Vikram's World

  When The Wonderful Wizard of Oz written by Frank Baum was published in 1900 it became an instant success, selling all 10,000 copies that were printed in its fist edition. The story focuses on Kansas girl Dorothy and her dog Toto who have been whisked away to the land of Oz by a cyclone. She strives to return home with Toto by seeking the help of the Wizard of Oz. Along the way they make friends with unforgettable characters such as a Scarecrow who wants a brain, a Tin Woodsman who wishes for a heart and a Cowardly Lion who seeks to be brave while meeting various peoples, making allies and fighting enemies all to gain what they seek from the Wizard of the Land of Oz. While Baum wrote the book without any thought of a sequel, the public, especially children loved it and wanted to know more about the Land of Oz so due to popular public demand, the success of the book led to the creation of 13 sequels written by Baum until his death in 1919, after which his family and illust...

The films Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Into the Blue were released in 2005 and both had references to popular stories. Yet while they bear no resemblance to each other, for me they share a mutual rivalry; this is because when I went for a screening for the former film, I thought it was a waste of time and I saw a poster of the latter film while exiting the theatre. I felt I had to see this movie and three weeks later I did. Watching Into the Blue helped me to let go of the disappointment I had in seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory though for me the films would (and still will) always be rivals to each other. While this is the case, I have noticed a number of co-incidences in the way they were made both in regards to the people involved with the films -          Vikram Wagh Introduction: differing plots   While this document mainly focuses on the seeming similarities between both Charlie and the Chocolat...

  Rhinos are one of the world’s most popular animals and are sadly on the verge of extinction. Day by day rhinos are killed for their horns which are wrongly believed to have medicinal properties. This results in a loss of life and the orphaning of rhinoceros calves. In order to prevent this, zoos and wildlife parks worldwide are striving to protect an animal that is a relic of prehistoric times. The importance of rhinos is showcased at many a zoo although for most people it is seeing a wild rhinoceros that is more important. There are five species of Rhinoceros, three Asian, the Indian rhinoceros, the Javan rhinoceros and the Sumatran rhinoceros and two African, the Square-lipped or white rhinoceros and the hook-lipped or black rhinoceros. While both the black and the white rhinoceros are restricted mainly to Southern and East Africa, the Indian rhinoceros is found in not just India but Nepal as well while the Sumatran rhinoceros and the Javan rhinoceros are present only in...

We all look forward to a great film which we are attracted to judging by its poster’s appeal. But in the end, it is all up to us as to what we think of the film depending on how good we find it for even the most popular and well-received films may not be liked by us. When another film comes out following the last one we have seen, we look forward to the next film more than the last one. Yet we tend to compare them and most of the time it is not how similar they are but more how one is better than the other. We may like the film that came before the one we see or vice versa and this sometimes creates what is known as ‘film rivalry’ That has certainly happened in my case. In the year 2005, I saw two films, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Into the Blue, both of which are based on popular stories; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is the second film to be based on a book of the same name by Roald Dahl while Into the Blue is a remake of a film called ‘The Deep’ which is in tu...