave lady.

The ongoing trial of Thathri

Apart from her, the other chickens in the coop never saw er, sexual daylight. So,even if the Namboodhiris were above the Nairs in the cast hierarchy, the Nair women sure were better off than their Namboothiri counterparts!

What about their dress?

I am sure most of you have come across plenty of Raja Ravi Verma’s famous oil paintings of saree-clad women in elegant postures. The attire is not exactly draped like a saree but is worn in a specific manner with the hair tied tightly in a bun to the front-side of the head. This style of dressing was mainly observed in the princely state of Travancore. This potrayal of the dressing style is justified by the fact that Ravi Verma was from the same region. In the other areas of Kerala, the saree is draped in another fashion.

The Travancore style of draping

Originally the men and women wore only a loin cloth around their waists (worn by Thiyyas). There was no thoughts of nudity or shame related to it since the weather of Kerala allowed dressing only in minimal. The top body was covered with only necklaces and other ornaments. Later, it evolved into the waist cloth along with a piece of cloth worn across the bosom loosely. Then again, this was allowed only for the Nair and Namboothiri women (though sometimes the Nair women stayed topless inside their houses). The lower caste women were expected to expose their breasts as a sign of their low status. Finally, this turned into a full fledged revolt and the women of lower castes obtained the rights to cover their top body.

A Nair girl decked in jewellery (Malabar style)

Speaking of food, we should be thanking our mothers to be tolerant enough to put up with our daily fussing over delicious dishes everyday. That was not the case years back! Mind it, no pizzas or shawarmas. The Nairs ate rice gruel all three times of the day. The richer families had tasty items accompanying it though I am sure that those wouldn’t beat our junk.

Last but not the least is the set of superstitious beliefs. Hailing from a Nair family myself, it’s a common thing for me to ask my friends (just for the heck of it) if they have a ‘kari naaku’ which means a tongue with brown spotting since it is believed that the things uttered by those who possess a kari naaku come true! They also have the notion of evil eye which means that if you praise someone too much for whatever quality, they attract the evil eye and the victim will lose that quality eventually.

Of course we can never cover the entire culture and practices of this community in just one article, but I have tried my best to put in the most interesting parts of it!

February 6, 2015
While Dieting,You Eat!!

With the spurt in the number of Mcdonalds and Dominoz all around the country, seldom it is that we find kids and adults alike whom we can term as perfect specimens of the human anatomy. Cheaper and cheaper burgers and fries combos and the easy accessibility of everything unhealthy is taking this Aryan civilization faster to its unhealthy end than we can possibly imagine.And some who are aware of this gradually surmounting epidemic of obesity turn themselves to starving, or dieting as they more fashionably call it.

And this is where most of them go wrong. If you out the word dieting on google and search for its meaning, the first result it shows is: Restrict oneself to small amounts in order to lose weight” But this is wrong in its most fundamental sense. Living beings need energy to work, breathe and live. And unlike Jaadu(from Koi Mil Gaya) our energy does not directly come from sunlight.We humans, have to have food in order to survive. So, starving, fasting and skipping meals is out of bounds. What we will do today is, get a new regime started for those who are willing to exchange flab with muscle and diseases with health.

First of all, forget everything that you ever ate anything and that you had a diet schedule planned. Here, we all start afresh. Just like infants do.

Secondly, many might have said or suggested to you; plan your meals ahead of time. Forget it. Because, food can’t be quantified beforehand. Suppose you worked out a little extra today, won’t you need an extra glass of milk to balance the energy that you’ve lost? So, never plan your eating. Eat, whatever your heart wants, but from the list that we decide here for ourselves only. Now we begin by clearing off all the things that are clichéd and everyone tells you about them. You should eat loads of fruit they provide vitamins, drink lots of water: gives you roughage, gorge on soups: healthy for your body and all that. But doesn’t everybody know this list by heart by now? So, we come down to those Indian dishes that you can prepare in your kitchen while hunger strikes. Let’s start with dinner.

Idli Sambhar:

A blast for the tongue from the South of India and easy on your belly too. This dish makes it to the top of our list of the Indian foods for dieters. Each idli contains just 39 calories, which is a minimal amount in comparison to a healthy 2,000-calorie daily diet. . Idlis contain no fat, no saturated fat and no cholesterol. Consuming less than 16 grams of saturated fat and 300 milligrams of cholesterol lessens your risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

DHOKLA:

Going in the reverse order from dinner to breakfast, its time for your evening snack. And what better than dhokla to freshen you up and lighten you at the same time. Yes, it is chiefly made up of Dal and Rice, but don’t cringe as otherwise you would have been gormandizing on chips or samosas for sure. But remember, Dhokla is low in saturated fat, very low in cholesterol, low in sodium, high in dietary fiber and high in vitamin A and C. And for us dieters, low fat is all that matters, right people?

SPROUTS AND RAITA:

To your lunch, let’s start by having some Raita, what say? Now, raita as you all know is made by adding fruits, vegetables or any other thing to beaten yoghurt. And the best part is that one serving includes just 60 calories. To the beaten curd one can add grated bottle gourd or some fruits. But if you are in the mood for some crunch, you can very well add Boondi to it. Boondi, is fried, yes. But a handful of pea sized boondis will do your diet no harm.

With Raita, you can have sprouts as the main course and feel a bit Pseudo-European. Keep the pulses in water overnight and in the morning add a bit of lemon, some spices, some cucumber and your lunch is ready in a jiffy.

OATS AND DALIYA:

Now, one thing with which we should agree with the hackneyers is that, breakfast should be heavy. And the dieticians have logic and Science backing them too. According to some studies if we consume more calories at breakfast and very less at dinner, this will help you lose weight quicker because if you eat a larger breakfast it will give a kick start to your metabolism and plus you won’t feel all drained and sleepy in that history class of yours. Plus more calories in the breakfast gives you more time in the day to burn them off. For breakfast why don’t we have something milk based, like oats? Well oats take two minutes to cook and trust me, you won’t be able to eat more than one and half cups of it. And hey, no adding sugar at your mom’s back, OK?

Other than oats, you can also have Daliya in the morning. Daliya or Bulgur wheat in Angrezi, is a very light and healthy option for breakfast. Daliya is an excellent source of fiber that keeps you feeling full and also helps to maintain a healthy digestive system. And just like oats, daliya can be either milk based or oil and vegetable based. Now, a little oil isn’t harmful for your body and don’t cringe if once in a blue moon you are fed up of having only milk based diet for your mornings. So, here we are with a very basic diet plan for you to follow and with just one mantra at the end. Never starve yourself, Never. You need food to live. So, just give it a healthy twist and keep eating ( or dieting, whatever you like to call it! ).

January 8, 2015
The Curious Case of Mrs. Hen’s kids!

With an amazing lot of activity happening in a day, bachelors or bachelorettes staying alone seldom have time to treat their taste buds right. One day it is a meeting with the boss, another day it is work at home and till the third day you get so tired that it takes an effort to even get up from your bed. And preparing a meal in all this haste seems extravagant and too elaborate an activity to be carried out. And in this rigorous lifestyle of yours, the only thing that suffers is your stomach and more importantly, your taste buds. But we say no more of this! Today let us learn about some new tricks and revisit some old ones about Mrs. Hen’s kids – the eggs.

Eggs are often restricted to the breakfast and that too you seldom have. Eggs are undermined most of the times, but its importance becomes clear when you need some quick fixes to get you jumpstarted. So, let’s start our romantic affair with eggs which should last longer than your relationship with any other human being.

1. The Quintessential Omelet:

This dish comes in handy when your refrigerator is running dry and your patience is running lose with all that hunger. Two eggs is what it takes to quiet down your stomach till the time you can arrange for something heavy or till Dominoz delivers that pizza you ordered. Breaking the eggs, mixing in some spices that you desire, a pan slicked with oil and the battered egg mixture on the pan. Blink your eyes and your omelet is ready. This recipe is heart-rote to everyone so much so that a more elaborate description would be shaming this article. But people might not be aware of the nutrient punch this wonder sphere packs with itself. An egg contains 6 gms of Protein and 70 calories. Now while you rejoice that omelet with toasted bread, let’s move onto our next big egg thing.

2. Eggs with soldiers:

There are times at night when you just crave for something to eat and are bored of the traditional egg recipes. Well in that case we have this amazing recipe for you. If you only have 5 minutes to spare, this recipe will be even more perfect for you. Place 4 eggs in boiling water and cook over low flame for 4-5 minutes. Caution: Do not let the eggs come to a boil. Now remove the eggs from the saucer and peel off the tops of the eggs. Add in some salt and desired spices on the top and eat the newer rgg recipe with bread sticks. Taste bhi, health bhi!!

3. French Toast:

Again. A relatively new and old recipe. Take out that borderline expired loaf of bread from your refrigerator and batter 4 eggs with spices added. Meanwhile, light up the stove and put a pan over with a slick of oil. Dip both the faces of a bread piece deep into the battered eggs such that both the faces are smeared with egg residue over their entire surface. Put it on the pan and cook for a minute maximum both sides. And voila! Your French toast are ready in a jiffy. Soak in 4-5 breads and you will be content for the next few hours to go.

4. Tea Egg:

Now Tea egg might take up some time, but this is nevertheless a newer recipe that people might have heard less about. Tea egg is basically a Chinese snack. Take a few eggs and boil them for 7-8 minutes. Boil them till the point where cracks develop on its surface. Drain the water but don’t peel the eggs yet. This crack-laden egg is then again put to boil in tea or sauce or spices. This dish is also called marble egg because the cracks in the shell create darkened lines with marble-like patterns. Chinese people commonly use a five-spice powder which contains cinnamon, fennel-seeds, cloves and Szechuan peppercorns. The eggs are boiled in the spiced-tea liquid and simmered at medium heat. The simmering allows the liquid to seep through the cracks and attribute flavors to the boiled eggs.

5. Quick Egg muffin:

People with a frenetic paced lifestyle must already be making merry at the name of the dish. The name in itself has quick in it. And you can be sure of one thing; this dish lives upto its name. Egg muffins are like Frittatas just smaller in size. This dish is prepared using scrambled eggs added with fresh chopped spinach and shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese. Whisk the eggs just like you do for an omelet, with spices, onions and spinach if you like. Cook in the microwave oven for 45 seconds and your hunger is done. It’s gone with the sound of the microwave’s beep.

6. Eggs Benedict:

Eggs Benedict is an American breakfast and usually served along with ham or bacon. To make this dish you will have to devote some of your precious time, but the result will have you amazingly thrilled. First you have to make something the world calls the Hollandaise sauce. This is made by whisking egg yolks and squeezed lemon juice together in a bowl till the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Put the bowl in a steam bath and do not let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Add some froze butter cubes and continue to whisk till the btter melts. Remove from heat and whisk in salt and pepper and cover it. Heat the bacon and toast the English muffins. Cook some more eggs till the egg white is set and the yolk is soft. Lay down the muffin, bacon on its top, the half fried egg on its top and pour the Hollandaise sauce over. Garnish with some salt and pepper.

And there you have it, 6 quick fixes with eggs that are not to be missed.

January 8, 2015
The Fedora Hat

So, you have an English-themed party in two days and you go buy one of the best outfits from a designer-clothes brand outlet. And with that you now have to plan and match your accessories. With jewelry, shoes and a bag in place, you feel good enough to go. We all know how important accessories are to accentuate or complete a look. They not only enhance physical appearance, they are also symbolic of ones’ confidence, character and mood.

The significance of accessories is also extended to cultural and social aspects. In the following article, we shall get to know one such accessory. You must have seen entertainment artists like actors, singers and dancers donning this piece of adornment in a large number of movies and music videos. What today adorns the heads of modern fashion lovers , was once a daily wear for the Orthodox Jews. The Fedora hat along with a smaller variant of the same style, called the Trilby are supposedly two of the most famous hats for men. These never went out of fashion and have been called timeless by people who love hats.

One can easily recognize a fedora as a felt hat with a wide brim and an indented or a pinched crown. Both Trilby and Fedora were originally made of beaver or rabbit felt. They can be found in both stiff and softer varieties. A fedora which is more popular among the masses is just a little different from the Trilby in the way it looks. It generally is also bounded by a hat band or a trim-ribbon around the rim of the crown. The fedora crown has its brim turned down in the front and is snapped up at the back , giving it a characteristic appearance and thus making it popular among all men.

The gutter dent or the crease running lengthwise through the crown and the side-dents give it a particular pinched appearance. Fedoras can also be creased with teardrop crease which gives the appearance of a teardrop from the top, or a diamond shaped crown, centre dents and many others. Although the positions of the pinches can also vary, the basic appearance stays the same. A typical fedora crown is upto 4.5 inches in height while the brim spans up to 6.4 centimeters or 2.5 inches wide. The brim may also be wider as per the rquirement. While the crease is a characteristic feature of the fedoras, some of them might also lack the crease and are called the ‘bucket fedoras’. Though fedoras can be found in a variety of colours and prints, but black, grey, dark brown and fawn are the most common colours. A Trilby looks very similar to a Fedora except for the fact that it has a shorter brim and also a slightly tighter upturn at the back.

The first time some one sported a fedora hat was in the year 1882 as a female accessory on the production of a stage play in Paris. It was a first production of the play titled ‘Fedora’ by the author Victorian Sardou. The actress Sarah Bernhardt who portrayed the role of Princess Fedora wore a hat with a wide brim and a pinched crown with an indented center. This was named after her character and has been popular ever since as the fedora hat. After Sarah Bernhardt wore the hat for her play, it became a popular fashion statement for women especially for women-rights activists. Besides them, the fedora hat found its’ many fans among newspaper reporters, Chicago gangsters, and tough guys in the movies. Rather, it became a basic accessory with a suit of clothes.

Any man who would wear a suit of clothes would top it off with a fedora. In 1924, Prince Edward of Britain started wearing fedoras on public appearances and social gatherings. Soon after this, fedora became a significant part of fashion for men and went on to replace caps, bowlers’ hats or even top hats. The classic black fedora was also worn traditionally by Orthodox Jews in the first few decades of the 20th century. They adopted the fedora as a part of their daily wear and a few of them still wear one. Though many cultures reportedly incorporated the fedora in their costumes significantly, the classic fedora was invented in the year 1891. On the other hand, what is known to be its’ younger brother, the Trilby was invented in the year 1894.

A fedora was typically worn in urban areas by men to protect them from the bad weather. It also has an aesthetic appeal that added to the many purposes of the hat. The structure of the hat makes it fashionable and hence lends to its’ popularity. Besides the appearance, they are also practical. The practicality lies in the fact that it has a relatively shorter brim that the other hats and hence they did not obstruct the view while driving a car. Since they are not so big, they could easily be worn on social outings and in public transports without any hassles. they could also be easily folded and stored or carried around without distorting the shape or posing any such problems. Besides utility, cultural and social importance, these hats have also made a significant place for themselves in the fashion industry and have been an important part of popular culture.

The media has played an important role in keeping the fedoras’ popularity intact even if it dipped at times. Hollywood actors and actresses like Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, football coaches such as Paul Bear Bryant, musicians like Michael Jackson and Justin Timberlake and even writers of the sorts Terry Pratchett have all sported this statement of fashion and have contributed to keeping it in fashion.

Thus we see, the Fedora has a significant place in the glamour and fashion sector. It has always been noticed since it was invented. Even if it lost its’ popularity in the late 1950s owing to the fact that it was relatively a formal piece of clothing and people favoured informal clothing styles then, the significance was restored as and when important figures belonging to different fields wore it publicly. People have accepted the Fedora and all its variants in all the dimensions that it has to offer.

January 8, 2015
Meal for Meal-makers- Recipes to Relish !

Holidays are over and we have entered a new calender year. Lets keep the spirits high even after the party is over and keep learning and preparing good recipes just to sink in the feeling that though holidays are over good times are not over yet . I always love the month of January as we always make new year resolution and are charged up to fulfill the long lost targets that we set cautiously but do not meet the deadlines. We have loads of festivals, weddings , birthday parties to attend and we love the food and foggy weather. Not only that, we plan holidays with family generally during that time or may be its a time off from work to simply relax and have awesome home cooked food.We often put up our orders to Mums , wives, or the cook but why don’t we change the format a little a cook for those who always spare their time in kitchen busy to feed monsters like us and still not complaining.This article is dedicated to those few people who cook for us and feed us 365 days . We often neglect their space, their holidays and even their Sundays keeping ourselves too comfortable to come out of that comfort zone. Its totally not fair and we must show a little gesture by cooking for them and making them smile. So are you ready to be a good Samaritan ??? If yes, then note down the heavenly recipes and bring in a smile to someone’s face.

Orange Chicken with Steamed Rice !!!

Ingredients : 500 g boneless chicken cut into small pieces, 2 tablespoon corn starch , 2 eggs beaten well, 1 cup refined flour seasoned with black pepper , salt , red chilly powder, and garlic powder, 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped, 1/2 tablespoon ginger chopped, 1 cup diced bell peppers, 1 teaspoon chilly flakes, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1 cup orange juice,1 tablespoon orange zest,1 teaspoon olive oil, salt to taste, Vegetable oil for shallow frying chicken pieces. 200 g soaked rice for steaming.

Servings : 4

Method : Firstly we need to season the chicken and coat it well . For that Take a large zip lock bag and add 1 tablespoon corn starch in it. Dry the chicken pieces by dabbing it against a cloth and put it in the zip lock bag. Shake it well it the chicken pieces get evenly coated with corn starch. Now dip each piece in beaten egg and again coat it well with refined flour seasoned mixture . Keep the chicken separately for 10- minutes and then shallow fry in a pan . Now heat a pan and add orange juice with a cup of water. Then add salt , brown sugar, vinegar, ginger, garlic, olive oil, dark soy sauce ,chilly flakes and orange zest. Bring to a boil and then add chicken pieces to it and cook for 5 more minutes. Make a solution of corn starch and pour it over the chicken gravy and stir it for another 2 minutes. Steam cook the rice and serve it with hot orange chicken . You will be a good Samaritan for the one you are cooking for.

Bean and pasta in red sauce :

Ingredients : 1 1/2 cups of uncooked macaroni, 1 can baked beans, 1/2 cup fresh corns or frozen sweet corn kernels, 1/2 large red bell pepper sliced, 1/2 large capsicum sliced, 1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced, 3 large tomatoes, 1 large onion sliced, 1 1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder, 2 cubes of processed cheese grated, 1/2 cup tomato ketchup, few garlic cloves finely chopped, 2 table spoon mixed dry herbs, salt to taste, 3 tablespoon olive oil for cooking.

Servings : 4

Method : Heat one teaspoon oil in a pan and sauté the onions and bell peppers for 2 to 3 minutes. Divide this mix into 2 equal portions and keep it aside. Just boil the corn kernels for 4 to 5 minutes and set aside. Boil the pasta and tomatoes together in a separate pot and after few minutes just remove the tomatoes and cool it for sometime (its called blanching) . Let the macaroni cook . Once done drain the pasta add few drops of oil and set aside. Once the tomatoes are cool enough peel of the skin from the tomatoes and finely chop it for the pasta preparation. Preheat the oven at 180 degree centigrade for 8 to 10 minutes. Now heat 2 teaspoon of oil and sauté garlic for 1 minute and add one portion of onion and bell pepper mixture. Stir in red chilly powder and sauté for few seconds only. Add blanched and chopped tomatoes , salt to taste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the boiled corn and baked beans , cook for one minute .Mix the pasta , tomatoes and grated cheese, simmer it for couple of minutes. To get desired consistency add little bit of water and adjust the salt amount for perfect taste. Now place this cooked dish on a greased baking dish sprinkle remaining sautéed onion and bell pepper mixture and a bit of grated cheese bake it for 10 minutes till golden brown and serve it hot. A perfect winter recipe is ready .

Date Fudge :

A healthy and yet tasty dessert . It takes little time to prepare this dish but the innovation will win hearts as perfect meals do not complete without perfect desserts.

Ingredients : 100 g of dates de-seeded and sliced in long strips, 6 Marie biscuits crushed very finely with hands only, 3 tablespoon of dry coconut powder, 1 tablespoon butter.

Servings : 5 (serving size being 2)

Method : Heat the butter in a pan . Add the sliced dates into the pan and sauté it for 3 to 4 minutes in slow flame. Stir in 1 tablespoon coconut powder in it and sauté for another 10 to 12 seconds. Divide the mixture in 10 equal parts after mixing it with crushed Marie biscuits while its still hot.shape each part into a ball and then slightly press it to flatten it. Roll each piece on remaining coconut powder separately and refrigerate it for few minutes. Serve it on a bowl .

January 8, 2015
10 Pointers to keep in Mind for a First Date

We were all born into the Pop culture and we love it, don’t we? By definition, it means all the ideas, images and attitudes that were considered mainstream in the culture of the 20th and the early 21st century! ‘Pop’ actually is an abbreviated form of the word ‘popular’ and it was mainly used to refer to the genre of music called pop music from the late nineteen fifties. Well, it modernized the whole world, sweeping and dusting all the old traditions giving it a new, sparkling sheen.

Remember the pretty ladies in the beautiful gowns and men in high breeches waltzing their way into daylight in the movie Pride and Prejudice? Even better is drool-worthy Mr. Darcy with his alluring aristocratic courtship rituals. He is every girl’s dream guy – decent, gentlemanly, polished, respectful and what not! Times have changed and guys like that are, well, not so common to find nowadays. But hey, dating has never been more transparent and courtship is quite a different play now. The new pop culture has changed all the rules of the dating game which makes it very difficult for either of the sex to have a clear shot.

So, let’s look at some of the basic rules to have a decent, fun and impressive first date.

1. Pick up – It is important that you pick up your date and no, it doesn’t matter if you own a car or not. Picking her up on a bicycle would be more romantic even though some of the females may not feels so. The point is you need to show that you bothered to pick her up and even more important is that you be punctual.

Knocking at her door with an apology for being late on the very first date doesn’t paint a very good picture.

2. Clothing – First impressions are the best impressions. Clothes are what make a man, and a women too. Dressing speaks volumes about who you are. Apart from indicating your personality, it also shows that you cared enough to dress well for the date and that’s pretty good. Imagine someone who doesn’t bother to even dress well on the first date. Meh.

3. Language – A person’s class and standards are reflected in the kind of language he uses. We use the formal language with no traces of emotions for office use and in other formal occasions. Similarly, we need to use the right language on a date. You don’t want to sound all ‘hello madam, how do you do?’, do you?

Your language should be classy but not too formal and absolutely no swearing. Even if the date is OK with swearing, it is not much appreciated right on the first date.

4. Attitude – No matter how much a girl rants about feminism or male chauvinism, she will definitely not take offense if you pull out the chair for her or open the car door for her. It just shows that you are a gentleman. But don’t repeat it on every date with the same woman because it’s only a matter of time before the feminist in them kicks in!

Also a confident man is a win-win and arrogance, even a streak of it is a big no-no. Everybody hates an arrogant prick. Remember to never be bossy, pushy or domineering which means you don’t decide what she eats at say, a dinner date. That will have the lady running in no time.

5. Listen more, talk less – Girls dig guys who talk with eyes than mouth. You should remember to listen closely to everything she says and much later, ask her something regarding any specific thing that she had mentioned in the passing. She will be highly impressed that you had listened to everything, remembered it and bothered to ask about it!

And look into her eyes and most importantly, never check out a passing girl. You can save that for later.

6. Compliments – The fairer sex loves to hear compliments. In fact, all of us love being complimented! At the beginning, compliment her on her beautiful dress or her hair-do because girls spend a lot and I mean a LOT of time picking out the right dress. Not to mention the number of hours with the curlers and mascaras.

And later on, in the awkward pauses, compliment her on her beautiful smile or eyes. They make the best fillers. Just remember to sound genuine which you can get right by maintaining proper eye contact.

7. Cell phone off – Who would like to go on a date with the damn phone ringing or beeping away every 10 minutes! That is definitely off-limits.

So make sure to keep it on silent mode and answer only if it is really important. If there are less disturbances, then it would go smoothly.

8. Never argue – You might bump into a lot of girls who can get quite bossy. They may tend to take a different opinion on whatever you might say but don’t let it get to you. Don’t ever argue with her especially on sensitive issues because things can get quite nasty.

Even if she herself argues a lot, she won’t like it if you start doing the same!

9. A small token – No lady will say no to a pretty rose or an orchid corsage. That is a very sweet gesture and it will earn you the extra brownie points!

10. Pay – It is more like an expected thing that guys pay. The ladies may not mind splitting it but refuse the offer pleasantly. Take her to a small, cute bistro or cafe, that way you don’t have to cough up too many pennies.

Besides these points, if you want to make the date memorable, take her to a fair or something similar because giant wheels and other such rides will have her clutching onto your hand for dear life. And that’s romantic. Buy her popcorn or whatever she likes, romp around and finally maybe a little frolicking in the fountain or sprinklers. And most importantly, don’t forget to smile (genuinely) because a smile can be a real life saver. It will smooth out any creases or glitches along the way.

Important bonus tip : Make her laugh and keep it real.

You are ready, boys. Go and sweep them off their feet!

January 8, 2015
The Sweeter Cravings

Have you ever given a thought to one elusive and relatively unimportant question? Don’t you think that Indian sweet dishes differ hugely and vastly from those around the world? While the entire world enjoys cheese cakes and apple tars and chocolate pastries; here at home we enjoy Moti choor ke Laddoos, Sooji ka Halwa, Kheer and Jalebis. I, for one have never seen any foreign sweet dishes similar to what magic our Indian sweets offer. They are crude in shapes and relatively uncreative as compared to their Indian counterparts. We have spiral shaped jalebis, spherical shaped Gulab Jamuns, diamond cut Kaju Katlis and the eternally loveable square shaped barfis. Even the shapes of our sweet dishes offer more varieties than the entire world’s sweets all together. So, let’s explore a few tonight.

Gulab Jamuns:

The epitome of sweetness and the harbinger of merry occasions, Gulab Jamuns is one of the most royal sweet dishes Indians offer. This is one dish which most often decorates the dessert counter sof Indian Marriages. Eaten warm, soft and dipped in slurpy sugar syrup, this sweet dish is enjoyed by kids and adults alike. To the uninitiated, Gulab jamuns are milk solids based spherical dumplings traditionally made with thickened or reduced milk and savored in rose flavored sugar syrup. Gulab Jamun is brownish red in color and it inherits the color because of the sugar content in the milk powder or khoya. When the dumplings are fried the sugar caramelization gives it its dark color. Traditionalists eat it when hot and in singular proportions while experimentalists usually add a dollop of ice cream atop of the gulab jamun which gives two solely different flavors to the dish and mingles the warmth and the coolness of both the ingredients.

Jalebi:

Again, a traditional fried sweet dish which enjoys the honor of being served in most of the marriage ceremonies. Jalebis are orange in color and are enjoyed best while warm. Jalebis have a chewy texture with a crystallized sugary exterior coating. This dish derives its roots from Iran where it is known as Zulbia and was traditionally given to the poor during Ramadan. It is made by deep frying white four in spiral shapes which are then soaked in sugar syrup. These are one of the highest selling sweet dishes in the local markets during chilly winters.

Kaju Katli:

Well, kaju literally means cashew nut and this sweet dish is based on these nuts. The batter or barfi is made by thickening milk with sugar and dry fruits. It is then spread in a flat, shallow dish and cut into desired sizes and shapes. Kaju Katli is often seen as diamond shaped quadrilaterals and comes in expensive at Rs. 500 a Kg. This sweet dish is generally given to friends and family members during Diwali celebrations as a mark of celebration. This dish has what the English call, gravitas. The thickened milk attributes to the dish by giving it a melting base. Melting, because as the barfi slides along the contour of your tongue, it starts melting and bursting into flavors. But the barfi’s card of aces is the cashew ingredient which makes it different from all the other barfis in town.

Rasgulla:

Many kids and uninitiated people muddle Gulab Jamun and Rasgulla with one another. This because Rasgullais the light shaded, spongier cousin of the gulab jamun. Rasgulla is similar in shape to Gulab Jamun and is cooked in sugar syrup, just like the latter. West Bengal on the other hand gave the world a newer sweet dish (similar to rasgulla) called Roshogulla which is lighter than the original and is dipped in lighter sugar syrup. Rasgulla is made up of ball shaped dumplings of Chenna( Indian cottage cheese) and semolina dough. Rasgulla is eaten cold and is refreshing and has an unbridling effect on its consumers. That is, its consumers will never be satisfied with just one. The Rasgulla originated in the present day Odisha as Khirmohana. Traditionally it is offered as a special offering to Goddess Lakshmi a day after the famous Rath Yatra at Jagannath Temple at Puri. The most popular variety of the Rasgulla is the lighter, spongy white variety. Roshogulla is a less perishable item and can often be found in canned tetra boxes. This availability of the canned variety led to this sweet dish’s popularity outside of Kolkata where it was born. A quirky fact about Roshogullas fame is that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is developing dehydrated roshogullas for Indian astronauts in its planned mission in 2016.

Laddoo:

Laddoo also brings in delightful memories with itself as there is seldom a person in this country who was not treated laddoos to, while in his/her childhood. Laddoo again are ball-shaped sweets popular in India. These are made of flour, minced dough and loads of sugar with other ingredients that vary by recipe. They are often served at festive or religious occasions. There are a variety of laddoos available in India and all of them use a different flours like Besan ke Laddoos use chickpea flour as the base and coconut as the garnish. These are combined with sugar and ghee and molded in ball shapes. These delicacies are often decorated with silver foil and almond chips. Laddoo is often given at temples as a Prasad especially at Tirupati Venkateshwar Temple, Andhra Pradesh. Quirky fact: A Laddoo weighing 6,300 kg was made for the Indian God Ganesh in Andhra Pradesh in September 2012.

Thus these were quite a few of the exemplary unique dessert’s that India as a cultural hub enjoys. While the list is never ending these are the ones which are the most famous or the most loved.

January 8, 2015
Southernmost Tip of India: Kanyakumari

Quite literally I mean it, a place of wonders, a place where the three oceans meet, the southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, where the Arabian sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Indian Ocean converge. a perfect place to make all the tables turns. It’s a place with all the mysteries of nature, the insane quality of sea breeze, torture of sea splattering the rocks, the fisherman making his living, and lots and lots more.

Welcome to a place where the temples are pampered for its beauty and palpable masonry on them. I would just like to tell the first reaction on reaching there, and to a place to perfect living destination. A picture perfect memories are to be made there. There are many memories that kind of cheers you up even when you think about it, there is a natural smile that lifts you up, you feel a bit nostalgic when you think of some memories. That is exactly how I feel whenever I go down to my hometown Kanyakumari because it is the only place after the tight schedules and hefty work where the blissful atmosphere kisses you and says, just relax kid! From the green lands and atmosphere to its food culture, every perfect corner is filled with its own history and story.

The name itself suggests a story on its own. Kanyakumari, as the folklore goes, that Devi Kanya an incarnation of Parvati was to marry Lord Shiva, which didn’t happen hence, the name Kanya Kumari is dedicated to this place. According to the legend, Banasura a demon, was leading chaos among Devas and the gods went to Lord Vishnu for help, who told them that only Parashakti can help them to demolish the demon. Where while both the Lord Shiva and Devi fell in love and decided to marry at the auspicious time at midnight. But distressed that this marriage will not get defeat of Banasura, as it was pre-ordinated he can only be killed by a virgin, Narada muni turns to a cock and crowed and hence, signaling the breaking of dawn. By hearing this, Lord Shiva thinks that the auspicious hour has passed so he returns all the way back without marrying. This enraged Devi Kanya and she vows to never marry anyone. Banasura then heard about the goddess of immense beauty and wanted to marry her and went to ask for her hand, when she refused, he uses force which enrages the goddess who then kills him. That quite a story, right?

You’ll know when you’ve reached Kanyakumari, with its mere smell of the wind which is pleasurably sweet filled with the coconut essence and banana greens. You know you’ve reached this paradise when the greenery begins to engross you. Well, starting with the sea itself, it’s one of a kind to impress you unintentionally with its beauty. A spellbound place to be as the scene it gives during the sunset and sunrise, it feels like that the sun is just waiting in front of you to flaunt its flawlessness. Situated at a walk distance is a temple, Kanyakumari Bhagavathi amman temple which is dedicated to the goddess Parvathi as a virgin. The sculptures, the intricate artwork inside the temple is very beautiful, no words can describe it especially when you go there surrounded by people praying, there comes a sense of happiness just within yourself.

If that inner peace is not enough, visiting Vivekananda Rock might cheer you up. A very peaceful place to be in. Even the journey in the boat to the Vivekananda memorial is pleasant. Sitting on boat being hit by the moving waves gives you a pleasant solitude and moving merrily with the syncing waves. Sweet salty smell of the sea and after few minutes of journey there you enter the Vivekananda rock. It is said, that rock is the place where Vivekananda got enlightenment. The main entrance is the Vivekananda mandapam, and adjoining this main hall is the Dhayana mandapam where people sit and meditate. This place is very quiet and calm and people sit there serenely to self introspect, a very hushed ambience surrounded. A very sound scene that I notices while hanging there were few crabs there sunbathing on the edge of the rock, this might not be significant but definitely my first experience of watching live crabs ever. Next thing you’ll notice is the Thiruvalluvar memorial, quite recently built standing proudly next to the Vivekananda rock. Thiruvalluvar was the very famous poet and philosopher of Tamil Nadu. One of his most famous and revered work is ‘Thirukkural’. Thirukkural is nothing but elegantly written book on a virtue of a man, how to lead an honorable and worthy life and ethics as being born a human being. It is a very respectable form of poetry and almost every individual in Tamil Nadu knows about it, it is even taught in schools to inculcate discipline in life and to give right directions.

The place in itself endorses the charm. While travelling there, I personally prefer local transports you can find hanging around there numerous small water bodies, ponds, etc with the coconut trees dancing around them. I mean it, literally, with just a small breeze the trees dance as if moving and singing along in trance. The best view are the ponds with lotuses of all types, big and small, just sticking out playfully bragging its prettiness. The place Kanyakumari comes geographically under the parts of Western Ghats which gives us with the mountains. Even when you travel in train you could actually see mountains in these parts touching the clouds. There’s a place Maruthuva Malai (Malai in Tamil is a mountain) known for the medicinal herbs found in this region, is a splendid place. As the legend goes that when Lord Hanuman was taking Sanjeevani mountain with him to Sri Lanka to cure Lakhshman, a part of it fell here and like I said, various therapeutic herbs are found in this mountain.

Now, that’s long said about the place, the most important thing that is hidden in every beaches, every sea, every coast in heaven are fishes. The most tasty, delicious sea food that you can get. Fish curry of south India is one of the famous dishes found there. Mixed with coconut, tamarind and my relatives living there knows what more. Talking about tamarind, yeah there are many tamarind trees in my backyard, well apart from that, banana trees fill up most of the area and the most delicious of its kind, the red bananas. They are little stout red in colour with great heath benefits. Variety of tress can be seen grown around people’s backyards which may include many full grown teak trees, rubber trees, jackfruit, seasonal mango, obviously coconut, and much more I couldn’t remember right now. Local snacks are very delicious at this point, where you can get banana chips and jackfruit chips at any local store. One more local thing I would love to share is the sweet syrup like thing you get from Palm trees which is damn sweet and truly yum, well not many today’s generation have tasted it.

Apart from those snacks, actually there are many jackfruit trees that are found there and if you somewhere get time, just take time to take the sweet fruit. That is nastiest beauty you’ll ever have. Ever try the pleasant coconut rice, it is worth tasting and maybe someday I’ll give you the recipe too to try it. The taste of fresh coconut in the rice, lord knows what is heaven! Apart from every common dish that almost everyone knows, idli, sambhar, dosa, there are cooking of iddiappam, puttu, appam which is no doubt made of rice, served with coconut chutney or any other curry like one of the famous potato curry again made with coconut. Yes coconut, the favorite comrade of almost every dish. Actually there’s a lot more to talk about, I can go ages and ages spending on describing this dreamland but yeah maybe some other time, and keep travelling.

January 8, 2015
10 Things You Didn’t Know about Batman!

The enigmatic Bruce Wayne, one of the world’s most favourite superheroes of all time, has had an exciting lifetime in his comic publication history and in numerous animated and live-action film as well as television adaptations. While Gotham City and the rest of common civilian folk know Wayne as a rich playboy, living as a bachelor in his huge mansion after the loss of his parents at a young age, few really know his secret identity. When night falls, the Dark Knight dons the very symbol that had frightened him for his entire childhood, becoming the Batman and striking dread into the hearts of his enemies. Legendary director Christopher Nolan is credited with bringing the caped crusader back from the shadows and onto the Hollywood top grossing films’ box office in the much loved trilogy featuring Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012). Here are some interesting and rather unknown facts you might not know about your beloved superhero:

1. Bruce Wayne is originally an industrialist, billionaire, philanthropist, and heir to the multi-national Wayne Corporation that originated in the 17^th century under the aegis of his great-great-grandfather Alan Wayne.

2. The concept art for Batman was created by Bob Kane at National Publications, the predecessor of DC Comics, as a response to the success of Superman in Action Comics.

3. The iconic black cape of Batman which is shaped like batwings was added by Kane who was inspired by seeing Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci’s handmade sketch of a prototype ornithopter flying machine. Finger made further additions to the costume, using gloves, removing the initial red accents, giving Batman his signature black cowl and a cape instead of wings and a mask, which also led the superhero to be dubbed The Dark Knight by his fan following.

4. Contemporary 1930s popular culture provided most of the inspiration regarding much of Batman’s look, personality, methods and weaponry, drawing inspiration from various characters from pulp fiction and newspaper headlines, such as Zorro (created by Johnston McCulley in 1919), The Phantom (created by Lee Falk in 1936), and The Scarlet Pimpernel (created by Baroness Emmuska Orczy in 1903) most notably among many others.

5. Think Tony Stark aka Iron Man is the perfect “genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist” slash superhero sans his suit? Think again. With a superhuman “force of will” that characterizes the indomitable American spirit, Batman is an expert interrogator, a perfect human specimen with honed agility, endurance, strength greater than Olympic athletes and Chinese acrobats combined, the ability to withstand any form of mind control and massive inhuman amounts of pain through practiced meditation, master of a hundred and twenty seven martial arts, an exceptional weapon-wielder and marksman, a stealthy detective and infallible strategy planner, and has studied various disciplines which include computer science, chemistry, engineering, astrophysics, biology, and forensics.

6. Bruce Wayne’s first name came from Robert Bruce, the Scottish patriot. Bruce, being a playboy, was a man of gentry. Bill Finger searched for a name that would suggest colonialism and tried names such as Adams, Hancock, etc. in the process before finally borrowing from “Mad” Anthony Wayne (the fiery General in Chief of the Legion of the United States from the 1700s) the perfect surname for Batman’s civilian identity.

7. Before fighting supervillains like The Joker and Ra’s al Ghul, Batman single-handedly brought down the organized crime syndicates that plagued Gotham City, which included low-level gangsters to powerful mob bosses such as Carmine Falcone and Salvatore Maroni.

8. Batman, while not being imbued with any superhuman powers, makes up for it with his extensive physical and mental training and an inexhaustible range of weaponry and gadgets, which makes him just as powerful as any other powerful superhuman, and even divine superhero and superheroine in the DC comicverse. However, Wayne’s oath to avenge the murder of his parents is tempered with a sense of justice, and it is noteworthy to mention Batman’s “no-kill policy” which involves him serving justice in his own right (if he does not hand over a villain to the authorities), but without the heinous act of taking someone else’s life. This fact was explicitly stated in The Dark Knight Rises film by Batman (played by Christian Bale) while in combat along side Catwoman (Anne Hathaway).

9. The Dark Knight, released in 2008, is one of the best contemporary reflections of the confusion and destruction that surrounded the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City by terrorists on September 11th, 2001, as Batman’s enigmatic archenemy, the Joker, waltzes into town, and creates problems of epic proportions for Gotham. The Joker does not aim to steal money, gain political power, or even kill the superhero, but only to demonstrate to him the weak foundations of society, as he conspiratorially mentions, “When the chips are down, these ‘civilized’ people will eat each other. You’ll see. I’ll show you.” In an iconic scene of the same film, the camera pans over the lone, grim figure of Batman standing alone in the midst of a burnt down police precinct, the still flaming wreckage of which is arranged to uncannily resemble the ruins of the World Trade Centre buildings.

10. While the levels of anarchy shown in the final Batman movie echo the market crash of 2008, it is also heavily influenced by Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, which is set in the backdrop of the French Revolution in the late 1700s, with the final monologue borrowed directly from the last words by the novel’s protagonist: “I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.” Bane, in this context is often compared to the fictional Madame Defarge and the Russian dictator Joseph Stalin, a figure who though rose to power, did so by corrupt methods and hence is not a figure to be trusted.

Bonus fact: While all comic lovers know Batman’s favoured armoured gadget-laden black car as the “Batmobile”, it is never explicitly referred to by this name in any of Nolan’s films save the official scripts. This automobile has undergone many changes in its appearance and features over the years, and Nolan’s era saw the Batmobile being modified from the Tumbler, a product designed by Wayne Enterprises’ Applied Sciences Division as a bridging vehicle for the military.

January 2, 2015