Rohan N Group Inspiration/Plagiarism

For those who do not know, Rohan n Group is Hip Hop dance troupe based out of Nalasopara a suburb in Mumbai. They have won several group dance competitions. They often seen performing on Sansui Boogie-Woogie,television show on Sony Television. They were also the semifinalist at another reality show called "India Got Talent".

Since I had seen them performing on boogie-woogie, I am their big admirer. However although they are a reason and also an example for this post, I would trace upon slightly different topic.

Just today,in a public forum I saw a post with heading "Rohan n group are cheaters" as all of their performances are rip off from some western dance shows or some movies based on street dancing.I do see they have copied many of their dance moves\steps. It was even true to their initial performances. Most of their choreography has shades of dance numbers from Hollywood flick "You got served".

Apparently I feel this thing called creativity or originality itself is foreign to Indian mind. Take any field or any sector in India and you would witness such a blatant plagiarism executed without a slightest sigh of guilt.Still lets give Rohan n Group a little consideration and call it a inspiration.

First of all they hail from a place where people would prefer fighting over basic needs than nurturing hobbies. Yet these bunch of college kids manage to pull off a movement New York's streets had witness in 1970s.

Maximum City,Mumbai lost and found.

My association with Mumbai is fairly recent. Neither its going to be permanent anytime soon.Many believe this city is addictive. I am an exception to that trend. In fact I often feel totally out of place here. Even then a short stint with this city's inherent spirit has pulled off my curiosity. Short because I have hardly stayed in Mumbai long enough to be called a Mumbaikar in true sense. Besides its the place where I started implementing what I had learned over a period of 23 years, my first job, the good bad old time, I wish I could have written something at that point of time. Anyways I am here to talk only the 500 page book have read fully :). Indeed a big achievement for budding reader like me.

So I would refrain from talking more on my past and would stick to the book by Suketu Mehta. To be very honest I hate reading books on India bashing. Especially the books which talks off every possible cliche ranging from, slums to call centers, westerners romanticize with. Maximum City is pretty close to it. I never expected it to be like this when I decided to buy it. I read Dany Boyle quoting Maximum city in one of his interviews when he was promoting Slumdog Millionaire.

Apparently movie falls under the same genre. Still may be my lost love for Mumbai motivated me to buy it.

Its a gripping account on Mumbai's dark side in most of the chapters. Narration is so engrossing that you end up reading it like a fiction. Author has nicely put together the imperative elements of this complex metropolis. Throughout the book we experience the lives of supercops, gansters, bar dancers,politians many individuals which constitues this unique ecosystem.

Go Kiss the World

My track record with reading books is pretty bad. I am a lazy reader. Although I am very fond of books. I just love to buy them whenever somebody recommends one. Most difficult part follows afterwards as I must read them. Finding time for reading is rarest of rare. Even if I could able to get some time, the initial fifteen minutes of reading must be engrossing enough to finish reading it. Or else it might lie in my book shelf forever untouched.

It was not true for "Go Kiss the world" by Subroto Bagchi. I bought it almost a month ago and started reading it just yesterday. Surprisingly I have finished reading it. Credit goes to the author.

Its a concisely written story by Bagchi himself on his life and professional success. The book truly offers what it claims "Life lessons for young professionals".

Author provides an account of his upbringing, education, career through various chapters without being too verbose.He has emphasized primarily on his grooming into a successful entrepreneur augmented by the stories of people, events, mentors who played the crucial role in this process.