Friday, March 4, 2011

Being a Superhero

News just popped in about a new superhero in the Birmingham city(Britain)."The Statesman " AKA Scott Cooke aged 26 who works in a bank has recently been in the focus.Read it all here.

Also there is more.

US author Krulos has investigated such comic-style heroes for years in the States. And he said: "In America we have many, but they tend to seek publicity.
"In Britain it is a very secretive underground society. They do all they can to avoid publicity and communicate online. Whole forums are set up and often they operate in groups. I have spoken extensively to The Statesman, and he takes what he does very seriously."
Krulos - writing a book on superheroes - said he had spoken to six UK crusaders, and was trailing ten more. He said: "These are normal people wanting adventure and to improve communities. They achieve more than you'd think."

Superheroes?

Well these are normal men arent they?So how come they can be a superhero while we cant.What extra have they got?Surely Shasi Kapoor's brave and bold statement "Mere paas maa hai" in Deewar isnt the answer.So what really makes a superhero.Famous scientist Dexter once tried to be a superhero.We have just burrowed certain important aspects of that formula.

Hmm.......lets see........

  1. Extraordinary powers, skills and/or equipment. Though By most definitions, characters do not strictly require actual superhuman powers to be deemed superheroes.
  2. A strong moral code, including a willingness to risk one's own safety in the service of good without expectation of reward. Such a code often includes a refusal or strong reluctance to kill or wield lethal weapons.
  3. A secret identity that protects the superhero's friends and family from becoming targets of his or her enemies
  4. A distinctive costume, often used to conceal the secret identity.Help available from Marvel Web Site
  5. A headquarters or base of operations, usually kept hidden from the general public
Actually these are just wikipedia defined points which I have ordered according to priority.Also the "How to be a superhero?" on ehow is worth reading.

Well out of all these now a days most modern superheroes spend most of their time in the 4th point.Now back to the research.There are lot of superhero movies and animations to give us an idea of what they really do.Now the question comes why someone wants to be a superhero.The answer can be seeked from individual after you read this article.

Marry me...**** Man?

Normally we see lots of superheroes having girlfriend but none getting married.Rings any bell?Why?Well its not that they dont love their girlfriends but here is list of things of what could happen if a superhero gets married(from desi prespective)

  • Wife doesnt likes the idea of you spending the night outside home.Since your identity is secret..she might suspect something else altogether..end result family tension.
  • Even if she knows your identity she will never ever allow you to wear the underwear on top of the pants and that totally ruins superhero style.
  • Suppose you are fighiting some villain and suddenly your phone rings with the ringtone set for the special one..you have to pick up the phone..she says bring some sabzi on the way back and some milk and some paneer...and the list goes on......wait where did the villain go?
  • A strict no to female journalists for interview at the secret hideout.
  • "Darling you have to come home early..its our anniversery...what you didnt remember?you cant come right now?..wait till you come home."
Before the feminine readers start to write a very long and violent comment....the above list has been idealized by the movie.."Pyaar ke side effects"...dont blame me..blame that director/script writer...me I am just a messanger...

Indian Superheroes

Chacha Chowdhury

 Surely we all know about him.Chacha Chaudhary's attire includes his red turban, a wooden stick, a waistcoat with a double inside pocket, and a pocket watch. His household consists of his wife Bini (Chachi), a faithful street dog called Rocket and a giant called Sabu.


Chacha Chaudhary is remarkably different from most other comic-book superheroes in that he is not a muscleman, nor does he have extraordinary powers. Instead, he uses his shrewd brain and presence-of-mind to fight off evil robbers and thieves. A brain sharper than a needle and faster than a super-computer,[3] state the comic books. Chacha Chaudhary does not have state of-the-art machine guns or modern technological gadgets to fight his enemies. All he possesses is a wooden stick with which he fights evil-doers and he does it convincingly

Shaktimaan

He received powers from seven gurus who trained and blessed him with "logic shakti". He was chosen warrior against evil by siddha gurus of catapult named Suryanshi. They are followers of our star the Sun.As part of training he trained with Kundalini Yoga to waken the 7 chakras of body and gain the 'super naturally' power from them. But this was not so much easy, it was actually very much difficult since its easiness was not so much but had a high level of difficulty in that it wasn't easy but was rough and tough. To gain complete control over powers he perform ritual of death, unfortunately this did not cause death but made him more live than when he was normal Man. He performing Yajna in which he entered the fire himself and dissolved his body in fire so like sugar in water, his body dissolve in the heat of fire due to lots of hotting up. Then the five elements of life which have been scientifically proven to be the only elements i.e. fire, wind, Water, Earth, sky revived his body giving special powers from them. Thus after leaving his mortal body he was to be given a super human form to fight against the evil in the world as Shaktimaan. He is defender of the truth and justice as well as the role model for his television audience, even going so far as to lecture viewers on hygiene (how to clean), be the patriot and I love my India I am proud to be Indian Mera Bharat Mahaan Jai Hind, and education.

Captain Vyom

Vyom is the son of one of the Earth's top scientists and the grandson of the ruler of the Parajeevs from the thirteenth dimension, a race of beings ten million years ahead of us in civilization. He was brought up in a monastery in Ladakh, and
he has yogic powers of concentration. Vyom, with his special crew, leaves for the mission in a spaceship named Ulka.

In 2220 A.D. mankind has conquered the solar system and is reaching out into space. Earth is ruled by a World Government, with headquarters in Delhi. Space stations have been established on many planets of the Solar System. One of these stations is a high security prison on Io, a moon of Jupiter. Here, the twelve most dangerous criminals are held up in suspended animation. Each one of them is an expert in their field. When a meteorite strike hits the base, destroying its security system, these criminals break free and escape. The Earth Government assigns its top law enforcer, Captain Vyom, the mission to arrest these fugitives.


Mr IndiaThe average Indian who finds a watch that can make him invisible and starts to take on evil powers of Mocambo and his evil sidekicks.Aided by his friend calender and girlfriend seema and a band of orphan kids he fights off the evil and returns vicrorious saving our motherland once again from the clutches of evil.

Mr. India  is a 1987 Hindi science fiction superhero film directed by Shekhar Kapur. It stars Anil Kapoor in the title role, Sridevi as his romantic interest and Amrish Puri in one of his best-known roles as the villain Mogambo.


Krish
The hero who inherited his fathers superpower.His father was our favourite Rohit from "Koi Mil Gaya".Though there are wild speculations among out friends about his father being the alien "Jaadu".But hey lets focus on the hero.Yes Krish has many extraordinary superpowers  helped him to fight the evil doctor who was designing a computer which can see in future("cranked from Paycheck movie") and save his dad..

Batul The Great
The hero of the story is a superman-like character, with a well-built body and enormous strength. He is so strong that he can stop a train, run through a wall breaking it to pieces, kill whales and sharks barehanded, and even bullets cannot pierce his chest. He has a great appetite and sometimes has a whale for his breakfast. Unlike other heroes, Batul does not wear any attractive attire. Rather, he is always seen clad in a pink or orange vest and a black shorts. He is the terror of dacoits and hooligans, and protects the good. Sometimes, Batul's amazing strength is the cause of his downfall. This is especially true when he is trying to operate machinery, since he usually breaks it. Another example, depicted in the panel, shows him trying to ride a bull in a rodeo, but due to his weight, the legs of the bull get embedded in the ground.


With him stay two mischievous boys viz. Bachhu and Bichchu, who regularly play truant at school, often conspire with robbers and commit daring crimes like bank robberies. Other characters in the comic strip include Lambakarna, who has long ears and special powers of hearing; Batul's aunt, who cooks food for him; Batul's formidable pet dog Vedo, and a pet ostrich, Uto. He can also ignite flames by rubing "Uko" on his head.

Professor Shonku

His full name is Trilokeshwar Shanku, and by occupation, he is an inventor. He is the son of Dr. Tripureshwar Shanku. The family name Shanku is caste-less and class-less, as seen by the norms of Bengali Hindu society.


According to the Calcutta based English-language newspaper The Statesman (dated January 11, 2002), Professor Shanku's father Tripureshwar was a physician. Professor Shanku was born on June 16. His nickname is Tilu. Professor Shanku passed matriculation examination of the University of Calcutta at the age of 15. At the age of 16, Professor Shanku received his BSc degree with honours in two subjects, Physics and Chemistry. At the age of 20, he joined the Scottish Church College in Calcutta as a professor of Physics.

Not exacly a superhero by definition but hey he had his share of adventures.
Some of his extraordinary inventions are:


  • Miracurall - A drug capsule that cures any ailment except common cold, the name is a short form of Miracle Cure for All Ailments.  
  • Annihillin - A pistol capable of annihilating (vanishing or vapourizing) anything that is living.... invented because Shonku does not like bloodshed It does not work on non living things (according to Shonku'r Congo Abhijan).  
  • Shankoplane - A small hovercraft created using anti-gravity technology, capable of vertical take-off and landing and magnificent mileage.  
  • Shankovite - The anti-gravity alloy by which Shankoplane was made.  
  • Omniscope - A combination of telescope and microscope, which looks like and can be worn as spectacles.  
  • Air-conditioning pill - A capsule to be kept in shirt pocket, that keeps the body temperature normal in extremes of climate.  
  • Somnolin - A sleeping pill that will work in any condition.  
  • Evolutin - A drug that makes people evolve 10 thousand years in 5 minutes.  
  • Compudium - Short for Computerized Medium, a device to contact departed souls.  
  • Remembrane- A device that makes people remember the things he forgot.  
  • Robu - A robot built with very cheap materials, programmed to answer any question asked to it.  
  • Linguagraph - A device that translates any earth language to any other. The translation capability is supposed to include animal languages, and works on cats, plants, ants and even viruses too. However, it does not work to translate speech of aliens.  
  • Compu - A computer brain designed by Shanku and other scientists, which later develops AI via an accident.  
  • Intellectron - A device to measure intelligence.  
  • Ornithon - A device to educate birds. Professor Shanku was able to "educate" a crow named Corvus using this device.  
  • Snuff Gun - A gun that causes snuffing for thirty three hours.  
  • Pill for Nightmare - Causes sleep and makes the taker have terrible nightmares 


Truelly desi........ the list will continue with lots of people to mention like Feluda,Tenida,Byomkesh Bakshi,Professor Nat Boltu Chokkor,Kakababu,Cornel and so on.........I am planning to dedicate one whole blog to them..........


 "Here is a thought.We indians have alomst same number of extraordinary human beings compared to US and UK so howcome no superhero(a real one inspired by the stories) evolves in our country?"

   
It all happens in the movies


Yes it does.Actually there is a movie "Defendor" which shows us that a person with an IQ of 60 became a superhero and truelly died for the cause.A must watch movie.He didnt had superpowers and sometimes was dumb enough but finally what matters is that he stood up for what he believed.

So what's the conclusion

Truelly we as ordinary human beings have got all that needs to be  a superhero.Maybe we dont have supernatural powers but we are good at atleast something.Maybe each of us can be a hero by atleast contributing some of our time or even ideas which might eventually change the society all together.How?Just one motto.."Satyam Shivam Sundaram"..whatever is the truth..that is ultimae and that is the most beautiful thing in the world..Stand up for truth and justice..

While all of the facts  are left behind the shadow of mind,think of yourself and just yourself.Do you wanted to be a superhero and if so why??I would expect the readers to leave behind their comments

Signing Off
Santanu Ghosal

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