Downton Abbey ... the only show which inspires me to write these days.
Changing times ... Lord Grantham, a man struggling to keep pace with the changing times, a man still caught in the old glory days, who thinks the old ways and the old times will last for ever.
Lady Cora Grantham ... her American background makes her more pragmatic, more realist.
The Dowager Lady Grantham ...how I love Maggie Smith ... what a fantastic actress to watch on screen. She is more pragmatic than either her son and even her daughter-in-law ... she is clear sighted ... maybe with the wisdom of age, she is also able to accept the changes as they happen. Probably she has lived through so many changes already, and with the clear vision that her age gives her, she is also more amenable to change. Nothing is so constant as change ... and the Dowager knows that.
I love the relationship between Anna and Lady Mary ... they are truly friends, although the strict social class system doesn't allow them to call each other so. But there is no trace of patronage or talking to a social unequal, in the way Lady Mary speaks to Anna ... and even though Anna shows Mary all the respect as her employer and social superior, she feels free to confide in her, and she knows all Mary's secrets, more so than almost anyone else in the family. And Mary too, takes Anna's advice freely, she knows Anna is clear headed and sensible, and she feels no hesitation in confiding in her, or asking her opinion.
Matthew continues to be my favourite guy ... very sensible, very level headed and his sense of honesty and integrity is so strong ... truly admirable.
Mrs Hughes, Mrs Patmore are women ... they know the pressures, the compulsions, the pitfalls women can fall into ... so they don't censure Ethel ... or they did, but they are quick to forgive her when they see her making the attempt to reform herself. So do Mrs Crawley, Lady Grantham ... even the Dowager and the girls ... while Mr. Carson and Lord Grantham are quick to condemn and slow to understand. Why is it that men are the ones who cause a woman's downfall, and the ones who are the first to label her for that downfall? Hypocrisy of the entire male race.
Read the rantings of the rapist of Nirbhaya on similar lines ... Nirbhaya 'deserved to be raped because she was out with a boyfriend at night, women are meant for cooking and housekeeping, she should not have fought back, and her life would have been spared.'
In this day and age, to hear men speak such despicable rubbish is shocking, disgusting and appalling ... what kind of man, and what kind of upbringing have his parents, especially his mother, given him, that he has such an opinion about the female race in general?
IKNMP ... the wedding continues ... Ragini accepts the news of Neil's engagement with a brave face and even congratulates him, and assures him she is happy he has moved on, they were never meant to be together. Neil doesn't think so ... but then he has to speak up. This comes of having such a bossy sister, and letting her take all the decisions in his life!
Tonight finally Suhani will manage to speak to Ragini ... and the mystery will unfold a little further.
Changing times ... Lord Grantham, a man struggling to keep pace with the changing times, a man still caught in the old glory days, who thinks the old ways and the old times will last for ever.
Lady Cora Grantham ... her American background makes her more pragmatic, more realist.
The Dowager Lady Grantham ...how I love Maggie Smith ... what a fantastic actress to watch on screen. She is more pragmatic than either her son and even her daughter-in-law ... she is clear sighted ... maybe with the wisdom of age, she is also able to accept the changes as they happen. Probably she has lived through so many changes already, and with the clear vision that her age gives her, she is also more amenable to change. Nothing is so constant as change ... and the Dowager knows that.
I love the relationship between Anna and Lady Mary ... they are truly friends, although the strict social class system doesn't allow them to call each other so. But there is no trace of patronage or talking to a social unequal, in the way Lady Mary speaks to Anna ... and even though Anna shows Mary all the respect as her employer and social superior, she feels free to confide in her, and she knows all Mary's secrets, more so than almost anyone else in the family. And Mary too, takes Anna's advice freely, she knows Anna is clear headed and sensible, and she feels no hesitation in confiding in her, or asking her opinion.
Matthew continues to be my favourite guy ... very sensible, very level headed and his sense of honesty and integrity is so strong ... truly admirable.
Mrs Hughes, Mrs Patmore are women ... they know the pressures, the compulsions, the pitfalls women can fall into ... so they don't censure Ethel ... or they did, but they are quick to forgive her when they see her making the attempt to reform herself. So do Mrs Crawley, Lady Grantham ... even the Dowager and the girls ... while Mr. Carson and Lord Grantham are quick to condemn and slow to understand. Why is it that men are the ones who cause a woman's downfall, and the ones who are the first to label her for that downfall? Hypocrisy of the entire male race.
Read the rantings of the rapist of Nirbhaya on similar lines ... Nirbhaya 'deserved to be raped because she was out with a boyfriend at night, women are meant for cooking and housekeeping, she should not have fought back, and her life would have been spared.'
In this day and age, to hear men speak such despicable rubbish is shocking, disgusting and appalling ... what kind of man, and what kind of upbringing have his parents, especially his mother, given him, that he has such an opinion about the female race in general?
IKNMP ... the wedding continues ... Ragini accepts the news of Neil's engagement with a brave face and even congratulates him, and assures him she is happy he has moved on, they were never meant to be together. Neil doesn't think so ... but then he has to speak up. This comes of having such a bossy sister, and letting her take all the decisions in his life!
Tonight finally Suhani will manage to speak to Ragini ... and the mystery will unfold a little further.
Fathers are equally to blame Dia for this sickening mental construct. Both parents create the framework of values that serves as a child's guiding principle through life and if the Father throws his weight around the house by demeaning his womenfolk and he is paid obeisance, then that becomes acceptable behaviour, unfortunately. This has much wider implications as society, at large, then fails to accord respect to its womenfolk and starts to erode their rights to life and identity.
ReplyDeleteSaying all of this, I still do think that there is a level of individual choice in this matter - some of these guys are just plain bestial and looking to 'societal norms' as a cover up for their behaviour.
Aki, true ... both the parents are responsible ... i guess these guys grow up seeing their fathers and other men mistreat the women of the house, disrespect them, and treat them like crap ... the women accept such behaviour ... so the guys grow up thinking this is the norm.
DeleteBut yes, there is some individual choice involved too ... men can choose to see the best and emulate it ... or the worst, and emulate that.
Also I have to say, BW movies where 'heroes' stalk the heroines, tease them, almost to the point of molestation ... and the girls then tamely fall into their arms ... all this tends to justify this behaviour, and make these guys feel that it's acceptable. And that they can molest any girl and she should accept it and be happy for the attention ... because of course when a girl says 'no', she actually means 'yes' ... it has to be a man who dreamed up that idiotic saying.
Caught a few minutes of the new Gautami Kapoor show, Tere Sheher Mein ... honestly, don't the PHs and channels screen test these kids before taking them as leads. All three girls are so bad, and the girl Amaya is simply awful! She's supposed to be this sophisticated young girl, and they don't even bother to find an actor who can speak a few words of English properly! Plus her characterization is quite obnoxious right now.
ReplyDeleteIn comparison, the adults, Gautami and the guy who plays her husband, are so much better, the contrast is glaring.
Started watching two shows on the new channel, &TV ... Gangaa and Begusarai. Very good acting and production values, but the concepts are dated ... let's see how long they hold my attention.
ReplyDeleteDownton Abbey - Awesome show. :)
ReplyDeleteGangaa ... Two brothers, and so different? Sagar, the younger one, a spoilt brat, wants everything his way, and treats Ganga like a toy. Pulkit, the older one ... is he in some sort of trouble? Yet he is the nicer one ... he stops his brother treating Ganga like an inanimate object, and points out that she's human too ... thereby earning Ganga's gratitude and admiration. Looks like she will hero-worship Pulkit. But also looks like she will manage to win Sagar over and make him do what she wants, or what she needs ... even if she has to give in to his tyrannical ways. And if the family doesn't stop spoiling him, Sagar has the makings of a very nasty tyrant when he grows up.
ReplyDeleteGanga's father was an exceedingly wise man, and his words remain with Ganga. Such a touching scene at the end, as she remembers her father putting her to sleep, and moves her hand over her eyes in yearning imitation. Ganga's father definitely seems wiser and a better father than Niranjan ... or maybe Niranjan is overruled by the two women who dote on the two boys - the mother on Pulkit, and the daadi on Sagar.
Sagar's daadi cooks and eats separately from the family. Self-imposed isolation? From Niranjan's attitude, it definitely doesn't seem that he would condone such backward ways. But it's nice that Daadi hasn't insisted that Ganga too has to follow those outdated customs. Wonder if Ganga will manage to change Daadi's isolation and mindset.
After Matthew's death, Lord Grantham goes back into his old ways ... Mary must be 'protected' from the harsh realities of the world, she is not capable of making decisions about running the estate, she should leave it all to him ... back to the old patriarchal mindset. He did realise, from his friend Shrimpie's experience, that by backing Matthew and Tom's modernization plans, he and Downton had a narrow escape ... but he still hasn't moved sufficiently with the times. Or he is still possessive enough about Downton, to think that he knows best, definitely better than his daughter ... after all, she is just a woman, how can she know better than him?
ReplyDeleteHow difficult it is to get over old outdated mindsets and prejudices!!!
I don't like the new lady's maid at all ... she is a sly creature. Am glad Tom confided in Mrs. Hughes and Mr. Carson ... both those stalwarts have the best interests of the family at heart, and a great deal of common sense.
Very touching scenes in Ganga today ... the little girl cremating her father, and the flashbacks. Felt so sad for her ... how terrible to be so completely alone.
ReplyDeletePrecap - will Sagar actually become nicer to her? From the names, it will be Sagar and Ganga ... but long time to wait till they grow up. The little girl is a very good actress.
Ganga ...Sagar gets a lesson on realities of life. What is 'special' about him? Why is he so pampered as compared to Pulkit?
ReplyDeletePulkit seems to handle Sagar more maturely than his mother does.
As a result, Sagar is becoming nicer towards Ganga ... the start of a more equal friendship, and less of treating her like a pet doll.