Saturday, August 4, 2012

Delhi Diary 9: The Total Recall Party


Delhi Diary 9: Total Recall Party



Douglas Quaid recalled only in fragments all throughout the movie but what fascinated me in ‘Total Recall’ was ‘The Fall’ and the weightlessness at the centre of the Earth. Thus, I am reading physics after so many years. Newton’s Shell Theorem and Gauss’s Flux Theorem for gravity engage me for some length of time and all the equations, the integrals and the differentials generate a total recall of the two years in higher secondary college. I once loved physics and mathematics! Many of my medico friends have told me the same. But then, years ago, we took our seats in The Fall and the transportation was permanently one-way.
Two hours later, I am writing another part of my Delhi Diary. It is about the previous night. I remember Mohsin telling me that his name means ‘charitable’ or ‘beneficent’. Thus, it was only be-fitting that he threw us a generous party for getting a job! But he is more generous than Hatem al-Tai! So, he bought us tickets for the movie too. He watched with intent and looked askew at me from time to time to assess if I understood the content. The other two fellows, Gautam and Debashish were busy re-directing the movie according to their own scripts.
The post-movie discussion was the time for total recall! All of us re-visited our interest in physics and pondered on the problems of zero gravity. Mohsinur was frantically creating problems and solving them himself while we listened with awe at the newly-discovered stalwart of physics! His rocket science theory was the most brilliant one. He declared, “Farting in zero-G would propel one in the opposite direction and could be useful navigation means!”
I was reminded of Sheldon Cooper’s asparagus woes.


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