Book Review - ANASTASIA - THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS, RUSSIA, 1914

Book Review - ANASTASIA -  THE LAST GRAND DUCHESS, RUSSIA, 1914

This is a review of book that is based on the royal diaries series published by scholastic press from 1994- 2005. It is written by Carolyn Meyer.

As the title suggests this book is about the last grand duchess of Russia who was, Anastasia Romanov. She was the youngest daughter of Nicholas Alexandrovitch and Alexandria Feodorovna Romanov, the tsar and tsaritsa (i.e. king and queen) of Russia. This novel is based on a diary written by Anastasia when she was 12 years old and describe the life of imperial family in Russia during the turbulence years of 1914 – 1918.  

Anastasia - on cover page of the book

As a custom, every member of the imperial family had his or her own diary in which they were supposed to write about their everyday activities and experiences in life. The diaries of the rest of the royal family were untraceable as they were burned by family members so that no one could get to know about their family secrets. Some diaries were buried or lost.  It is believed that only Anastasia’s diary is available now. During First World War, all members of imperial tsar Family were executed and this Diary became very famous.   According to certain rumors that the last duchess had escaped execution and many girls tried to portray themselves as Anastasia. The most popular one was Anna Anderson which was proved wrong in 2007.

Anastasia’s diary help us to know her experiences and views of the world around from a princess’s point of view. It describes the luxurious and beautiful life of the imperial family and the misfortune on the family due to the war and its consequences that finally lead to the death of entire family.

Anastasia describes each and every member of her family and also nearby friends and other associations. According to it the tsar had four daughters, the older Olga, Tatiana, Maria, and then Anastasia and the youngest son Alexei who was to be the next tsar.

Diary starts from 3/16 January 1914 till 6/9 may 1918. Here there are two dates mentioned as during that time two different calendars were used, Russia used the Julian calendar or old style dates and other regions used new Gregorian calendar or the new style dates .these had a difference of approximately thirteen days which kept reducing over the years.  

Young Duchess - Anastasia

As a typical diary Anastasia wrote about her everyday life like their normal day routine, lessons thought to them, different festivities celebrated, conditions of the country, royal palace’s  where they visited at the change of seasons, relatives, pets , hobbies, likes, dislikes etc. Also from the diary we get to know that Alexei the only son in the family and to be tsar had the disease hemophilia which he had acquired from his mother’s grandmother queen Victoria which the royal family kept a secret from the people of the country. It also tells us about the character & behavior of Anastasia which was different from that of an ideal princess. She was enthusiastic, jolly, fun loving. Also it tells us about the family traditions and sources of fun elements that they had like clicking pictures, ice sleighing, playing cards etc.

It is a like a representation of life in a grand palace the lives of the grand people the pleasures they enjoyed and also specifically the heartfelt nature of this family and the bad luck that the family had due to the war conditions because of which the tsar was abdicated from the throne by the government and so they had to leave the luxury and stay guarded and were finally shot.

From this diary the critical information about the royal family was also found for further research matters. Like in this diary there was a mention of a saint father Grigory (Rasputin) who according to the book was one like a priest very much admired by the Alexandria the tsaritsa who is said to be one of the reasons for the decline of this imperial family as people said that he misguided the tsaritsa.  And in some cases she was also blamed for it because she was German but had married and converted to the orthodox Russian but people felt she was still German from the soul.

I selected this book because I like finding about the lives of the royal people. Royal life style is very fascinating that helps understanding about empires and great leaders. Such books gives insights to historical events and how they turned human progress. Autobiographies, in form of diaries and books based on diaries portray a life and tell us something about what specific individuals did and how did they plan their ways and means.

Also by getting experiences about people we can get to some principles for attaining success in life.
And yes as it is always said history is the story of the past, after knowing which we can make a better future not repeating mistakes of the past.

Book Review - Snigdha Pali

Trip to Mahimapur

On the 28th of April 2013 I went to Amravati, Maharashtra. I like to travel to places, which have some uniqueness in them, and Mahimapur was the right place. My grand mom told me once that there was this really old well which was made by the Asoka’s and she told me about her childhood there and the tales related to it. I was really excited to go there but the only problem was the scorching heat and the 45 degrees temperature. But this could not stop me…  We started our journey at 7 AM. The Village is about two and a half hour drive from Amravati.  At about 10:30 AM we reached our destination.  

At the starting of the village is a gate, which divides into two pathways. The first one leads to the village and the other one leads to the well. (To clear your doubt the well is not the tube well that you might be thinking of. It’s like a palace with doorways, which leads to the water as you go down below.) The gate has two Asoka Chakras on either side, which gave me a confirmation that this was definitely made by the Asoka’s.

There was a steep staircase, which led to again two ways, the first one that ended at a chamber and the other one, which led down to the water surface. I choose to follow the second path. I had travelled 30- 40 feet under the Earths surface to see the water surface. As we are Indians, it is our Janm-sidh Adhikar to make a temple at any place and to dirty the place. I am saying this because the water surface was full of flowers, leaves, polythene bags etc.( that is our trademark). The water looked so dirty and green but people were coming and drinking the water. I was disgusted at first, but when I touched the water and drank it, it felt like heaven as the heat had dried me up and this sweet tasty water had just rejuvenated me. It was so pure. The place definitely needed a cleaning session though. As the sun rays fell on the water, the water became clearer and at a point of time we could actually see what was below the water. To my surprise I found a pile of staircase, which lead to another floor. 

I decided to ask the history, geography and everything else of this well but to first go the other path and see what surprise lied there for me. I walked on a plank (because the passage was very narrow and I felt like Indiana Jones*) to reach a chamber with only one window, which faced the water surface area. After looking between the tree twigs and branches I found a room at the other end of the well, but the of the well, but the strangest thing was that there was no way to go there except for getting into the water crossing the other side and climbing the trees which I was definitely not going to do (not because of any fright or something but because of the fact that this well was full of surprises and I dint want to guess what lay under the water). I had now decided to know about this well and mystery behind the room without a way to it.After my expedition, I talked to some lady farmers who were going down to get some water. I asked them about this well and they told me that this well is our fortune. This well gives water to about eight more such villages around us. No matter what ever is the weather the water level remains the same always. I first thought that they were exaggerating but it was actually true as more people told me about this. 

“ We are living here in this village for about 6 decades now and way before that and we have heard different stories related to the well. Would you like to hear one?” asked Mr. Kishan lal Mugre, a local panchayat member. “ Yes please.” I said with that glitter in my eyes. 

He told me that a long time ago (just like a typical story) there lived a thief. This thief used to steal all the stuff from people and used to throw it in the well. He used to think that no one would ever even think of going deep into the water and try to find his stolen treasure. He fell in love with a girl of the same village and wanted to get married but her parents were totally against all this so they fled away. As the thief could not find any place to live they both decided to stay in a room in the well (with no door or passage to enter it). After a year or so, the girl gave birth to a baby and that is when the people realized that the girl and the thief had been hiding there for a long time. They soon decided to murder both of them and they did so. They killed the girl, thief and the baby. Some people say that the bodies of the three were thrown in the water and others say it wasn’t. But it wasn’t just a story it was a true story. I didn’t believe at first but after a proof I knew that it had really happened!

The villagers called up a team of students from the archeological survey of India and asked them to check this well for the confirmation of the people who had made this well and when they had made it. The Team geared up well and continued to study the structure when one morning the divers( also a part of the research program) hit treasure. Yes! A fortune. The divers dig into a false wall underneath which was all the stolen antique articles. The team excavated further and found out that this well had 30 feet deep water and the rest is just some false wall, which again leads to some three or four chambers. The search continues till date. The treasure that was excavated was given to the government and 5% of it was given to the villagers with the help of which the villagers have made a school for students from 1- 6th standard. This experience was a really interesting one but it hurts me to say and see this that people are so ignorant and careless that they don’t preserve there resources. India is such a rich country in terms of tradition, culture and heritage. And I think we should preserve it and not destroy it.

      FROZEN - THE BEST ANIMATED MOVIE     

Initial release: November 19, 2013 (Hollywood)
Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Running time: 108 minutes

Initial DVD release: March 18, 2014 (USA)
Awards: Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film, Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film, BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature, Blimp Award for Favorite Animated Movie, PGA Producer of the Year Award in Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Directed by	Chris Buck Jennifer Lee
Produced by	Peter Del Vecho
Screenplay by	Jennifer Lee
Story by	Chris Buck Jennifer Lee Shane Morris
Based on	The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen
Starring	Kristen Bell Idina Menzel Jonathan Groff Josh Gad Santino Fontana
Music by	Christophe Beck
Edited by	Jeff Draheim
Production   company	Walt Disney Pictures Walt Disney Animation Studios
Distributed by	Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Release date(s)	November 19, 2013(El Capitan Theatre) November 27, 2013(United States)
Running time	102 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$150 million[2][3]
Box office	$1,263,716,698[3]

Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

   The classic Disney animated films – the really classic ones, like the films made when Walt Disney was still alive – all possessed an uncanny ability to capture childhood emotions that were not-so-secretly also shared by adults. Think of Pinocchio and Dumbo and the feeling of being a constant outcast, too odd to get by; Sleeping Beauty and Snow White and the sense of a cruel universe lying in wait for you. 

LOVE IS THE GREATEST POWER ON EARTH

    

STORY-LINE- 

Frozen is one of the few recent films to capture that classic Disney spirit. Extremely, extremely loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Snow Queen,” it’s the tale of two princesses raised in the same kingdom under different circumstances. Elsa , the oldest, possesses the rare power to turn everything she touches into ice; unable to control it, she’s grown up in seclusion, a prisoner in her own castle. Anna  itches to discover the world, to find adventure and friendship and love. On the day of Elsa’s coronation, one sister trembles at the idea of confronting the populace, while the other is raring to go. Things spin out of control  and before you know it, Elsa has sent the entire kingdom into an eternal ice age and fled into the mountains, where she builds herself an elaborate, Fortress of Solitude-like ice castle. Anna sets out to find her, with the help of a dashing mountain hunk named Kristoff and a goofy talking snowman named Olaf.

From the loneliness of children, and the fright and anticipation it breeds, to the fear of not being able to control your own fears and emotions, Frozen packs a lot of emotional resonance into its story. This is a film about some surprisingly sad characters — Elsa with her unconquerable solitude, Anna with her anxieties about never doing right by the sister she loves. Even Olaf’s best jokes have a veiled edge of hurt to them. Not knowing anything but winter and ice, he’s looking forward to the day the sun finally comes back out; he has a hilarious, slightly creepy song about finally doing “what frozen things do in summer.” Also the song "Let it go" has been a hit after the theatrical release, as this song takes the audience to a frozen magical world where we have our rules to live our life, a completely isolated world where the cold never bothers us in anyway.The animations of this movie have been mind blowing with special reference to this song.

The element that I admired the most is the twist in the story at the end. What was really expected did not happen. All of us would have thought of Kristoff as Anna's true love that can save her life. But the story reveals that nothing is more precious than sisterly love. Its Elsa's love that saved Anna's life.

ONLY THE ACT OF TRUE LOVE CAN THAW A                                               
                             FROZEN HEART...

Social news

Spectra of rising food prices

                   
-Kavya and Nandini

                        

                Summer monsoon rains are vital for 55 percent of India's farmlands that lack irrigation facilities. In 2009, patchy rains led to the worst drought in nearly four decades and drove annual food inflation up to more than 21 percent. India has stockpiles of staples like rice, wheat and sugar that can be released, but the government has limited means to control surges in

the cost of fruit and vegetables, which have the largest impact on food inflation.                                                                                                                          

                           India’s ‘ Essential Commodities Act ‘ gives the government powers to control supply and distribution of various commodities for securing equitable distribution and availability at fair prices.  The new government on Tuesday imposed export restrictions on certain farm commodities and ordered a crackdown on hoarding to control rising food prices, a day after wholesale price inflation hit a five-month high.  A jump in prices of potatoes and onions last month drove inflation to 6.01 percent from 5.20 percent in April, contributing to a sell-off in financial markets.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was elected last month , amid, widespread anger over rising prices, has made tackling inflation his top priority. Forecasts of weak monsoon rains that irrigate much of India's food production have added to inflation fears, and volatile vegetable prices have risen by double digits. Government is keeping a close watch on the price movements of 22 commodities and would offload additional rice stocks in the market to prevent a build-up in inflationary expectations. Also government is planning to release 5 million tonnes of rice from state stockpiles to curb inflation.

                      The weather department predicts below-average rainfall between June-September this year, which could hit summer crops such as rice, corn, soybean and cotton.    In addition to fears of food inflation, lower grain production could reduce the volume of rice exports from India, the world's top supplier. A decline in rice exports from India could underpin global prices, although gains will be capped by plentiful world supplies.

June has been this dry only thrice in the past 100 years. This has delayed the planting of crops, caused heat waves in parts of the country, and raised fears of inflation, but the Met department (IMD) is already expecting better rain in the next two months.

This is significant because most of the monsoon rain is spread across July and August, and timely efforts by the government can minimise losses. Vegetable prices have stabilised although the current dry patch can change the situation.

The Prime Minister has already hinted that his Government may take some tough measures to revive the economy. He has also placed the issue of keeping inflation under control on the top of his agenda but the prediction of poor monsoon this season poses a tough challenge to the new Government.

The scarcity and inflation of food is the biggest task for the new government. After making promises to improve the economy of the country this is a very difficult task for the government to prove themselves. Even though the Prime Minister Narendra Modi  amid widespread anger over rising prices, has made tackling inflation his top priority, let see what actions does the newly formed government will take to solve this problem for the public.

Retro movie review- Mera Naam Joker.

 MOVIE: Mera Naam Joker

DIRECTOR: Raj Kapoor

STARRING: Raj Kapoor,Simi Garewal,Monoj Kumar,Rishi Kapoor,Dharmendra,Dara Singh,RajendraKumar.

MUSIC BY: Shankar Jaikishan

RELEASE DATE: Dec 18,1970

This  film was the debut of Rishi Kapoor. Mera naam joker is a film about a clown who must make his audience laugh at the cost of his own sorrows. It is the story of Raju, considered the best circus clown ever. Ever since Raju's father dies in a car accident, Raju's mother has been repulsed by the circus. As luck would have it Raju has a natural affinity towards the circus world. The film traces Raju's journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance.

The movie begins with the adolescent Raju and deals with his infatuation with his teacher Mary, who eventually marries her long time beau. After his first heartbreak, the story follows adult Raju who has found work with Gemini circus as a clown. There he falls in love with Marina( Kseniya Ryabinkina) the lead trapezist. He becomes close to her despite the language barrier but faces heartbreak again when she leaves for Russia. In the final chapter of the movie he falls in love with Meenu(Padmini) who leaves him to become a successful film heroine. At the end of the film Raju invites the three ladies he was in love with to watch his last performance.

The film brings out the life of circus employees who face all the hardships in life with a smile on their faces. The film has a huge star cast with some brilliant performances which has garnered the film high critical praise.

SPORTS SECTION!!!

FIFA WORLD CUP 2014...

The matches to be played tonight is:

i) Argentina V/s Switzerland (9:30 PM)

ii) Belgium V/s USA (1:30 AM)

The results of yesterdays match are:

FRANCE 2:1 NIGERIA

GERMANY 2:1 ALGERIA