THE MERCURIAN TIMES

OSCAR AWARDS   The 2017 Oscars were no wonder one of a kind. It saw so many new records being made, had notable firsts and was full of surprises. Hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel for the very first time, the 89th Academy Awards took place on February 26, 2017 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, United States. This year La La Land received the maximum nominations with a record-tying fourteen [ All About Eve(1950) and Titanic(1997) ] followed by Arrival and Moonlight with eight nominations each.   Following is the list of all the awards that were given out during this star-studded ceremony : 1.       Best Picture- Moonlight 2.       Best Director- Damien Chazelle (La La Land) 3.       Best Actor- Cassey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea) 4.       Best Actress- Emma Stone (La La Land) 5.       Best Supporting Actor- Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) 6.       Best Supporting Actress- Viola Davis (Fences) 7.       Best Original Screenplay- Kenneth Lonergan (f

Son pari Mumkin ko namumkin kar de Namumkin ko mumkin Son pari sab hal karti hain Sabki mushkil sab din. Whenever I used to hear this song I used to rush towards my television, because this was my favourite show - "SON PARI" Son Pari was basically a fantasy- adventure TV series. It is based on the story of a little girl name Fruity, who receives a magical gem that, when rubbed, summons a fairy named Son Pari and her friend Altu. Son Pari and Altu start meeting Fruity regularly and have many adventures. They help her get rid of Ruby, a woman who wants to marry Fruity's father, Rohit, for his money. Son Pari is also entitled to save Fruity from Kali Pari ( the main villain). Everyone wishes to have a fairy godmother like Son Pari at some point in their lives. A Pari ( angle) who can solve their problems with a spin of her wand. And this TV show was so famous and loved by everyone  because it used to take us to that fantasy world of angels and magic. This s

SHARARAT: THODA JAADU, THODI NAZAAKAT Shring Bring Sarvaling ,BhootBhavishyaVartamaanBadling! One can’t resist being driven away by the sense of nostalgia while being stumbled upon this mantra!  It was unarguably the era of entertainment .While a decade has passed on, Shararat, the fantasy sitcom spanning over 5 installments, definitely gives away every 90s’ kid a chance to brag about those good old days. Shararat revolves around the world of fairies and magic. What added to the delight in the mind of its viewers was the subtle comedy and the perfect comic timing. The Malhotra family involving a mischievous ‘nani’ with her impeccable magic chants, a docile mummy who has settled down with the menial jobs she has to perform as a typical housewife , and a naïve and vulnerable Jiya ,whose life has become miserable since the day she is wielded with magic powers, certainly Shararat was a visual treat. But the story had not been far  more convincing without the starry line of su

Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai Indu: Arrewaahwaah! Cake ban rha hai! Kiskhushimein? Maya:Aajmerajanamdin hai. Indu: Baat matt badlo. Maine poochakiskhushimein? Probably one of the best sitcoms that Indian television has ever seen, Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai was an intelligent, tongue in the cheek humour, packed with sarcasm. It portrays the life of an upper-class Gujrati family, the Sarabhais, living in Mumbai. The show aired over a decade ago but till date we love Indravadan’s quirky one-liners, Maya’s never-ending hatred for the middle class, Monisha’s efforts to save money at all times and constant ranting about leaving the house , Rosesh’s poems and ofcourse, Sahil’s efforts to balance his family life. Every single episode left all the viewers into peals of laughter. Indravadanand Maya live with their younger son, Rosesh in a luxury apartment in an upmarket locality . Right opposite  to them, live s their elder son, Dr.Sahil Sarabhai with his wife, Monisha. Sahil is the qui

Shakalaka boom boom   “mujheshakalaka boom boom pencil chahiye” was probably our most common rant when we were in our KG’s. The story of a magic pencil in the hands of a teenager was perhaps one of the most favourite shows of every 90s kids. Sanju , with his magic pencil ,could just draw anything with it and SKADOOOSH!!!!! It turns real. It was perhaps the utmost coolest thing our 10 year minds could conjure in its imagination. The power that the magic pencil commanded was the biggest dream for every kid back when the show aired. The uniqueness being that the magic pencil always commanded a smiling face no matter what was drawn with it thereby giving every kid a message that no matter what life puts us through we must conquer it with bravery and most importantly with a smile. The series that aired during 2000 and 2004 was deemed as ‘magic in the air’ by the Indian express was widely appreciated by critics as well as parents to whom the show came as relief. The show was not

OFFICE OFFICE which premiered on Sab TV in the year 2001 is still one of the most popular comedy serial.The Bollywood actor,Pankaj Kapoor played the role of Mussadilal,a common man who has to deal with the rampant corruption which is prevalent in most of the government offices,be it post office,policestation,bank or insurance companies. This serial portrayed a number of interesting and realistic characters we are likely to find in offices. UshaMadam,Pandeyji,Bhatia and Patel Sahib are the characters that you must have encountered atleast once in your life. The role of Mr. Bhatia was superbly essayed by the talented actor,ManojPahwa whose life revolves only around eating food and no amount of urgency can compel him to leave his food and address people’s grievances. Mrs.Usha is the only female character who works in the office.Bywork,we don’t mean office work.We mean the household chores she does in office-from peeling vegetables to knitting sweaters and the worse part come

Hansa:  Praful confuse matlab? Praful:  Confuse Hansaaaa Jab humaare ghar pe light chali jaati hai to kudkud-Kumar Babuji kya kehte hain? Hansa:  Ae Babuji toh kehte hain ki..."Lo fuse udd gaya, ab fuse theek kaun karega? Kaun fuse theek karega? Kaun Fuse Acchha Confuse...Achhaa Acchha Confuse Talking of Indian sitcoms, the first one that floods my mind is none other than - ‘Khichdi’ . Almost about a decade back, the TV series  ‘ Khichdi’ used PJs as an effective tool of humour on the small screen. The core characters were so unrealistically naive that they took literal meaning of the spoken word over logical thereby inducing laughter. Unlike illogical comedies that question our reasoning, the effort was to intentionally defy logic and tickle our funny bone with the exaggerated silliness of this ‘mad-mad world’. It was so liked by the viewers that, all   98 episodes of this sitcom have been rerun on a number of channels. It became so popular that it went on to be mad

BHARTI SINGH: One of the Best stand-up comedians in India! Anyone who enjoys the art of comedy would tell you that the most important thing to elicit laughter is timing, and that translates to a sense of control from the comedian. Hailing from Amritsar in Punjab, the bubbly Bharti Singh, with her impeccable comic control, is making people bend double with laughter. Singh first rose to prominence with her third spot finish in the fourth season of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. She has since appeared across a whole gamut of reality shows on Indian television, including Nach Baliye, India's Got Talent, Bigg Boss, Comedy Circus and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.  In the past year, Singh has appeared in Comedy Nights Live, a replacement for Kapil Sharma's Comedy Nights with Kapil, as well as Comedy Nights Bachao on Colors. A debutante on our list, she also made her film debut with Sanam Re in 2016.  A lesser know fact about her is that Singh is a former national level

STILL MAKING IT BIG: AIB! Well, this gang is highly popular among the massesand needs no vast introduction! From what began as a young DU student, Gursimranjeet Khamba's initial inclination to start a blog in order to shake off the boredom during his bedridden time of tuberculosis, the AIB group has come a long way ever since. Khamba and his Twitter friend,  Tanmy Bhatt, hit it off with podcasts , who were later joined by Rohan Joshi and Ashish , and the foundation of AIB was laid in. Although the quartet from well-to-do families kicked it off with podcasts and regular stand-up acts at small venues, they didn’t settle for less as their calling was for better and better over time. Thefour-member gang’s first major live show was “The Royal Turds” in 2012 wherein they displayed a mélange of stand-up acts using high-end parody.They started their You Tube Channel in 2013, and there has been no looking back for the team ever since. Over time It has managed to garner over ten

THE UNDERDOG                              From being a mere contestant in the Great Indian laughter challenge to have a show of his own , THE KAPIL SHARMA SHOW , where superstars and megastars come to promote their movies and organisations ,Kapil Sharma has indeed been the best definition of an Underdog. To rise from nowhere to everywhere this stand up comedian has come along way in a span of mere 10 years. Kapil Sharma has been a household name for past a decade, making everyone tumbling on the floor with laughter from his extra ordinary comic timing and presence of mind. His fame though sore to greater heights after he started airing his own show, where he very thoughtfully utilizes his underhand in English to amuse people and uses his deadly one liner combos to make all of  our jaws ache with laughter. He also is an apt example to believe that with sheer dedication ,devotion and hard work there is nothing in this world that stops man from achieving his dreams. This man w

 A day with the embodiment of wisdom at Jesus and Mary College It was a magnificent day in the pages of the history of Jesus and Mary College when His Holiness , the 14th Dalai Lama graced us with his presence. His appearance on the stage brought a wave of jubilation throughout the  thousands of students that thronged the auditorium to get a glimpse of His Holiness and to hear his message for the youth. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso is the spiritual leader of Tibet.The Dalai Lamas are believed to be manifestations of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are believed to be enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity. Lamp lit, blessings of the almighty invoked with a performance by the Indian Music Society, it was time for our epitome of wisdom to address the gathering. He started beautifully by stating a fact, unconscio

WHY STUDYING A  MASTER’S DEGREE IN FRANCE IS A LUCRATIVE OPTION France isn’t just well known worldwide for its attractive tourist destinations, it’s culture or food, but is  also a home to a large number of world-class universities. If you are looking forward to a post-graduate program in one of the countries in Europe, then France seems to be a  must-have on your list. With a tradition of excellence in education, France even boasts of rendering inexpensive quality education to students across the world . Since the French universities are well funded with heavy investments from the French Government, the cost of tuitions  is very low, making the Masters programs in France  the most affordable ones in Europe. The post programs there are very research -oriented, focusing mainly on enriching the professional skills. Another incentive that the French education adds  to is the smaller class sizes and the devoted professors. The bonus is that International students enjoy the same

Many students dream of taking a gap year in Australia, but how about studying there instead? From the bright lights of   Sydney   to the café culture of   Melbourne   and the natural beauty of   Perth , this 7,692,024km² island has a diverse terrain, character and appeal that keeps international students returning year after year. Australian universities are widely respected around the world, and attract students in many academic disciplines. Australia remains an especially popular choice for those studying natural sciences such as biology, zoology and chemistry, as well as mathematics, engineering, the social sciences and medical fields. Overall, international students account for almost a quarter of enrolments, and at some universities they constitute close to half of the student body. This makes for a diverse experience, with classes and campus life taking on a truly global outlook. Particularly famous around the world are the elite “Group of Eight” – a kind of equivale