Vitaphiles

We were in Kerala as manifested and made a de facto itinerary, inspired by social media. The plan was to start from Munnar, go down till India's last landmark, Kanyakumari, and return home. But seldom do plans go as planned when you're with your boys. We encountered major diversions, ideology clashes, and whatnot. But isn't this unpredictability factor the core in adding spice to our lives? Guys, hope we are on the same page about it. What do you say? Well, cut to the trip—Day 1 of exploring Kerala. Let's get back to our plan for a bit. We had to explore Munnar—a hill station full of tea plantations. The thing is, we had our share of pseudo experience of Munnar's sunrises and natural beauty from the reels. Everything felt so awesome in them that I felt my upcoming experience couldn't top it. But there was something else in store for me. First step to reach Munnar: board a bus to Munnar. As we saw the distance between Ernakulam and Munnar on Google Ma...

HUGE SPOILER ALERT: We aren't, in any way, responsible for any spoilers of this adventure. Do read THE HOBBIT before diving into the adventure of reading this article. What do we say, my precious? We don't precisely remember, but as far as our memory goes, it was in 8th class when we picked up this book called THE HOBBIT from our school library, just like how the Hobbit was forced into his adventure. We knew we weren't prepared enough for this adventure of devouring such a thick, amazing book, as we were very comfortable in our little Hobbit-hole of children's books at the time. But, my precious, we should really appreciate our courage back then for even attempting to read this book. We may be misleading you here, so let us clear the mist for you. We read the book—it's true, my precious. But did we finish it completely? Not true, my precious. We really blame our 8th-class selves for abandoning this adventure midway. And you know what, my precious? This k...

Once, there was an art competition centered around the theme of "Peace and Joy." Artists from all over the world gathered to showcase their talent. Many painted breathtaking natural landscapes using vibrant colours, capturing serenity and happiness in their own unique ways. As the judges toured the exhibition, they were amazed by the quality of the artwork and found it difficult to decide on a winner. Then, out of the blue, they came across a painting that seemed completely out of place. It depicted a house caught in the middle of a violent thunderstorm. Dark colours dominated the canvas, conveying fear, uncertainty, and turmoil. Yet, there was one striking detail: a man standing by the window, smiling. Everyone had given their best, and finally, the results were announced. Can you guess who won? The winner was the artist who painted the house in the thunderstorm. Surprising, isn't it? Were the judges fools? Was it some kind of joke? Perhaps the artist's f...

Lights, Camera... Action! It was around 3:30 A.M. My gang and I were on a mission. The gang consisted of: Me — Mushtaq (alias: Developer Karthik) Eswar (alias: Psycho Vivek) Chandrasekhar (alias: Actor Kaushik) Pavan (alias: Editor Uppi) And the target of our operation? Guru — our newest gang member and an old friend (alias: Guru Bhai). We were racing through train coaches, desperately searching for him. His phone kept ringing. No answer. We were furious. Not only had he ignored our calls, but he had also failed to tell us something as basic as his coach number or berth location before dozing off. The train was only minutes away from reaching Aluva, our designated stop on the way to Munnar. Armed with phone flashlights and running on very little sleep, we charged through coach after coach, shouting "Guru!" like a team of overenthusiastic sniffer dogs. Then destiny decided to make things interesting. The train rolled into Aluva station. Still no...

For a moment, imagine living in a world where you are under constant surveillance by an all-powerful authority. You speak a language so limited that it lacks the words needed to fully express ideas such as freedom, truth, or even goodness. Every day, you are expected to work tirelessly without complaint, and questioning anything—or anyone—can result in immediate arrest and detention. Such a world sounds terrifying, and it makes us grateful that we do not live under those conditions. Unfortunately, that is the reality for Winston Smith, the protagonist of George Orwell's 1984. He must navigate a society governed by strict rules and relentless control, where even the smallest act of disobedience could mean the end of his life. In George Orwell's dystopian masterpiece, 1984, Winston Smith lives in a bleak world dominated by "Big Brother," the supreme leader of the ruling regime. Orwell deserves immense credit not only for depicting a tyrannical government but...

Those were the lockdown days, when I was incredibly busy doing absolutely nothing. I felt as if my life had lost its purpose. One day, while randomly scrolling through YouTube, I stumbled upon a film recommendation video that mentioned Taste of Cherry. For some weird reason, I immediately felt an urge to watch it. The reasons were simple: 1. The title was intriguing — Taste of Cherry. What does it mean? Is it symbolic? Is it some kind of peasant joke that I'm too rich to understand? Questions like these popped into my head and drew me toward the film like a moth to a flame. 2. It was available for free on YouTube. What more could one ask for?  That was enough. I put on my headphones, typed "Taste of Cherry" into the YouTube search bar, clicked the first result, and entered the world of Taste of Cherry. (Spoiler Alert: Proceed at your own risk if you haven't watched the film. If you have, you're in for a treat.) For the first few minutes, there were bar...

  Sometimes, it's not about elevation walks, not about the slo-mo ramps, not about the mere box office numbers. It's about the feeling that hugs your heart with elation at the time of the end credits roll. It's about the claps that reverberate through the auditorium when the screen flashes, " A Singeetham Cinema. " A wise man envisioned making a film long ago. To fulfill his vision, it took a visionary to be born; a young director to realize that he was going to craft a masterpiece on his debut; a musical genius to wait for his moment to prove to the audience that the vintage Rockstar is f"@£#king back; a bunch of actors (Sorry) performers  to showcase their marvel to Indian cinema; and of course, the audience who waited, waited, and waited for that wise man to deliver one of his finest masterpieces. And he DID IT!!! And this is that "THIS IS CINEMA" moment for me. So guys, it's my sincere request to watch—sorry, feel—the experience of new-age s...