Airlift -- true or false? Both

Airlift. It really did lift my spirits. For reasons more than one. First, it was a thoroughly enjoyable movie, fast paced, though the ubiquitous song and dance numbers interrrupted the narrative, but excusable, we might conclude. Patriotism and humanism are in high doses...and why not? The story is all about the Indian diaspora during the Kuwait invasion of Iraq and how they were evacuated through the humane actions of one very rich man, Ranjit Katyal. Part fiction, part history, one doesn't know where one ends and the other begins, though the makers have safely declared that it is all just a story.
At the end of the movie, when people get up to leave the cinema, we are told via the writing on the screen that this man, the hero, Ranjit Katyal, is loosely based on the character of Sunny Mathews, who facilitated the evacuation with his friend. I felt cheated. Airlift tells the story of a supposedly unsung hero but this hero remains unsung, with his name changed to Ranjit Katyal. They should have given this info along with the credits in the beginning. His grand daughter wrote a post about him on her FB page. I found a picture of Mr Sunny Mathews too.(I really hope it's the right pic! Found it on the net) I would love to hear what he has to say about the movie though.

 I am indeed proud of the lion's share of Malayali  presence in Airlift. Director Raja Krishna Menon, Lena, Suresh Nair who co-wrote the script.  Pardon me being slightly parochial!
Airlift is special for another reason, its talented cinematographer, Priya Seth, one of the leading underwater cinematographers in the nation. Her tastefully portrayed belly dancing scenes, without showing the faces, is a first of its kind. T^he vast canvas...deserts, bombings....ships, fights....it was a nice feeling that a certain Priya Seth was DOP.
Acting honours: Yes, Akshay Kumar is good, very good at times, but just a few times, he overdid it. Prakash Belawadi as Georgekutty, Lena's husband, had a well written character role which he put across to the viewers, justifying every nuance of the role, the look, gait et al. Nimrat Kaur as Katyal's wife had a big role but nothing much to write home about. Inamulhaq   as major Khalaf bin Zayd rolled his 'r's well enough while addressing 'Ranjit" Katyal and had that quiet wicked demeanor.
Raja Krishna Menon, director, ah....let's hope he will give the seasoned film makers of Bollywood hot competition. For that he must stand on his own ground and not swim with tide. Airlift is not in the bracket of some Bollywood movies 'for timepass.'...worth the ticket money in a multiplex.

Let's eat clean and safe food!

Does your child sit on that plastic chair and study for long hours, every day? Not recommended, says, 
Dr N Anandavally, FAO consultant, United Nations (UN) and Food Safety and Standards Act.This time for the annual New Year celebrations of the Thampurattipparambu Road Residents Association, which went past mid-January, everyone got some crucial gyan on living a safe life, thanks to Anandam, my old friend, with whom I had lost contact a decade or so ago. I was pleasantly surprised to see her as the main speaker here, the association celebrations, of which I am a resident too.
With more than 30 years experience in food safety practices, she is passionate about this subject and went into the depths of each issue and question. Say HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, a preventative food safety system in which every step in the manufacture, storage and distribution of a food product is scientifically analyzed for microbiological, physical and chemical hazards) and Anandam would get all animated, gesticulating, telling you about the dos and donts in the kitchen and in places where large amounts of food is made. It is this interest and passion which took her to all parts of the globe, where she taught what she mastered and mastered new things. So here are some points of her talk.

Dr N Anandavally

 All colours and other things added to make food attractive or tasty, above the permissible levels, which are chemicals, have the power of affecting your organs and also causing cancer. All that yellow and orange jilebis! Hm.....

There is no guarantee that the chilli powder, coriander powder or other powders that you buy are genuine. Most of them have added colours, the levels of which are usually higher than what is permissible by law. So make your own cooking masalas. Buy chilli etc, wash, dry it in the sun and get it powdered. 
Read the labels always. That will save you a lot of unwanted trouble and disease. Ajinamoto is added to all things as it is addictive and will make you ask for more. So many packages of ready-to-eat food have this chemical which causes obesity and also harms the liver and kidney. (I threw out my ajinomoto packet just now).
Simple things like washing your hands after going to the loo prevents many diseases and a tummy upset.
Keep milk in the chiller, never in the freezer. Store milk for only 48 hours. When you buy eggs, ALWAYS, wash them first before storing them in the fridge. Most diseases begin from the fridge! Old stuff contaminates new stuff.......and the chain goes on. So clean the fridge once a week, compulsorily! And remember to cover all food in the fridge. Also wash the vegetables well, with vinegar added water and dry it before storing it in the fridge. Make it a habit. Growing at least some vegetables at home helps.
 Why do people say too much sugar is bad? Because it is a chemical that makes sugar white. Substitute jaggery where you can.
 Most of the chocolate-cream biscuits have  neither chocolate nor cream! This sure hit me hard! Transfats do the trick!
Some plastic vessels have a label saying micrawavable. It means the container wont get harmed. Nobody tells you whether the food in it gets harmed. This is still being debated. And oh...about sitting in that plastic chair.....more than a thousand chemicals go towards making that chair, so too much contact for too long can be harmful to a child.
Spreading information like this can make the world a healthier place, my friend Anandam says. She has trained thousands of people in the food sector in many countries and within India too, taking the message further and further........may this also go as far as possible........