1999- Review
After I saw Kamal's Dasavatharam at Woodside Cinema, I stopped going out to cinemas to see Tamil movies. I thought they were so unworthy to spend hard earned 10 bucks and three hours. But Lenin. M. Sivam's 1999 was a movie I couldn't afford to miss. I've reasons aplenty. It was a Tamil movie selected to be screened at the Vancouver International Film Festival this year, as one among 350 movies from Canada and other countries. It was voted as one of the Top 10 films made in Canada this year. Good enough to raise curiosity hah..... But I had one more reason to see this film. Raj Thillaiampalam, the man who composed songs and arranged background scores, comes from a family which I know and respect. Yes, their family and our family have shared mutual respect and love for couple of generations atleast as far as I know. Further, Raj's dad was my private Math teacher during my advanced level times. So, I had an extra reason to go to the cinemas to see a movie after a long time.
Plot
1999 is a story about three youngsters. All are from Srilanka and all have lost atleast one parent due to the civil war. Kumar (Thilepan Somasegaram) is a gang leader in the eastside. His parents were killed in Srilanka, and he came to Canada with his little brother as an 18 year old. He gets involved in this bloody gang business after his brothers involvement in a fight with members of a westside gang, led by Maranai. He wants to get out of all the crap using the 'Peace' time, organized by elders between East and West.
Anpu (Suthan Mahalingam) lives with his dad who is a workoholic. Anpu is a member of Kumar's gang for 5 years. He and his father Suntharam (Ampalavanar Ketheeswaran) always get into arguments about his activities. Suntharam wants his son to get away from the gang and start a good life.
Akilan (Kandee Kana) is a harworking student, who is studying at Waterloo. He has a Grandpa (K.S. Balachandran), who is friendly. Akilan also lost his parents during the war. He wants to help kids in Vanni, he collects funds to do so in his free time.
Anpu and Akilan were good friends in high school times. Both have some feelings (lets say One-side love) towards their high school angel, Geetha (Luxi). They both have plans to express their love to Geetha on her birthday. But their lives take a horrible turn the day before Geetha's birthday.
Did Kumar succeed in getting out of the Gangster live and lead a good life?
Did Anpu chang and make his father happy?
Who wins the race to secure the special place in Geetha's heart?
All questions are answered in the film.
Cast
Most of the performers did their job very well. But one would have to say, Suthan Mahalingam as Anpu steals the show. He has given a stellar performance. Thilepan Somasegaram as Kumar does his part without much trouble. Seasoned performers like Ampalavanar Ketheeswaran and K.S. Balachandran were good. Kandee Kana's performance was disappointing. Particularly in the scene where he shares some jokes with his grandpa, it was medicore. Luxi didn't get anything to do except walking here and there in nice dresses (and those alluring eyes) in song sequences (cliches would be a better word, sorry Lenin)
Crew
Given all the limitations this crew had, I didn't expect this sort of a quality output. The captain of the ship Lenin.M.Sivam chose a very good story line, used complicated method of story telling, (the method used by heavyweights like Akira Kurosawa, Alejandro Gonzalaz Injarittu) and told the story without any complications. Camera was O.K, given they didn't have the leverage to use high quality state of the art cameras. Raj's music and back ground score was nice if not ground breaking. (I like S.P.Bala's and Karthik's songs).
Weak areas
Climax was not the best. The reason for the death of one of the three main characters is not well explained. Mistaken identity can not be a logical reason in this case. That missing logic in Screenplay could've been linked through dialougues, but I don't care about it, since this is Lenin's first attempt in the mainstream cinema. The biggest weakness in this movie is the characterization of the femal lead role. This character doesn't have a single scene except two dream songs. This is one area our (Srilankan Tamil) film makers should avoid. It has become an identity of Indian cinema, and to have an identity of our own, we must avoid these.
Final Remarks
Lenin, well done mate. I understand the pains of making a movie with such limited resources (cast, crew, finance, time etc). I also understand the hardships in Marketing these movies, particularly in standing head to head with Indian movies with greater entertainment packages. I heard about the struggle you had in securing cinemas and the trouble you faced in getting crowds. But mate, amongst all these, you did a commendable job. So, everyone in the cast and crew of 1999, pat yourself on the back. Job well done.
Plot1999 is a story about three youngsters. All are from Srilanka and all have lost atleast one parent due to the civil war. Kumar (Thilepan Somasegaram) is a gang leader in the eastside. His parents were killed in Srilanka, and he came to Canada with his little brother as an 18 year old. He gets involved in this bloody gang business after his brothers involvement in a fight with members of a westside gang, led by Maranai. He wants to get out of all the crap using the 'Peace' time, organized by elders between East and West.
Anpu (Suthan Mahalingam) lives with his dad who is a workoholic. Anpu is a member of Kumar's gang for 5 years. He and his father Suntharam (Ampalavanar Ketheeswaran) always get into arguments about his activities. Suntharam wants his son to get away from the gang and start a good life.
Akilan (Kandee Kana) is a harworking student, who is studying at Waterloo. He has a Grandpa (K.S. Balachandran), who is friendly. Akilan also lost his parents during the war. He wants to help kids in Vanni, he collects funds to do so in his free time.
Anpu and Akilan were good friends in high school times. Both have some feelings (lets say One-side love) towards their high school angel, Geetha (Luxi). They both have plans to express their love to Geetha on her birthday. But their lives take a horrible turn the day before Geetha's birthday.
Did Kumar succeed in getting out of the Gangster live and lead a good life?
Did Anpu chang and make his father happy?
Who wins the race to secure the special place in Geetha's heart?
All questions are answered in the film.
Cast
Most of the performers did their job very well. But one would have to say, Suthan Mahalingam as Anpu steals the show. He has given a stellar performance. Thilepan Somasegaram as Kumar does his part without much trouble. Seasoned performers like Ampalavanar Ketheeswaran and K.S. Balachandran were good. Kandee Kana's performance was disappointing. Particularly in the scene where he shares some jokes with his grandpa, it was medicore. Luxi didn't get anything to do except walking here and there in nice dresses (and those alluring eyes) in song sequences (cliches would be a better word, sorry Lenin)
Crew
Given all the limitations this crew had, I didn't expect this sort of a quality output. The captain of the ship Lenin.M.Sivam chose a very good story line, used complicated method of story telling, (the method used by heavyweights like Akira Kurosawa, Alejandro Gonzalaz Injarittu) and told the story without any complications. Camera was O.K, given they didn't have the leverage to use high quality state of the art cameras. Raj's music and back ground score was nice if not ground breaking. (I like S.P.Bala's and Karthik's songs).
Weak areas
Climax was not the best. The reason for the death of one of the three main characters is not well explained. Mistaken identity can not be a logical reason in this case. That missing logic in Screenplay could've been linked through dialougues, but I don't care about it, since this is Lenin's first attempt in the mainstream cinema. The biggest weakness in this movie is the characterization of the femal lead role. This character doesn't have a single scene except two dream songs. This is one area our (Srilankan Tamil) film makers should avoid. It has become an identity of Indian cinema, and to have an identity of our own, we must avoid these.
Final Remarks
Lenin, well done mate. I understand the pains of making a movie with such limited resources (cast, crew, finance, time etc). I also understand the hardships in Marketing these movies, particularly in standing head to head with Indian movies with greater entertainment packages. I heard about the struggle you had in securing cinemas and the trouble you faced in getting crowds. But mate, amongst all these, you did a commendable job. So, everyone in the cast and crew of 1999, pat yourself on the back. Job well done.
Verdict: 1999 was a better reward for the money and time spent, even better than what I got from spending same amount and one more hour in watching Dasavatharam.
Depandant vs Dependent
Oh gosh... this isn't right. I didn't even relize this untill some dude expressed concerns over it in a Taxation class. So I had to go back and learn bit of grammar...argggggh.. that sucks.
We see these two words...ah no these two ways spellings this particular word,pronounced almost in the same way, every where, most commonly on documents related to Income-tax. DEPENDANT or DEPENDENT??? Which is the right spelling for this word?
I searched all over, internet, books, dictionaries.... and now I have a clear picture.
We see these two words...ah no these two ways spellings this particular word,pronounced almost in the same way, every where, most commonly on documents related to Income-tax. DEPENDANT or DEPENDENT??? Which is the right spelling for this word?
I searched all over, internet, books, dictionaries.... and now I have a clear picture.
The British Way
If it's spelled DEPENDANT, it is used as a noun. It means a person depends on other person for support.
Example: He has three DEPENDANTS, his wife and two children
If it's spelled DEPENDENT, it is used as an adjective. It means relying on or requiring the aid of another for support.
Example:
A dog is DEPENDENT upon its owner for food.
A single mother with two DEPENDENT children......(Tax)
or controlled by, varying with.
Example:
Our grades are DEPENDENT on the work we do.
Example: He has three DEPENDANTS, his wife and two children
If it's spelled DEPENDENT, it is used as an adjective. It means relying on or requiring the aid of another for support.
Example:
A dog is DEPENDENT upon its owner for food.
A single mother with two DEPENDENT children......(Tax)
or controlled by, varying with.
Example:
Our grades are DEPENDENT on the work we do.
The American Way
As usual, our neighbours don't want to make matters complicated. The noun, and the adjective drawn from the word 'DEPEND' are spelled the same way, 'DEPENDENT'
Examples:
He has three DEPENDENTS, his wife and two children- used as noun
A dog is DEPENDENT upon its owner for food- used as adjective
A single mother with two DEPENDENT children......(Tax)- used as adjective
Our grades are DEPENDENT on the work we do- used as adjective
Examples:
He has three DEPENDENTS, his wife and two children- used as noun
A dog is DEPENDENT upon its owner for food- used as adjective
A single mother with two DEPENDENT children......(Tax)- used as adjective
Our grades are DEPENDENT on the work we do- used as adjective
The Canadian way
I guess Canadians are influenced very much by both U.S. and U.K., and they want to be friends with both. I've seen the usage of DEPENDANT and DEPENDENT without any control. So to make sure in what context it is used, especially when we see 'DEPENDENT' we have to go back to our school days and bring back whatever we learned during Grammar lessons.
This little explaination from MSN Encarta may help you.
Do not confuse 'DEPENDANT' with 'DEPENDENT' which has the same pronounciation. The adjective derived from the verb 'DEPEND' is always spelled 'DEPENDENT' in both British and U.S. English.
Example: The young birds are still DEPENDENT on their parents.
The noun meaning 'somebody who is supported financially by another' is usually spelled 'DEPENDENT' in U.S. English and 'DEPENDANT' in British English.
Example: A woman with no DEPENDENTS (U.S.), A woman with no DEPENDANTS (U.K.)
This little explaination from MSN Encarta may help you.
Do not confuse 'DEPENDANT' with 'DEPENDENT' which has the same pronounciation. The adjective derived from the verb 'DEPEND' is always spelled 'DEPENDENT' in both British and U.S. English.
Example: The young birds are still DEPENDENT on their parents.
The noun meaning 'somebody who is supported financially by another' is usually spelled 'DEPENDENT' in U.S. English and 'DEPENDANT' in British English.
Example: A woman with no DEPENDENTS (U.S.), A woman with no DEPENDANTS (U.K.)
Sources
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861603806/dependant.html
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861603810/dependent.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependant
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dependant
and
Newbury House Dictionary of American English
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861603806/dependant.html
http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861603810/dependent.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dependant
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dependant
and
Newbury House Dictionary of American English
The Lady Or The Tiger?
You gotta love this guy, Frank Stockton. Oh, my... he wrote this way back in 1882 and for me this is the mother of fables. And infact, a thriller in a sense. Juz read it out guys
**---**---**
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In the very olden time there lived a semi-barbaric king, whose ideas, though somewhat polished and sharpened by the progressiveness of distant Latin neighbors, were still large, florid, and untrammeled, as became the half of him which was barbaric. He was a man of exuberant fancy, and, withal, of an authority so irresistible that, at his will, he turned his varied fancies into facts. He was greatly given to self-communing, and, when he and himself agreed upon anything, the thing was done. When every member of his domestic and political systems moved smoothly in its appointed course, his nature was bland and genial; but, whenever there was a little hitch, and some of his orbs got out of their orbits, he was blander and more genial still, for nothing pleased him so much as to make the crooked straight and crush down uneven places.
Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.
But even here the exuberant and barbaric fancy asserted itself. The arena of the king was built, not to give the people an opportunity of hearing the rhapsodies of dying gladiators, nor to enable them to view the inevitable conclusion of a conflict between religious opinions and hungry jaws, but for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people. This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages, was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.
When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the king's arena, a structure which well deserved its name, for, although its form and plan were borrowed from afar, its purpose emanated solely from the brain of this man, who, every barleycorn a king, knew no tradition to which he owed more allegiance than pleased his fancy, and who ingrafted on every adopted form of human thought and action the rich growth of his barbaric idealism.
When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. Directly opposite him, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trial to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased; he was subject to no guidance or influence but that of the aforementioned impartial and incorruptible chance. If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a punishment for his guilt. The moment that the case of the criminal was thus decided, doleful iron bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena, and the vast audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way, mourning greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate.
But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came forth from it a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his innocence. It mattered not that he might already possess a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon an object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward. The exercises, as in the other instance, took place immediately, and in the arena. Another door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band of choristers, and dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure, advanced to where the pair stood, side by side, and the wedding was promptly and cheerily solemnized. Then the gay brass bells rang forth their merry peals, the people shouted glad hurrahs, and the innocent man, preceded by children strewing flowers on his path, led his bride to his home.
This was the king's semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious. The criminal could not know out of which door would come the lady; he opened either he pleased, without having the slightest idea whether, in the next instant, he was to be devoured or married. On some occasions the tiger came out of one door, and on some out of the other. The decisions of this tribunal were not only fair, they were positively determinate: the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot, whether he liked it or not. There was no escape from the judgments of the king's arena.
The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. This element of uncertainty lent an interest to the occasion which it could not otherwise have attained. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?
This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As is usual in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. Among his courtiers was a young man of that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the conventional heroes of romance who love royal maidens. This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its existence. He did not hesitate nor waver in regard to his duty in the premises. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king's arena. This, of course, was an especially important occasion, and his majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly interested in the workings and development of this trial. Never before had such a case occurred; never before had a subject dared to love the daughter of the king. In after years such things became commonplace enough, but then they were in no slight degree novel and startling.
The tiger-cages of the kingdom were searched for the most savage and relentless beasts, from which the fiercest monster might be selected for the arena; and the ranks of maiden youth and beauty throughout the land were carefully surveyed by competent judges in order that the young man might have a fitting bride in case fate did not determine for him a different destiny. Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done. He had loved the princess, and neither he, she, nor any one else, thought of denying the fact; but the king would not think of allowing any fact of this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events, which would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in allowing himself to love the princess.
The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people gathered, and thronged the great galleries of the arena, and crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors, those fateful portals, so terrible in their similarity.
All was ready. The signal was given. A door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. Tall, beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half the audience had not known so grand a youth had lived among them. No wonder the princess loved him! What a terrible thing for him to be there!
As the youth advanced into the arena he turned, as the custom was, to bow to the king, but he did not think at all of that royal personage. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the right of her father. Had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probable that lady would not have been there, but her intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent on an occasion in which she was so terribly interested. From the moment that the decree had gone forth that her lover should decide his fate in the king's arena, she had thought of nothing, night or day, but this great event and the various subjects connected with it. Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done - she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady. Through these thick doors, heavily curtained with skins on the inside, it was impossible that any noise or suggestion should come from within to the person who should approach to raise the latch of one of them. But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess.
And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now and then she had seen them talking together; it was but for a moment or two, but much can be said in a brief space; it may have been on most unimportant topics, but how could she know that? The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.
When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, paler and whiter than any one in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her, he saw, by that power of quick perception which is given to those whose souls are one, that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king. The only hope for the youth in which there was any element of certainty was based upon the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed.
Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: "Which?" It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another.
Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena.
He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.
Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady ?
The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?
How often, in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger!
But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady! How her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman, with her flushing cheek and sparkling eye of triumph; when she had seen him lead her forth, his whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life; when she had heard the glad shouts from the multitude, and the wild ringing of the happy bells; when she had seen the priest, with his joyous followers, advance to the couple, and make them man and wife before her very eyes; and when she had seen them walk away together upon their path of flowers, followed by the tremendous shouts of the hilarious multitude, in which her one despairing shriek was lost and drowned!
Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity?
And yet, that awful tiger, those shrieks, that blood!
Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right.
The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door - the lady, or the tiger?
Among the borrowed notions by which his barbarism had become semified was that of the public arena, in which, by exhibitions of manly and beastly valor, the minds of his subjects were refined and cultured.
But even here the exuberant and barbaric fancy asserted itself. The arena of the king was built, not to give the people an opportunity of hearing the rhapsodies of dying gladiators, nor to enable them to view the inevitable conclusion of a conflict between religious opinions and hungry jaws, but for purposes far better adapted to widen and develop the mental energies of the people. This vast amphitheater, with its encircling galleries, its mysterious vaults, and its unseen passages, was an agent of poetic justice, in which crime was punished, or virtue rewarded, by the decrees of an impartial and incorruptible chance.
When a subject was accused of a crime of sufficient importance to interest the king, public notice was given that on an appointed day the fate of the accused person would be decided in the king's arena, a structure which well deserved its name, for, although its form and plan were borrowed from afar, its purpose emanated solely from the brain of this man, who, every barleycorn a king, knew no tradition to which he owed more allegiance than pleased his fancy, and who ingrafted on every adopted form of human thought and action the rich growth of his barbaric idealism.
When all the people had assembled in the galleries, and the king, surrounded by his court, sat high up on his throne of royal state on one side of the arena, he gave a signal, a door beneath him opened, and the accused subject stepped out into the amphitheater. Directly opposite him, on the other side of the enclosed space, were two doors, exactly alike and side by side. It was the duty and the privilege of the person on trial to walk directly to these doors and open one of them. He could open either door he pleased; he was subject to no guidance or influence but that of the aforementioned impartial and incorruptible chance. If he opened the one, there came out of it a hungry tiger, the fiercest and most cruel that could be procured, which immediately sprang upon him and tore him to pieces as a punishment for his guilt. The moment that the case of the criminal was thus decided, doleful iron bells were clanged, great wails went up from the hired mourners posted on the outer rim of the arena, and the vast audience, with bowed heads and downcast hearts, wended slowly their homeward way, mourning greatly that one so young and fair, or so old and respected, should have merited so dire a fate.
But, if the accused person opened the other door, there came forth from it a lady, the most suitable to his years and station that his majesty could select among his fair subjects, and to this lady he was immediately married, as a reward of his innocence. It mattered not that he might already possess a wife and family, or that his affections might be engaged upon an object of his own selection; the king allowed no such subordinate arrangements to interfere with his great scheme of retribution and reward. The exercises, as in the other instance, took place immediately, and in the arena. Another door opened beneath the king, and a priest, followed by a band of choristers, and dancing maidens blowing joyous airs on golden horns and treading an epithalamic measure, advanced to where the pair stood, side by side, and the wedding was promptly and cheerily solemnized. Then the gay brass bells rang forth their merry peals, the people shouted glad hurrahs, and the innocent man, preceded by children strewing flowers on his path, led his bride to his home.
This was the king's semi-barbaric method of administering justice. Its perfect fairness is obvious. The criminal could not know out of which door would come the lady; he opened either he pleased, without having the slightest idea whether, in the next instant, he was to be devoured or married. On some occasions the tiger came out of one door, and on some out of the other. The decisions of this tribunal were not only fair, they were positively determinate: the accused person was instantly punished if he found himself guilty, and, if innocent, he was rewarded on the spot, whether he liked it or not. There was no escape from the judgments of the king's arena.
The institution was a very popular one. When the people gathered together on one of the great trial days, they never knew whether they were to witness a bloody slaughter or a hilarious wedding. This element of uncertainty lent an interest to the occasion which it could not otherwise have attained. Thus, the masses were entertained and pleased, and the thinking part of the community could bring no charge of unfairness against this plan, for did not the accused person have the whole matter in his own hands?
This semi-barbaric king had a daughter as blooming as his most florid fancies, and with a soul as fervent and imperious as his own. As is usual in such cases, she was the apple of his eye, and was loved by him above all humanity. Among his courtiers was a young man of that fineness of blood and lowness of station common to the conventional heroes of romance who love royal maidens. This royal maiden was well satisfied with her lover, for he was handsome and brave to a degree unsurpassed in all this kingdom, and she loved him with an ardor that had enough of barbarism in it to make it exceedingly warm and strong. This love affair moved on happily for many months, until one day the king happened to discover its existence. He did not hesitate nor waver in regard to his duty in the premises. The youth was immediately cast into prison, and a day was appointed for his trial in the king's arena. This, of course, was an especially important occasion, and his majesty, as well as all the people, was greatly interested in the workings and development of this trial. Never before had such a case occurred; never before had a subject dared to love the daughter of the king. In after years such things became commonplace enough, but then they were in no slight degree novel and startling.
The tiger-cages of the kingdom were searched for the most savage and relentless beasts, from which the fiercest monster might be selected for the arena; and the ranks of maiden youth and beauty throughout the land were carefully surveyed by competent judges in order that the young man might have a fitting bride in case fate did not determine for him a different destiny. Of course, everybody knew that the deed with which the accused was charged had been done. He had loved the princess, and neither he, she, nor any one else, thought of denying the fact; but the king would not think of allowing any fact of this kind to interfere with the workings of the tribunal, in which he took such great delight and satisfaction. No matter how the affair turned out, the youth would be disposed of, and the king would take an aesthetic pleasure in watching the course of events, which would determine whether or not the young man had done wrong in allowing himself to love the princess.
The appointed day arrived. From far and near the people gathered, and thronged the great galleries of the arena, and crowds, unable to gain admittance, massed themselves against its outside walls. The king and his court were in their places, opposite the twin doors, those fateful portals, so terrible in their similarity.
All was ready. The signal was given. A door beneath the royal party opened, and the lover of the princess walked into the arena. Tall, beautiful, fair, his appearance was greeted with a low hum of admiration and anxiety. Half the audience had not known so grand a youth had lived among them. No wonder the princess loved him! What a terrible thing for him to be there!
As the youth advanced into the arena he turned, as the custom was, to bow to the king, but he did not think at all of that royal personage. His eyes were fixed upon the princess, who sat to the right of her father. Had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probable that lady would not have been there, but her intense and fervid soul would not allow her to be absent on an occasion in which she was so terribly interested. From the moment that the decree had gone forth that her lover should decide his fate in the king's arena, she had thought of nothing, night or day, but this great event and the various subjects connected with it. Possessed of more power, influence, and force of character than any one who had ever before been interested in such a case, she had done what no other person had done - she had possessed herself of the secret of the doors. She knew in which of the two rooms, that lay behind those doors, stood the cage of the tiger, with its open front, and in which waited the lady. Through these thick doors, heavily curtained with skins on the inside, it was impossible that any noise or suggestion should come from within to the person who should approach to raise the latch of one of them. But gold, and the power of a woman's will, had brought the secret to the princess.
And not only did she know in which room stood the lady ready to emerge, all blushing and radiant, should her door be opened, but she knew who the lady was. It was one of the fairest and loveliest of the damsels of the court who had been selected as the reward of the accused youth, should he be proved innocent of the crime of aspiring to one so far above him; and the princess hated her. Often had she seen, or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned. Now and then she had seen them talking together; it was but for a moment or two, but much can be said in a brief space; it may have been on most unimportant topics, but how could she know that? The girl was lovely, but she had dared to raise her eyes to the loved one of the princess; and, with all the intensity of the savage blood transmitted to her through long lines of wholly barbaric ancestors, she hated the woman who blushed and trembled behind that silent door.
When her lover turned and looked at her, and his eye met hers as she sat there, paler and whiter than any one in the vast ocean of anxious faces about her, he saw, by that power of quick perception which is given to those whose souls are one, that she knew behind which door crouched the tiger, and behind which stood the lady. He had expected her to know it. He understood her nature, and his soul was assured that she would never rest until she had made plain to herself this thing, hidden to all other lookers-on, even to the king. The only hope for the youth in which there was any element of certainty was based upon the success of the princess in discovering this mystery; and the moment he looked upon her, he saw she had succeeded, as in his soul he knew she would succeed.
Then it was that his quick and anxious glance asked the question: "Which?" It was as plain to her as if he shouted it from where he stood. There was not an instant to be lost. The question was asked in a flash; it must be answered in another.
Her right arm lay on the cushioned parapet before her. She raised her hand, and made a slight, quick movement toward the right. No one but her lover saw her. Every eye but his was fixed on the man in the arena.
He turned, and with a firm and rapid step he walked across the empty space. Every heart stopped beating, every breath was held, every eye was fixed immovably upon that man. Without the slightest hesitation, he went to the door on the right, and opened it.
Now, the point of the story is this: Did the tiger come out of that door, or did the lady ?
The more we reflect upon this question, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human heart which leads us through devious mazes of passion, out of which it is difficult to find our way. Think of it, fair reader, not as if the decision of the question depended upon yourself, but upon that hot-blooded, semi-barbaric princess, her soul at a white heat beneath the combined fires of despair and jealousy. She had lost him, but who should have him?
How often, in her waking hours and in her dreams, had she started in wild horror, and covered her face with her hands as she thought of her lover opening the door on the other side of which waited the cruel fangs of the tiger!
But how much oftener had she seen him at the other door! How in her grievous reveries had she gnashed her teeth, and torn her hair, when she saw his start of rapturous delight as he opened the door of the lady! How her soul had burned in agony when she had seen him rush to meet that woman, with her flushing cheek and sparkling eye of triumph; when she had seen him lead her forth, his whole frame kindled with the joy of recovered life; when she had heard the glad shouts from the multitude, and the wild ringing of the happy bells; when she had seen the priest, with his joyous followers, advance to the couple, and make them man and wife before her very eyes; and when she had seen them walk away together upon their path of flowers, followed by the tremendous shouts of the hilarious multitude, in which her one despairing shriek was lost and drowned!
Would it not be better for him to die at once, and go to wait for her in the blessed regions of semi-barbaric futurity?
And yet, that awful tiger, those shrieks, that blood!
Her decision had been indicated in an instant, but it had been made after days and nights of anguished deliberation. She had known she would be asked, she had decided what she would answer, and, without the slightest hesitation, she had moved her hand to the right.
The question of her decision is one not to be lightly considered, and it is not for me to presume to set myself up as the one person able to answer it. And so I leave it with all of you: Which came out of the opened door - the lady, or the tiger?
T20 Final Report
Again I was 50 percent wrong. I expected a South Africa- Srilanka final, but Pakistan knocked out South Africa in a clinical performance, and further, went on to win the championship without much trouble. It was a fight between two of the best bowling sides in the tournament, and Pakistan, just like one of their star players Abdul Razzaq made a fairy tale comeback and won the championship that evaded them by 5 runs in 2007.Semi-final #1: South Africa vs Pakistan
The tournament favorites were rocked early despite capturing wickets. Kamran Akmal's 12 ball 23 set the tone and South Africa's impeccable seam attack was under pressure for once. Afridi, promoted to No. 3 in the batting order played a mature hand to everyone's surprise, by scoring 51 off 34 balls with 8 fours. South Africa came back strongly with some fantastic death over bowling to restrict pakistan to 149. During their chase they got off to a reasonable start through Kallis and Smith. Young seamer Aamer removed Smith while Afridi sent Gibbs and Devilliers back quickly. Some brilliant containment by Gul, Afridi and Ajmal left South Africa needing 23 off the last over. Despite Kallis scoring 64 and Duminy scoring an unbeaten 44 pakistan qualified for the finals for the second time in a row.
Semi-final #2: Srilanka vs West IndiesAn astonishing solo from Tillakaratne Dilshan and a clinical bowling performance booked Srilanka's final ticket. Put into bat, most Srilankan batsmen struggled to get going, but Dilshan didn't. With a fine unbeaten 96 off 57 balls he carried Srilanka to 158. He didn't get enough strike towards the end of the innings to complete his 100. Jayasuria's painstaking 24 off 37 balls was the next best score for Srilanka. But the runchase was off to a nightmare of a start. Windies lost Xavier Marshall, Lendl Simmons and the in-form Dwayne Bravo for ducks in Angelo Matthews' first over itself. They never got back and were blown away for 101 runs, out of which skipper Chris Gayle made an unbeaten 63. No other batsmen reached double figures as the Lankan bowlers were at their miserly best.
Final: Pakistan vs SrilankaLabelled as firm favorites the Islanders won the toss and choose to bat. Aware of Pakistan's middle over and end over bowling strength they went hard at the new ball, a move backfired horribly. Srilanka were reduced to 34/4 after the 6 powerplay overs, with come-back man Abdul Razzaq picking up three wickets and young Aamer bouncing Dilshan out for a duck in the very first over. Srilanka found themselves in an even more deeper hole at 70/6 but their inspirational captain Kumar Sangakkara combined forces with young all rounder Matthews to carry his team to 138/6 in 20 overs, with the pair plundering 59 runs in the last 5 overs. Pakistan's chase was so un-Pakistan. They were, for a change, very professional. Kamaran Akmal was again in good form and smacked 37 off 28 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixers. Despite loosing the second wicket at 63, Afridi, promoted again to No.3 and Shoaib Malik played mature hands in seeing Pakistan through with 8 balls to spare. Afridi's 40 ball 54 included 2 sixers and 2 fours and was the most mature innings of him ever. He was named man of the match, and Dilshan just pipped Afridi for the Man of the Series Award.
After the incidents at Lahore, where the touring Srilankan team was attacked by gunmen, Pakistan has been starved of cricket with teams refusing to tour. With the 2011 World Cup 50 over competition moved away from Pakistan, this is a very very very important victory for Pakistan as a Nation. Cheers Pakistan, Well Played.
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