Talaash, the 2012 Hindi Movie

Talaash: The Answer Lies Within

 

Spoiler Alert! Reveals the plot and the mystery. Suggest that you watch the film first and then read this review! Talaash is a must-watch, one of the finest films that make you think.

The Hindi film, Talaash, is a quest to find out the truth and what's the ending. My friend always reads the last page of a murder mystery first to know Whodunit! But, the problem with Whodunit mystery movies is that- is the audience willing to keep the secret 'gupt' and make the rest of the junta enjoy the movie & allow the producers to laugh all the way to the bank?! Keeping a secret is tough in this age of ‘Breaking News’, Social Media & Internet. Earlier for 'Gupt' movie, there was the spoilsport sms that asked everyone not to reveal that Kajol is the killer!!! 

Wish the audience goes to watch the thrilling roller-coaster ride of emotions and investigations that is Talaash. Even if you know Whodunit, do watch it to revisit the clues; the Hollywood movie Inception earned repeat viewership this way. Definitely worth a dekko. Don’t miss it. 

By the way, did you know that this movie’s namesake had released in 2003? Talaash: The Hunt Begins starred Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor!

Talaash: The Answer Lies Within is a suspense drama Bollywood film. It deals with ‘encounter specialist’ Inspector Surjan Singh Shekhawat /Suri’s (Aamir Khan) Talaash of cracking the Whodunit mystery around the accidental death of a film star, Armaan Kapoor. The sudden car-accident is strange and sensational as the hero’s car literally dives into the water. Suri’s Talaash makes him realize ‘Muskane Jhooti hain, Pehchane Jhooti hain’, aptly summed up by the title song. Suri and his wife Roshni (Rani Mukherji) have just shifted their home and are still grappling with their personal tragedy of losing their only son, Karan (Jineet Rath) in a drowning accident for which Suri holds himself responsible. His guilt is so immense that he immerses himself into his work day and night. Like an insomniac & a man possessed, he is forever tracking this case with no time for his wife. Rosy (Kareena Kapoor), a call-girl, helps him by providing key info about the case. 

As Suri spends more time with Rosy, he discovers the truth. Just when you have started believing that Suri is in love with Rosy with ‘Jiya lagey na’ hinting at an extra-marital affair that even Roshni suspects, you are in for the Kahaani mein twist! ‘Jo hain hi nahi woh gayab kaise ho sakte hain?’ After surviving a similar jeep accident at the same spot, Suri realizes that Rosy is the ghost of Simran, who had died three years ago in a car-accident involving Armaan Kapoor and his two friends. He revisits his son's accident site, reads his letter, cries his heart out and reunites with his wife. ‘Aa hum dono jee bhar ke ro le, Jee le Zara…’ In short, Suri gets a life.

Superb acting by all the characters- The leads- Suri, Roshni, Karan & Rosy; Local pimp Shashi; Shashi’s girl-friend Mallika; Temur (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) as the limping & scheming know-it-all (Temur is a clever choice of name for the opportunist, perhaps smartly borrowed from historical character, Timur the Lame.); Temur’s love-interest, aging call-girl Nirmala; Frenny (Shernaz Patel) as the psychic who is the medium of Karan’s messages to his parents; Armaan Kapoor and his friends Sanjay and Nikhil; Armaan’s wife, Sonia Kapoor; Brothel’s Madam & call-girls; Suri’s support-staff...

Ram Sampath’s apt soundtrack and Javed Akhtar’s amazing lyrics leave a profound impression. Talaash is a must-watch with smart dialogues by Farhan Akhtar & Anurag Kashyap, taut screenplay & story by Reema Kagti & Zoya Akhtar, nice cinematography by Mohanan & crisp editing by Anand Subaya. But, the lady who shines is Reema Kagti. Hats off! I had loved Reema Kagti's first directorial venture, Honeymoon Travels Private Ltd where I especially loved the superhero & supergirl couple, a rarity in reality! In Talaash, I actually loved the mermaid supergirl scene! 

Also, I was relieved and delighted that Talaash has no extra-marital affairs- neither between Rosy & Suri nor Armaan Kapoor’s wife & his friend. I had a good laugh when Temur says he is very poor and does not have food to eat & just then his mobile phone rings! Talaash reminded me of those chilling ghost stories I had read especially Ruskin Bond’s.

Talaash is the Urdu word (translation) for "search".  Everyone has some Talaash in life.

Rosy’s Talaash is for avenging her death and for attaining salvation. Rosy helps the case by informing the whereabouts of erstwhile manager of Hotel Lido, Anand Murugan. Suffering from AIDS, he is counting his final days in his village. She also hints on leads about Shashi’s dead-body. Heeding to Rosy’s request, Suri rescues her friend Mallika from the brothel in style. Rosy is the lady on a mission as she attains 100% accuracy in causing accidental death or paralysis & finishing off all those who have messed with her, while the police explains them as ‘A Final’ cases. Rosy makes her presence felt to such people only when they are about to lose their lives- Armaan Kapoor, Sanjay, Temur… But, Temur can’t see her when he is making those ransom calls from a landline number to Sanjay, neither can Shashi when she says ‘Paseena kyun choot raha hai?’ inside the Taxi, after Armaan Kapoor’s death. Only Suri acknowledges her presence and holds conversations with her much to onlookers surprise or shock. Rosy seeks and helps the no-nonsense cop solve the case with ease and then even ensures his underwater rescue from the locked jeep. After all, Suri has to find answers and close her case and ultimately perform her last rites. Rosy’s Talaash is also for making Suri a believer and giving him a new life so that he lives again. 

Suri’s Talaash is for answers, for peace, for freedom from guilt…His guilt is sensitively dealt with. In his dreams, he keeps on diving into the water in search of his child’s body believing that he could have saved him. Karan’s dead-body or last rites are not shown in the film. But, considering that Suri is a policeman, he must have surely recovered his body. As he performed the last rites of Simran as per Hindu tradition, he must have surely done so for his own son too. He tells Rosy, ‘Main thak gaya hoon’. The human mind always tends to analyze what ‘could have been’. Here, Suri replays the ‘could have been scenes’ forbidding his son & his friend to venture alone- “Let’s play Checkers” or “Let me join you”. Either of the two choices would have ensured Karan’s safety. Suri can’t forgive himself for having dozed off. He feels Roshni also holds him responsible, a fact that Roshni denies as she has never thought on these lines. Like the child protagonist of the Hollywood film Sixth Sense, Suri was seeing a dead person…I wished Suri was able to see his son Karan instead of Rosy! That would be rosy! Just imagine if Suri was able to see all the other dead people in the film- Armaan Kapoor, Shashi, Temur…! Case solved!

Roshni feels their son’s death was an accident. Suri is not to be blamed for it, as even she had fallen asleep. She feels Suri is the one who needs the psychiatric, Dr.Punjabi’s, help as he does not open up or share his thoughts or grief with anyone, not even with her. Roshni does not take any of the medicines prescribed by the psychiatrist and yet starts living with Frenny’s messages from Karan. I especially liked the scene where Suri is mad at Roshni for visiting Frenny in spite of being ‘padhee-likhee’ and having taught Science subject and Roshni gives a power-packed reply. Roshni’s Talaash is for happiness, spending quality time with her hubby like old times, staying together like ‘Pati Patni’, accessing her son’s messages through the psychic medium, making Suri realize and believe…

Frenny’s Talaash is for Karan’s parents so that she can pass on his message to them and lessen their grief.

Temur’s Talaash is for easy wealth, settling with his lady-love and a better life far away from the brothel. Temur’s trick of throwing money to confuse & distract his chasers is akin to a scene in Ek Tha Tiger. Temur’s use of wheel-cart to flee on the bridge is something that Mazhar Khan's  character Abdul also does in Shaan movie. In Talaash movie, richest is Temur's girl-friend, Nirmala, who is richer by 50 lacs at the end!

Takeaway:

Talaash has valuable lessons for all.

Parents- Don’t leave your kids unattended. Be extra cautious while taking additional responsibility viz. when your child’s friend accompanies you on an outing.

Youth- Indulging in back-seat antics and involvement with call-girls can be life-threatening…may cause paralysis, strange accidents and AIDS.

Unmarried people- Recognize and respect true love. Agree and do anything for a person who truly loves you…you will get richer!

Married Men- Don’t fall in love with anyone else other than your wife! No extra marital affairs please…lover might be a ghost! And yes, spend more time with your wife! 

Non-Believers- There are many things that Science cannot explain. Keep your eyes open and believe in the Supernatural. There’s more to what meets the eye…

JOKER, the Hindi Movie

Jo Jeeta Wohi Joker

Like her mom, my kid is great film-freak. As hubby had reservations about our little one being taken to Shirin Farhad Ki Toh Nikal Padi (U/A) & From Sydney with Love (U/A), Joker was one of two (U) films available this Friday, August 31, 2012, the other being ‘I Am 24’. My kid and her friend chose Joker, Akshay Kumar’s 100^th film.

What or who is Joker? No, not Batman’s arch enemy, not the British comic-strip, not even the ‘jester, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, or prankster’ employed in Circus to tell jokes! Joker is a special type of playing card found in modern decks. As per Wikipedia, in card games, the Joker's use is varied. Many card games omit it from use entirely. Sometimes, Jokers are simply used as replacements for lost cards in a deck. Some games accord it importance. Often, the joker is a wild card, and thereby allowed to represent other existing cards. The Joker can be an extremely beneficial or an extremely harmful card. 

Sonakshi Sinha tweeted in Twitter: “JOKER refers to a place that does not exist on the global map. Just like #Joker in a pack of cards that does not belong to any colour.”

Here, Joker refers to the village of Paglapur, with a population of 600 inhabitants…cut-off from the rest of India as it’s not on the map, having been abandoned by a British surveyor in 1946. Joker is orphaned by the present three bordering Indian states (MP & Rajasthan were two. Which was the 3^rd?) As Agastya says, ‘Joker Jiska hua, baazi usiki!’ (Joker owner will be the winner) ‘Yeh joker aisa punter, Jo khele baazi khud par’.

For your IQ, Agastya is one of the Saptarishis ("seven sages" extolled in the Vedas) and the author of Agastya Samhita; -Agastya is a name of Shiva too; -A-ga means a mountain, and Asti means thrower.; Agastya is also the Indian astronomical name of the star of Canopus, is said to be the 'cleanser of waters', since its rising coincides the calming of the waters of the Indian Ocean. He was son of Pulasthya, son of Brahma.

 Agastya (Akshay Kumar) is a US-based scientist who lives with his girl-friend, Diva (Sonakshi Sinha). Agastya has built ‘the most sophisticated’ instrument to communicate with aliens. With a 1-month-ultimatum to prove ‘results’, he and Diva visit Paglapur, Agastya’s village after his brother Babban’s (Shreyas Talpade) call that his father (Darshan Zariwala) is ill. Agastya discovers the reality soon and plans metamorphosis of Paglapur’s status from ‘unwanted’ ignominy to ‘sought-after’, wooed by 3 CMs! Aiding him are the happy-go-lucky Paglapur-residents. They design a crop-circle that catapults Paglapur into radar. The great-Paglapur-Tamasha begins! Night-active desi-aliens manage to sustain interest. They befool all the media and politicians with elan, but for American scientist, Simon (Agastya’s rival)! To quote Abraham Lincoln, ‘You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time’. Their ‘hoax’ is soon discovered. Fraud-earned electricity and water-supply are scrapped. But, all ends well when a real alien in a UFO leaves behind a ‘gift’ after visiting Paglapur. The alien proves that our hero’s gadget had been ‘working all along for the last 2 years’! NRI scientist reigns again!

This simple story set in innocent Paglapur reminds one of scenes from the movies- Swades, Lagaan, Peepli Live, Deewar and Koi Mil Gaya. 

Observations:

Shirish Kunder really loves the name Agastya.  Incidentally, Akshay Kumar’s name was Agastya in Kunder’s first directorial venture, Jaan-E-Mann. 

Kunder also loves NRI scientists. Akshay Kumar also played an NRI scientist in Jaan-E-Mann.

How does Babban manage to make an ISD call to Agastya’s home, when they have no phone connection in their village? Had someone sneaked in a cellphone from across the border? 

If Babban had indeed made the call to inform & invite Agastya to India, how did Diva understand his language? Agastya was the only one who could interpret Babban that too with sign-language! 

After arriving in Paglapur, Agastya strolls at a leisurely pace to his home, interacting with key-characters on his way as if he had all the time in the world, though his father is ‘beemar aur kuch hi dino ke mehmaan.’ Not once does he hurry, though the Paglapur public keeps reminding him exactly that!

Paglapur school-children duck for cover whenever an aeroplane passes. Their Masterji (Asrani) screams ‘German! Hitler!’ still believing World War II to be on! Surely, Agastya could have & should have changed this fallacy years ago- before catching the flight to USA.

Chitrangada Singh’s Kafirana item-song has superbly rendered English lyrics- “I want just you, I want just you, Baby I want just you!” How did this chamatkaar happen with such a Masterji?! With such a damsel around, you can’t blame if Paglapur’s public lives up to its name- becoming paglas!

Paglapur has a new Dam in the vicinity but a 65-year-old disfunctional post-office. 

Agastya’s assurance ‘Sab theek ho jayega’ (All will be well) is greeted with loud cheers!

One of the Lagaan-tunes plays in the background, to bring about the obvious connection.

Agastya and Diva watch news using his laptop. How did they charge it in this village-without-electricity? Perhaps, laptop was solar-energy-compliant.

How did the 600 Paglapur citizens bathe, wash clothes and cook if there was no water-supply and the river had dried up? Ponds, wells and tube-wells, right?

ET communication is more powerful than local communication. An alien helps Paglapur to identify its hidden potential. Then, only the village believes in what has been their natural gift all along. Though Lord Fawkland states it earlier, no one, including Agastya, believes him! Lesson- If you don’t listen, check out & learn the true-story at home, be prepared when a foreigner comes to teach you the same! 

Didn’t the media look for the aliens in Paglapur during the day? They seemed ready only for the night-action! Our media is so efficient that they would have done the ‘khulasa’ about Paglapur being oil-rich, rather than an alien doing the same!

Disappointments: 

Why is Diva his live-in partner for the past ‘4 years’, why not his wife? Living-in is fine, but not marriage without family approval?  

What is Vrajesh Hirjee (Hrithik Roshan’s friend ‘Tony’ in Kaho Na Pyar Hai) doing here? Ditto comedian Gurpreet Ghuggi (who plays a cameraman assisting news-reporter ‘Tanya’, Minisha Lamba’s character) Such a waste of talent! Each one of the other talented bunch of stars at least has 2-3 lines to boast…

Likes:

Team-work wins - Incorporating team-concept like in ‘Lagaan’, even the number of key-players in ‘Joker’ is 11 (Agastya, Diva, Babban, Pitaji, Masterji, Lord Fawkland, Rajaji, Vrajesh Hirjee’s character, Vindu Dara Singh’s character, ‘Lalten’ kid & Hunchback character!) Add Tanya and her camera-man, and you have 13!

Hard-work and dreams count – Anyone can work hard and rise like this boy from Paglapur- walking miles to school & then becoming a high-flier. Once in the USA, he sets his eyes skywards to reach the aliens, and what’s more, he succeeds.

Realistic sets - Joker has an amazing down-to-earth, old & antique look and feel. I was reminded of ‘Adventureland’ in Disneyland, Hong Kong.

The Great-Paglapur-Tamasha – Seems like a circus or mela out to entertain all! Loved the mad-media-reactions to the crop-circle!

Local Pagal-Khana (Paglapur Mad Hospital) is transformed into Paglapur-Lodge overnight to host the media at Rs 200 per room!

Co-existence of Sophistication & Ancient Rituals – Crop-circle Surveys & Yagya by Sadhus!

Farah Khan in a guest appearance – Directing a song to cash in on the crop-circle!

Babban’s chemistry with Tanya- Especially, the first scene when he saves her from the rain by removing the latter’s news-van’s dish-antenna, for use as an umbrella! Love knows no language!

Mr. Simon getting ‘abducted by aliens’!

Masterji’s English Translations- Not playing an ‘angrez ke zamane ke jailor’(a la Sholay), here he says, ‘SIMON, GO BACK!’

Babban’s Temple soliloquy- Emotional outburst in the temple (akin to Amitabh Bachchan’s in Deewar) that gets Agastya’s machine to communicate (akin to Hrithik Roshan’s in Koi Mil Gaya) with aliens!

Aliens have their eyes on us – Be careful on what you do & how you dance! An alien might just be learning dance-steps from you! Everyone will love the real alien’s thumka!

Why you must go with kids

-Joker was initially intended to be a 3D-film for kids.

-Kids will connect with the simplicity, innocence & fun-factor of the film

-You will be happy to see them enjoying the film. 

-Laughter is infectious. You end up laughing with them.

-They will be delighted by the light-emitting-veggie-wonders- the desi-aliens providing general entertainment when darkness descends!

- Neat & clean family-entertainment- not one kissing scene or mindless violence & gore. 

(The latkas & jhatkas of item-song may be discounted as kids are subjected to much more on National TV!)

- They will love the Alien & UFO in the climax. 

 Don’t listen to critics! Just go and watch Joker with your family and kids!

2 Films - Kahaani & Agent Vinod

2 Films (Kahaani; Agent Vinod)

2 weeks gap release,

2 ‘Heroes’ roaming incognito with aliases (Vidya Bagchi; Mahendra Sandhu/Kapil Dev/Anthony Gonsalves/Freddy Khambata), 

2 Indian capital cities (erstwhile capital Kolkata; present capital New Delhi), 

Same actor as villain (Dhritiman Chaterji), 

‘Mother’ connection (Pregnant mom/Maa Durga; By what name does your mom call you?/Dead Mom as ghost in toilet), 

Idiosyncrasy (Cleanliness freak; Dancing in front of CCTV/Spy Cameras)

Aim to ‘Find’ (Milan Damji; 242), 

Chain Killings (characters killed after ‘work’ is over), 

Partners die (Hubby Arnab Basu; Girlfriend Iram Parveen Bilal aka Ruby Mendes), 

Intelligence connect (IB/National Data Centre; RAW), 

Animal-lover Directors (No harm to animals during filming).

Kahaani is the thrilling mother of a story of a pregnant wife, Vidya Bagchi (addressed as ‘Bidya’!), looking for her lost hubby, Arnab Bagchi, in Kolkata. Crisp editing, taut story, technical details and amazing performances keep you glued to unravel the surprise ending- Bidya’s thrilling stunt. (Beats me- Where does the protagonist’s ubiquitous bag disappear at the climax? She left it in the taxi perhaps…) Takeaway- If you are a pregnant lady, you can fool all including the Police & IB officials. 

Agent Vinod is a 12-city globe-trotting exercise that leaves you sort of tired following the escapades of the smart and cool, Agent Vinod. James Bond’s Indian avatar, Agent Vinod is busy cracking cases for RAW, while he is not dancing in front of spy-cameras!!! (Beats me- How key characters like Agent Vinod and Colonel miraculously escape even after getting caught. Perhaps they have the cat’s nine lives!) Takeaway- Indo-Pak marriage is not possible even in reel-life! Irrespective of whether you are Agent Vinod or a terrorist, you can fool all and can easily cross international borders!

Now, a riddle for you-

Q- If the 13^th city had been Kolkata, what would Agent Vinod have been called? 

Answer- Agent Binod!!!

JAGANNATH TECHNOLOGY FOR ALL

It is quite surprising that the UPA government is planning a Rs 7,000 crore scheme to dole out one mobile phone to every family living ‘below poverty line’ (BPL). (‘Every BPL family may get a mobile’, TOI, August 8, 2012). The ‘Har Hath Mein Phone’ Scheme is a ‘phony’ calling-card for the 2014 general elections. It’s a blatant squandering of public funds. ‘Har Hath Mein Phone’ sounds more like the marketing strategy of a telecommunications company; a conspicuous misfit in the arena of a government that is grappling with myriad problems. In these difficult times, our country’s Prime Minister has generously pledged $10 billion to G-20 and Indian cabinet has okayed a Rs 450 crore Mars probe to catapult the Indian Space programme. This newest measure is yet another lavish Santa Claus-like gesture on the Indian government’s part; of course, closer home- inside our country! 

‘Har Hath Mein Phone’ is an ambitious project…another one in the illustrious long-list the UPA government can boast of in full-page print-ads in leading national and local newspapers when it goes for the polls. Impressing the voters with such lofty offers and promises is one thing and delivering the basic amenities is quite another. What are the steps the government is taking to alleviate the 6 million BPL families? Is providing phones the responsibility of the government? If yes, is it the panacea to the ills plaguing the BPL families? 

Fact is, millions do not have access to ‘Roti, Kapda & Makaan’ (food, clothing & shelter) apart from clean water, toilets, electricity, transportation etc. Millions of families have to unfortunately survive within the daily consumption expenditure of Rs. 28.35 and Rs. 22.42 in urban and rural areas respectively, constituting the BPL category as per Planning Commission. Giving away freebie mobiles with 200 minutes of free local talk-time along with Rs 100 monthly expenditure to BPL households won’t solve their problems. Far from that, it will add to their woes. Where will they go for phone-servicing or defects? How will the monthly maintenance charge of Rs 100 be issued? How will they charge their cellphone’s battery when they have no electricity-connection? Even if they are fortunate to be counted amongst those who do have electricity-access, the erratic power-supply and frequent unsystematic power-cuts make it an operational nightmare. 

But, no worries! The battery will get exhausted only when the phone is used or can be used! Cellphone requires a network-connectivity, which is sure to be ‘poor’ in those parts of India where the BPL families live. If we all have faced issues with call-dropping or disconnection due to network-connectivity-problems (that too in posh VIP areas), one can well imagine the fate of the not-so-lucky BPL families. What’s the incentive for Mobile Operators to invest in infrastructure: to set-up and maintain towers in rural areas? If they do not, then the beleaguered government telecom companies like BSNL & MTNL have to step in to do the needful. Also, is the government planning crash-courses to teach the BPL families how to operate the phone? Imparting education is the first-step to communication. Can illiterate BPL families converse/understand the modus-operandi of mobile-phone technology? 

One may optimistically argue that the BPL populace will be empowered with their phone, just like the indispensable-phone-wielding sabzi-wallahs, auto-rickshaw drivers, maid-servants, dhobis etc. Proper communication facilities can empower millions of new subscribers to say ‘hello’ to the power of technology and speedily cruise on the IT & communication superhighway.  ‘Har Hath Mein Phone’ scheme can fructify our government’s plans viz. financial inclusion and reaching the bottom of the pyramid. Linking cellphone numbers with UID can help in the public distribution network. But, fear exists of a similar fate as that suffered by earlier schemes: PDS grains or kerosene (people for whom it’s intended do not receive their due or beneficiaries sell-off rations for money). What if the BPL families do not receive the phone at all (as it’s siphoned off along the way) or receive it and barter their phone for essentials or sell their phone for cash? The whole idea gets defeated.

If the telecom department’s universal service obligation (USO) funds are plush enough to fund this lofty scheme, how about diverting the same funds to serve more meaningful purposes rather than ‘providing access to phone services to people in rural and remote areas at affordable and reasonable prices’? Anyway, without having good infrastructure viz. network, towers, service operations, electricity etc., and transparency, the government’s above stated aim cannot be achieved immediately. Besides, basic-voice-connectivity is already served by the Local/STD/ISD PCOs across the length and breadth of our country. (Thanks to Sam Pitroda & ilk’s three-decade-old Telecom Revolution.) 

Time for the winds of a new revolution to capture Indian Telecommunications. Why not pump in the telecom department’s USO funds for ushering innovation- where India develops the next-generation of Smartphones. They are smart in two ways. Firstly, they are powered by renewable energy sources; phones that get charged by inductive power and get all the energy they need from the environment viz. solar-power, wind-power and alternate energy sources in the vicinity. Secondly, what I envisage as, ‘Audio-Visual Mate’ (AV Mate) technology that guides families and answers their voice-queries 24X7 in their own local language through instant Audio-Visual (AV) responses. Developing this green-cum-intelligent technology, India can trend, taking over the world’s imagination. Then, government won’t have to limit ‘Har Hath Mein Phone’ scheme to only basic phone models or depend on cheap ‘Made-in-China’ phones; it can afford to assign such Smartphones to the BPL families. Imagine suo-motto communication monitoring for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families to expand and improve their quality of life.

Such smartphones can provide solutions to tackle infant-mortality, ignorance, superstitions, illiteracy, poverty, unemployment, poor health, malnutrition & poor sanitation. They can be used to spread mobile-education. Educate a woman and you educate a family. As education is dependent on the parents, it’s important to train, especially the mother, about how and what to teach her child. Such smartphones can serve as friend & philosopher of expecting mothers (right from pregnancy stage), guiding them all throughout their pregnancy, child-birth and beyond and answering their queries.  With AV Mate’s interactive system, a user just asks and gets an instant Audio-Visual reply/answer by a simple Voice query of her’s. This smartphone also communicates with user in her own language. User simply needs to access it, post voice query in her own language and view relevant search-result- appropriate 'AV Encyclopedia' with visual files that plays automatically answering her query in her own language. She can also view the next relevant results in the list by playing related videos that match her query or can initiate a new query by posting different key-words by following the steps as above. AV Mate serves as mother and child’s all-in-one progress report – monitoring their overall health, hygiene, education, nutrition. Each mother’s detailed records are stored in a database and her mobile number is the code that helps access her complete info and tracks her activities. Further, age-specific and relevant audio-visual updates are sent to her mobile automatically so as to benefit both mother and child. If a mother is planning/has more than 1 child, AV Mate provides info about all her children, who have unique ids assigned to them, in turn linked to the mom’s primary id. Illiteracy will no longer be an impediment to responsible motherhood viz. If ‘boils’ erupt over baby’s body, mom can take her phone’s help to find answers to questions like- ‘why’ & ‘where’ to treat it etc. Whether it’s due to heat, chicken-pox etc? Voice updates that – “Date X is the date for Y vaccination. Take child to Z clinic located at ABC street.” Or “Be at home today as Nurse N will visit you at hh:mm hours” Once a mom actually takes her child for the stated health-service (as mentioned above), her concerned mobile number is ticked off the system; else daily alarms continue about due-date/other info. Owners must follow smartphone’s advice/instructions; else the defaulters amongst them are tracked, warned and counselled. Surely, smartphones envisaged as above can revolutionalise women’s lives.

These smartphones mould the future of our nation- the children by monitoring their education on a daily basis and also schedule classroom/students’ meet. It will be tough for anyone to drop-out as smartphone will track truants! Baby hears classical music from inside the womb that’s good for brain development. As age progresses, smartphone keeps record and plays suitable lessons e.g. multiplication tables when child is 5 years old, introducing alphabets, nursery rhymes etc. Children love stories, cartoons and animation. These enhance creativity. Children learn values through moral-stories via Audio-visual-lessons- India’s rich literature viz. Panchatantra, Jataka Tales and Hitopdesha etc. Folk-tales from all over the world and regional stories provide learning.  Attitudes, knowledge and skills are addressed in separate AV lessons. Linguistic, cognitive and social skills are imparted. Children can pick up very easily. Their thoughts and emotions develop as they learn from engaging with the world. Lessons teach their own mother-tongue and also English simultaneously. Children learn best by doing what they love and what’s fun- learning through play activities viz. art and games that inculcate the foundations of decision-making thanks to AV Mate. Applying colours aids to their creativity, perception and memory. Games aid to their learning through self-discovery as children get an opportunity to choose and investigate independently. AV Mate takes care of children’s holistic development. Social, Physical, Intellectual, Creative, Emotional, and Cognitive development widens their horizons, giving fillip to their imagination & creative development. AV Mate also schedules regular classroom lessons & or school meets. 

Similarly, men folk will also progress with info about farming, employment, self-help groups, entrepreneurship etc. Smartphone counters superstitions and aids literacy, family-planning, health & hygiene issues and ensures participation and empowerment right at the grass-roots level. Each family can be tracked with their unique Smartphone number that can be linked to the Aadhar project. This is a perfect Utopian solution. But, to implement this Smartphone scheme, we need a Smart government. Till our government metamorphoses into one, AV Mate can get its beauty sleep.

Meanwhile, instead of ‘Har Hath Mein Phone’, why doesn’t the government empower its BPL citizens by the ‘Jagannath Technology’ scheme that reaches all, just like the Rath Yatra! The idea is to impart effective training and efficiently generate employment for the BPL and other needy sections of our society so that they can help themselves and then, in turn, uplift others by providing jobs. Then, someday, when the BPL population rises, divorcing itself from ‘BPL’, each person can afford his own phone! After all, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Then, we will have a smart India.