Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire scores 10 nominations

The romantic fantasy The Curious Case of Benjamin Button led Academy Awards contenders on Thursday with 13 nominations, among them best picture and acting honors for Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson, and a directing slot for David Fincher.

Other best-picture nominees are Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire, with 10 nominations.

As expected, Heath Ledger had a supporting-actor nomination for The Dark Knight on the one-year anniversary of his death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs. But the Batman blockbuster was shut out for other top categories such as best picture and director.

Slumdog Millionaire lived up to its rags-to-riches theme, coming in second with 10 nominations, including a directing spot for Danny Boyle and two of the three song slots.

Real-life couple Pitt and Angelina Jolie both will be going to the Oscars as nominees. Jolie had a best-actress nomination for the missing-child drama Changeling.

The acting categories were loaded with surprises. Kate Winslet won two Golden Globes, best dramatic actress for Revolutionary Road and supporting actress for The Reader. But she was nominated for lead actress at the Oscars for The Reader and shut out for Revolutionary Road.

Actors considered longshots also sneaked in, among lead-actor nominee Richard Jenkins for The Visitor, best-actress contender Melissa Leo for Frozen River and supporting-actor pick Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road.

Winslet reunited with her Titanic co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for Revolutionary Road, but he also was shut out for a nomination on that film.

Other best-actress nominees were Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married and Meryl Streep for Doubt.

Joining Pitt and Jenkins in the best-actor category were Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon; Sean Penn, Milk; and Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler.

Other acting snubs included Clint Eastwood for Gran Torino, Sally Hawkins for Happy-Go-Lucky and Kristin Scott Thomas for I've Loved You So Long.

But perhaps the biggest surprise overall was the so-so results for The Dark Knight, which had been picking up momentum as one Hollywood trade guild after another picked it as one of the year's best films.

The largest blockbuster in years, The Dark Knight had eight nominations, but other than Ledger's honour, its scored only in technical categories such as cinematography, visual effects and editing.

Oscar nominations 2009: full list of nominees

1)BEST PICTURE
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
2) BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler
3) BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader
4) BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger -The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
5) BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P Henson - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
6) BEST DIRECTOR
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
7) BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany)
The Class (France)
Departures (Japan)
Revanche (Austria)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel)
8) BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth and Robin Swicord - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button;
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
David Hare - The Reader
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
9) BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon and Pete Docter - WALL-E
10) BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
WALL-E
11) BEST ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road.
12) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Changeling
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire
13) BEST SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
14) BEST SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
WALL-E
Wanted
15) BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
Defiance - James Newton Howard
Milk - Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman
WALL-E - Thomas Newman
16) BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Down To Earth from WALL-E - Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman
Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman and Gulzar
O Saya from Slumdog Millionaire - AR Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
17) BEST COSTUME
Australia
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road.
18) BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters At The End Of The World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water
19) BEST DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT):
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From The Balcony Of Room 306
20) BEST FILM EDITING
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
21) BEST MAKE-UP
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
22) BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up
23) BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Auf Der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon On The Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)
24) BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

26th January Republic Day of INDIA

26th January 1950 is one of the most important days in Indian history as it was on this day the constitution of India came into force and India became a truly sovereign state. In this day India became a totally republican unit. The country finally realized the dream of Father of Nation and the numerous freedom fighters who, fought for and sacrificed their lives for the Independence of their country. So, the 26th of January was decreed a national holiday and has been recognized and celebrated as the Republic Day of India, ever since.

Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of their country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.
To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the army, the Navy and the Air force march past in all their finery and official decorations even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, the essential props and their uniforms. The patriotic fervor of the people on this day brings the whole country together even in her essential diversity. Every part of the country is represented in occasion, which makes the Republic Day the most popular of all the national holidays of India.

Jumbos are banned in India's Republic Day parade on 26th January 2009:

India has discontinued a 25-year-old tradition by banning the use of elephants at its Republic Day military parade in New Delhi, officials said.
The Defence Ministry, which organizes the January 26 event, decided to do away with the tradition of parading caparisoned elephants owing to security concerns after some "angry" pachyderms caused a scare at the parade last year.
There have also been protests by animal rights activists to bring to an end the hardships faced by the jumbos.
The elephants, a highlight of the parade, used to carry children-winners of the National Bravery Awards. But from this time onwards, the children will be taken on open military jeeps, defence officials said.
"There were serious security concerns after two agitated elephants were almost uncontrollable and caused a near stampede last year. Keeping this in mind, we decided not to take any chances at the huge gathering this time," defence ministry spokesman D Mohanty said.
"Another reason is that for the last four to five years, animal right activists have been demanding a ban, saying the animals were subjected to cruelty of being made to stand and facing cacophony of bands for long hours during the rehearsals," he added.
Elephants are commonly used in India at various fairs and festivals. Elephants have run amok at some of these festivals, particularly in southern India, causing fatalities.
India celebrates January 26 every year as Republic Day to commemorate the day it adopted its constitution in 1950. The day is marked by flag hoisting ceremonies, military parades and cultural pageants across the country.
(news source: http://www.topnews.in/jumbos-banned-indias-republic-day-parade-2110880)

Quotes of Swami Vivekananda

Few quotes of Swami Vivekananda :

1. You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
2. Stick to God! Who cares what comes to the body or to anything else! Through the terrors of evil, say—my God, my love! Through the pangs of death, say—my God, my love! Through all the evils under the sun, say—my God, my love! Thou art here, I see Thee. Thou art with me, I feel Thee. I am Thine, take me. I am not of the world's but Thine, leave not then me.
3. We say that it is freedom that we are to seek, and that that freedom is God. It is the same happiness as in everything else; but when man seeks it in something which is finite, he gets only a spark of it. The thief when he steals gets the same happiness as the man who finds it in God; but the thief gets only a spark with a mass of misery. The real happiness is God. Love is God, freedom is God; and everything that is bondage is not God.
4. We are ever free if we would believe it, only have faith enough. You are the soul, free and eternal, ever free, ever blessed. Have faith enough and you will be free in a minute. Everything in time, space, and causation is bound. The soul is beyond all time, all space, all causation. That which is bound is nature, not the soul. Therefore proclaim your freedom and be what you are?ever free, ever blessed.
5. To acquire freedom we have to go beyond the limitations of this universe; it cannot be found here. Perfect equilibrium, or what the Christians call the peace that passeth under standing, cannot be had in this universe, nor in heaven, nor in any place where our mind and thoughts can go, where the senses can feel, or which the imagination can conceive. No such place can give us the freedom, because all such places would be within our universe, and it is limited by space, time, and causation.
6. Aye, if there is anything in the Gita that I like, it is the two verses, coming out strong as the very gist, the very essence, of Krishna's teaching: 'He who sees the Supreme Lord dwelling alike in all beings, the Imperishable in things that perish, he sees indeed. For seeing the Lord as the same, everywhere present, he does not destroy the Self by the self, and thus he goes to the highest goal.'
7. The Hindu does not want to live upon words and theories. If there are existences beyond the ordinary sensuous existence, he wants to come face to face with them. If there is a soul in him which is not matter, if there is an all-merciful universal soul, he will go to Him direct. He must see Him, and that alone can destroy all doubts. So the best proof a Hindu sage gives about the soul, about God, is — 'I have seen the soul; I have seen God.'
8. Three great gifts we have: first, a human body. Second, the desire to be free. Third, the help of a noble soul who has crossed the ocean of delusion, as a teacher. When you have these three, bless the Lord; you are sure to be free.
9. The mountains of today were the oceans of yesterday and will be oceans tomorrow. Every thing is in a state of flux; the whole universe is a mass of change. But there is One who never changes, and that is God.
10. We have to sense God to be convinced that there is a God. We must sense the facts of religion to know that they are facts. Nothing else, and no amount of reasoning, but our own perceptions can make these things real to us, can make my belief firm as a rock.
11. We cannot add happiness to this world; similarly, we cannot add pain to it either. The sum total of the energies of pleasure and pain displayed here on earth will be the same through out. We just push it from this side to the other side, and from that side to this, but it will remain the same, because to remain so is its very nature. This ebb and flow, this rising and falling, is in the world's very nature; it would be as logical to hold otherwise as to say that we may have life without death.
12. Happiness presents itself before man, wearing the crown of sorrow on its head. He who welcomes it must also welcome sorrow.
13. There is no chance for the welfare of the world unless the condition of women is improved. It is not possible for a bird to fly on only one wing. Hence, in the Ramakrishna Incarnation, the acceptance of a woman as the guru, hence His practising in the woman's garb and frame of mind, hence too His preaching the Motherhood of women as representations of the Divine Mother.
14. Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life; think of it; dream of it; live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced.
15. Blame none for your own faults, stand upon your own feet, and take the whole responsibility upon yourselves. Say, 'This misery that I am suffering is of my own doing, and that very thing proves that it will have to be undone by me alone.' That which I created, I can demolish; that which is created by some one else I shall never be able to destroy. Therefore, stand up, be bold, be strong.

12th January - National Youth Day

United Nations declared Year 1985 as “International Youth Year” and during that time our Government declared Swami Vivekananda as The National Youth Leader and his birthday 12th January will be observed as “National Youth Day”. Since then we are observing 12th January as National Youth Day. ........

• We want to lead mankind to the place where there is neither the Vedas, nor the Bible, nor the Koran; yet this has to be done by harmonizing the Vedas, the Bible, and the Koran.
• My ideal, indeed, can be put into a few words, and that is to preach the mankind their divinity, and how to make it manifest in every movement of life.
• I belong as much as to INDIA as to WORLD.
• Bold is my message to the WEST but bolder is my message to the EAST my beloved countrymen.
• My idea that can be put into single words-the high ideal Upanishads to translate in to simple English and scattered them through Out the World so that even a child can understand it.
• If there is one word that you find coming like bomb from in the Upanishads, bursting like a bomb-shell upon the masses of ignorance, it is the word, fearlessness.
• Ye are the children of God, the sharers of immortal bliss, holy and perfect beings. Ye divinities on earth- sinners! It is sin to call a man so; it is a standing libel on human nature. Come up, O lions, and shake off the delusion that you are sheep; you are souls immortal, sprits free, blest and eternals.
• “Men these are wanted, everything else will be ready. But Strong, vigorous, believing young man sincere to the backbone is wanted. A hundred such and the world become revolutionized”.
• Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already in man.
• Religion is the idea which is raising the brute into man, and man into God.
• The secret of religion lies not in theories but in practice. To be good and do good - that is the whole of religion.
• Man is higher than all animals, than all angels; none is greater than man.
• Look at the wall.

Thursday 22nd November 2009 bandh in Kolkata

Office-goers are set to get a five-days break towards the month-end. The Maoists and SUCI have called a Bangla bandh on January 22. The
next day being Netaji's birthday is a state holiday. And then, the weekend is followed by Republic Day, which falls on Monday.

Several truths – you may call them lessons – came upon us during this Thursday’s bandh called by the left trade union, CITU (Center of Indian Trade Unions).

• If CITU wishes, life in Kolkata (and indeed in entire Bengal) can be brought to a total standstill. Nothing, but nothing can move. Not on road, none on rail, certainly nothing in air, not even on water. Whatever moved were those who used their feet to walk (like human beings, cattle, dogs, etc.), wings to fly (birds) or fins and tails to swim (fish, duck, etc.).
• Even though common people were advised to walk to their destinations, there were notable exceptions. For example, CITU vice-president and state’s transport minister, Subhas Chakraborty had no qualms to use his official car to race on empty roads, thus enjoying to his fullest such rare rides.
• Very few people knew what the bandh was all about, which was okay with CITU because all it wanted was to enforce stoppage of any movement, no matter what.

Lest you think that bandh was all bad, here are a few reasons why it brought some cheer too:

• Since Kolkata consumes something around 450 kilolitre of petrol and 4000 kilolitre of diesel on a weekday, one may safely assume that Thursday has literally been a huge blessing for the city’s environment. It will not be wrong to say that the city’s air breathed a big sigh of relief on the bandh day.
• For city’s workaholic people, Thursday was a grand occasion to de-stress mind and soul. There was simply no reason to move out because nothing was open or moving, which meant one was perforce confined at home.

Here at last was a chance to spend an entire day idly, catch up on family matters, give quality time to near and dears, and discover the magic that is 'home'.
To that extent, day before yesterday’s bandh was indeed a great gift to savor and recoup. Not bad that, don’t you think!