Revenge of the Planet

In a twist of fate that seems like it was ripped straight from the pages of a dystopian novel, Planet Earth has decided it’s time for a little payback. And who can blame it? After decades of exploitation, pollution, and blatant disregard for its well-being, the Earth is ready to reclaim its throne. So, buckle up and prepare for the “Revenge of the Planet,” a wild ride through the hilarious and dramatic consequences of our environmental neglect.

The year was 2030, and Earth had been dealing with humanity’s nonsense for centuries: automobile humming, factories puffing, and smartphones buzzing, plastic in the oceans, air full of smog and pollutants, and forests reduced to sad little patches that looked like Mother Nature’s receding hairline. While we humans went about our business, basking in the glow of smartphones and conveniently ignoring every climate report ever written, the planet finally had enough. It was time for some cosmic payback.

First came the heatwaves. When the sun started sizzling eggs on car hoods and air conditioners were breaking down in sheer exhaustion, we should’ve known something was up. Earth wasn’t playing anymore. Then came the incessant rain, cyclones and Hurricanes. Thousands of cities and villages got flooded killing all in their wake: humans, animals, trees, cars, houses, all were game for the planet’s rage. As glaciers melted at a pace faster than your average deadline in an office setting, and wildfires spread like trending tweets, humans start to notice. Our beloved beaches? Now more like lava zones.

As Earth’s revenge gained momentum, the animals began organizing. Rats—usually content with minor mischief like digging up flower beds—became stealth operatives, chewing through power lines and cutting off electricity to entire neighbourhoods. Birds, tired of dodging skyscrapers, formed tactical squadrons to stage mass air raids on unsuspecting pedestrians. Pigeons, already seasoned in the art of airborne attacks and eating through aircon units, took their missions to new heights, dive-bombing with precision accuracy.

Mother Earth had one last ace up her sleeve: technology. Since humans had become so dependent on gadgets, she decided to hit us where it hurt. Phones suddenly started overheating for no reason, GPS systems began suggesting scenic routes through uncharted forests, and voice assistants became strangely passive-aggressive.

Hey, Siri, what’s the weather today?”

Why don’t you go outside and find out for yourself, you lazy carbon footprint.”

By the time forests started sprouting overnight and the Arctic ice declared “We’re back!” humanity finally took notice. Governments convened emergency meetings to address the phenomenon, though the politicians were quick to blame each other.

“We need to plant more trees!” one leader shouted.

“But the trees are literally attacking us,” another replied.

Meanwhile, while we sat glued to our screens, watching the chaos unfold, the bees are buzzing in the background. That’s right, our fuzzy little friends are holding clandestine meetings, plotting a revolt. “We’ll stop pollinating crops if they don’t start recycling!” one bee declares, and with that, the price of avocados skyrockets, pushing millennials to the edge of madness. Who knew that eco-awareness could double as a financial crisis?

After a series of failed peace talks with the ocean (which responded with a tsunami every time someone brought up offshore drilling), humans collectively realized: we were in deep compost!

Just as it seemed like Earth would forever reign supreme, a surprising thing happened. Humans finally got their act together. It’s time for a Renaissance! Countries began cooperating—trading carbon offsets instead of insults. Renewable energy became the norm. Plastic was replaced by biodegradable alternatives, and landfills shrank faster than your favourite sweater. People rally together armed with reusable bags and solar panels. Urban gardens sprout up like mushrooms after a rain, while communities bond over composting workshops. It’s a revolution of education, where every child learns how to plant a tree faster than their parents can say, “Remember when we just used to throw things in the landfill?” In the end, Earth called off her revenge, not because she couldn’t win, but because she wanted to see what we’d do next. As for humanity, we learned the hard way that Earth isn’t just a rock floating in space—it’s a vengeful force of nature with a wicked sense of humour. And if we want to stay on its good side, we’d better treat it right.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the views or opinions of any organization, foundation, CSR, non-profit or others

Silverado

silverGenre: Western| Year: 1985 | Duration: 133 mins | Director: Lawrence Kasdan| Medium: VCD (BIG Home Video) | Trailer: HERE | My rating: 3.5*/5

Fav Dialogue: “Cobb: We’re gonna give you a fair trial, followed by a first class hanging.”

Silverado is a western to its core with with wilderness, cool gun fights, lonely good guys and bad guys on a killing spree. Kasdan has approached a 50′s & 60′s story from a present-day standpoint, which is quite refreshing. The film is about four cowboys, Emmett (Scott Glenn) an ex-con, who while travelling to Silverado meets Paden (Kevin Cline) lying in the desert after being robbed and left to die. They travel to Turley and rescue Emmett’s brother Jake (Kevin Costner) who is waiting death by hanging in the jail for killing a man in self-defense, with some help of Mal (Danny Glover) a black cowboy suffering racism from the sheriff Langston (John Cleese). The story bends and take new turns on freeing Silverado from the hands of corrupt officials and local businessman, and re-building its future by these four lonesome cowboys.

This humorous yet somber cowboy film is my ‘Movie of the Day’.

The Sisters Brothers

9781847083180“Come with me into the world and reclaim your independence. You stand to gain so much, and riches are the least of it.”
– Patrick deWitt, The Sisters Brothers
This books made me laugh with its adroit humor and cringe at the same time. Delightful. The story is narrated by Eli Sisters, a hired killer on the American west coast in 1851, around the time of the Gold Rush in the Sierra Nevada mountains. However Eli barely gives the American landscape a glance, and people met along the way are simple figures in his moral drama. Nor does Eli have any larger philosophical or socio-historical insights to offer for the century this story is set in. This hilariously anti-heroic and relentlessly compelling novel is my “Read of the Week”.

American Gods

113767203What I say is, a town isn’t a town without a bookstore. It may call itself a town, but unless it’s got a bookstore it knows it’s not fooling a soul.” ― Neil Gaiman, American Gods

American Gods is a masterful blend of mythology and existential questioning, crafted with the confidence of a storyteller who knows how to make the unreal feel intimately familiar. The novel follows Shadow Moon, a man adrift after personal tragedy, who becomes entangled in a looming war between the old gods brought to America by immigrants and the new gods born of technology, media, and modern obsession.

Gaiman uses this supernatural conflict to explore what a nation chooses to worship, and what those choices reveal about identity, belief, displacement, and memory. His America is vast, strange, melancholic, and quietly magical with a landscape where roadside attractions become sacred spaces and forgotten deities cling to survival.

What makes the novel enduring is its atmosphere: moody, mythic, and laden with symbolism. Shadow’s journey is both epic and introspective, revealing the cost of faith and the fragility of stories in a changing world.

While the pacing occasionally drifts, the richness of character, imagination, and cultural insight more than compensates. American Gods remains one of Gaiman’s most ambitious works, an absorbing, thought-provoking modern myth that lingers long after the final page.

 This dark, poetic and thrilling novel across an American landscape is my “Read of the Week”.