Dark Matter

Watched Namit Malhotra’s Ramayana. A flop of a film being discussed only because it bears a superficial resemblance to the Ramayana! What is promoted is essentially a Dravidianist, feminist and socialist interpretation of a Ravanayanam. Rama is reduced to a sorry figure, with a hunchback and an expressionless, stone-like face. My 10-year-old granddaughter, who makes videos based on Valmiki Ramayana, refused to believe this was supposed to be the Ramayana and fell asleep halfway through! That is a good sign: our younger generation may not take this movie seriously. But the danger is that unsuspecting foreign audiences, with no prior knowledge of the Ramayana, may mistake this fictionalised portrayal for the real epic. #RamayanaMovie

#WATCH | Shimla, Himachal Pradesh: A large number of people gathered in Dhami village to witness the traditional Stone-Pelting Fair, locally known as ‘Patthar Ka Khel’. Celebrated every year on the day after Diwali, the nearly 400-year-old ritual involves two groups of villagers throwing stones at each other until a participant sustains a minor injury. A few drops of the injured participant's blood are then offered to Goddess Bhadrakali. The tradition is believed to have originated as an alternative to human sacrifice, which was practised centuries ago to appease the deity and seek protection from diseases, natural calamities and other misfortunes.