I happened to see two very recent and remarkable Indian movies – Rockstar and The Dirty Picture. Apart from the power packed performance by the lead actors what struck me instantly was the emphasis on “sadness” and “chaos” in their respective characters.
Ranbir Kapoor is told that-- to be a real rockstar he must undergo pain in life. Vidya balan is shown all torn apart and lonely. For thousands of years, people have speculated that there’s some correlation between sadness and creativity, so that people who are a little bit miserable are also the most innovative. Aristotle was there first, stating “that all men who have attained excellence in philosophy, in poetry, in art and in politics, even Socrates and Plato, had a melancholic habitus; indeed some suffered even from melancholic disease.” The romantic poets took the veneration of sadness to its logical extreme, and described suffering as a prerequisite for the literary life. As Keats wrote, “Do you not see how necessary a World of Pains and troubles is to school intelligence and make it a soul?”
What remains unanswered is each man is suffering and is sad deep within - Why does then creativeness and innovation not embrace them? Why is it that when you take on the road less travelled you ought to have a distressing and a poignant past to support your struggle to showcase your victory eventually. What about those who get lost in the middle and never reach their destination – who tells their story - Is it true that only pain drives creativity? Heartbreaks make u a poet, sorrow an artist and stress an author... why can't we create when we are happy? Why? Are we really happy? What is it that we always keep looking for? “Zindagi jab mayus hoti hai tab hi mehsus hoti hai” but why? I am still thinking.......................
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Connection, Belief and Miracle
Connection, Belief and Miracle – Three distinct words, three different ingredient of life.I would put it this way – the three powerful words that strongly define life itself. Lets us explore each of them one by one.
Coincidence is a phenomenon which most people experience in their lives. Some people experience very striking coincidences but many people dismiss such experiences as pure chance. Others seek meaning in the coincidence. I hold the opinion that there is nothing called co-incidences – it has always a meaningful connection that is the God’s way of communicating. It is what we loosely go on to define our destiny. So if you happen to share the same birthday as your sibling or parents or friends, if you happen to talk to stranger for no reason or could be as weird as taking a lift from a person who you don’t know much about. Next time any such things happen, consider it a God’s signal – every person has his story with each other.
In its simplest form, belief occurs as a mental act, a thinking process in the brain. To "believe" requires a conscious thought accepted as having some "truth" and “hope” value. It has been often discussed that belief has been substituted for blind belief – for me there is nothing called blind belief – it’s a 100% belief as a belief is always true and can never be challenged. How else do explain the following: For thousand of years, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run the mile in less than four minutes. Scientists and experts declared that there was no way; a man could run a mile under four minutes. They said that if any person should try, “His heart will jump right out of his body”. This barrier of belief continued until a man by the name of Roger Bannister broke it. What is the morale of the story – Roger Bannister believed in himself, had unlimited hope and had courage to take actions to prove his belief.
This is how Wikipedia defines Miracle - an event attributed to divine intervention. This is what I called ‘touched by God’. Miracles do happen each day and it’s the hope of a miracle that can save a dying relative or a broken heart. How else do you explain that even though you do nothing sometimes you get what you want? How else do you explain that even though you don’t know how to but still hang on to exist. This is the Miracle called Life!!
Coincidence is a phenomenon which most people experience in their lives. Some people experience very striking coincidences but many people dismiss such experiences as pure chance. Others seek meaning in the coincidence. I hold the opinion that there is nothing called co-incidences – it has always a meaningful connection that is the God’s way of communicating. It is what we loosely go on to define our destiny. So if you happen to share the same birthday as your sibling or parents or friends, if you happen to talk to stranger for no reason or could be as weird as taking a lift from a person who you don’t know much about. Next time any such things happen, consider it a God’s signal – every person has his story with each other.
In its simplest form, belief occurs as a mental act, a thinking process in the brain. To "believe" requires a conscious thought accepted as having some "truth" and “hope” value. It has been often discussed that belief has been substituted for blind belief – for me there is nothing called blind belief – it’s a 100% belief as a belief is always true and can never be challenged. How else do explain the following: For thousand of years, people believed that it was impossible for a human being to run the mile in less than four minutes. Scientists and experts declared that there was no way; a man could run a mile under four minutes. They said that if any person should try, “His heart will jump right out of his body”. This barrier of belief continued until a man by the name of Roger Bannister broke it. What is the morale of the story – Roger Bannister believed in himself, had unlimited hope and had courage to take actions to prove his belief.
This is how Wikipedia defines Miracle - an event attributed to divine intervention. This is what I called ‘touched by God’. Miracles do happen each day and it’s the hope of a miracle that can save a dying relative or a broken heart. How else do you explain that even though you do nothing sometimes you get what you want? How else do you explain that even though you don’t know how to but still hang on to exist. This is the Miracle called Life!!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The Magic called “Music”
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music. Music is a language that binds, a therapy that heals, a sensation that overpowers. Music is what can give words to your gamut of emotions- it does not matter if you are sad, depressed, happy, joyful, in love or heart-broken – there is always a song that connects to your every sentiment. It’s astounding how a simple song can sway your mood.
Times have indeed changed and so has the face of music – it has apparently turned louder and more customised than it had ever been. While I don’t hold anything against this era of music, what it cannot be – neither match nor promise is the soul and tranquillity of golden past of Indian music. While unmatchable like Gulzar still pens some of the most enviable lines and A.R Rehman gives in his best each time but there is still a void – whenever I want to absorb myself in some emotion– old is gold for me. How often these days do we get to hear a “Chupke chupke raat din aason bahana yaad hai” - you are transformed into a complete new world – which may be oblivious to your own surroundings yet something that hits you everytime you hear – that defines the very purpose of music – to soothe to your senses and make something lingers with you will always remember and not get tired listening to – while you may enjoy an item number and dance to its tunes several times with great zeal but one goes crazy if a “Neele Neele ambar pe” or a “Roop tera mastana” is tuned into. Such was the versatility of old hindi films songs. The lyrics was expressive and the music moving. This is what comes from Gulzar at his best – “Ek baar Waqt se lamha gira kahin, wahaan dastaan mili lamha kahin nai”. Pure Genius. He is one man who still stands out with the new breed of music directors – be it a Dil toh Baccha hai ji or a Beedi - this man is a living legend and continues to surprise you even at 70.
When do I get to hear a “tujhse naraaz nai zindagi”, dil dhal jaye, Abhi na jao chod ke and kabhi kabhi these days – the music lives and grows in you. What I hear is the new age “Dum Maro Dum” which some unmentionable lyrics doing no justice to the evergreen “Dum Maro Dum” of the olden days.
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain “. Indeed music is nothing if the audience is deaf.
Times have indeed changed and so has the face of music – it has apparently turned louder and more customised than it had ever been. While I don’t hold anything against this era of music, what it cannot be – neither match nor promise is the soul and tranquillity of golden past of Indian music. While unmatchable like Gulzar still pens some of the most enviable lines and A.R Rehman gives in his best each time but there is still a void – whenever I want to absorb myself in some emotion– old is gold for me. How often these days do we get to hear a “Chupke chupke raat din aason bahana yaad hai” - you are transformed into a complete new world – which may be oblivious to your own surroundings yet something that hits you everytime you hear – that defines the very purpose of music – to soothe to your senses and make something lingers with you will always remember and not get tired listening to – while you may enjoy an item number and dance to its tunes several times with great zeal but one goes crazy if a “Neele Neele ambar pe” or a “Roop tera mastana” is tuned into. Such was the versatility of old hindi films songs. The lyrics was expressive and the music moving. This is what comes from Gulzar at his best – “Ek baar Waqt se lamha gira kahin, wahaan dastaan mili lamha kahin nai”. Pure Genius. He is one man who still stands out with the new breed of music directors – be it a Dil toh Baccha hai ji or a Beedi - this man is a living legend and continues to surprise you even at 70.
When do I get to hear a “tujhse naraaz nai zindagi”, dil dhal jaye, Abhi na jao chod ke and kabhi kabhi these days – the music lives and grows in you. What I hear is the new age “Dum Maro Dum” which some unmentionable lyrics doing no justice to the evergreen “Dum Maro Dum” of the olden days.
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain “. Indeed music is nothing if the audience is deaf.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A State called Jharkhand
Jharkhand – the 28th state of the Indian Union brought into existence on 15th November, 2000. I still vividly remember my parents glued to the television channels witnessing the event at midnight (14th November, 2000). I asked (sounding as ignorant as a child) as to what is so important about it to which my father replied “We are gifted with an independent state and Ranchi- the city where I live would be the capital of the newly formed state”. I did not question further as I had nothing to ask, understand or argue at that point of time and politics certainly was one topic that I did not enjoy talking about. Now being a grown up (at least some say so!!) and having celebrated (pun intended) 9 years of the birth of our state and into the 10th year I understand the enormity of what unfolded on the midnight of 14th November, 2000. What makes me pensive is that the people to whom it should have mattered still have not understood the enormity of the same. If this is not the case then how do you explain the present state of our state!! Stability is a word that does not exist in the political language of Jharkhand and if we are to go by the results of the recently concluded Jharkhand assembly elections it is abundantly clear that Jharkhand is once again headed to another five years of political uncertainty. People in power instead of working towards the development of Jharkhand are more interested in hankering for power, position and paisa. The multicroreeeeee (and yes I deliberately added the extra “E’s”) mines scam committed by former chief minister Mr Madhu Koda is another slur on the face of this state.
If you log onto the official website of Jharkhand and browse on the governance page, you will find a smiling face of our present chief minister (Hope he continues till I post the blog!!). Don’t get carried away by his smile ;) , scroll down and read the description of “Other information’s” about him- there lies the surprise or better still no surprise- suffered imprisonment on several occasions!! Wow what an adventurous CM who has had a history of corruption charges and to add to it, the situation when we talk of the so called other leaders of the state is no different. Victory of these brands of leader underlines a poor quality of the representative politics but then where is the choice. The blame of the present crisis should be equally borne by political party and also the people of the state – I sometimes really wonder whether they (people) really want to develop!! I felt a sense of relief after learning that despite Maoist poll boycott call - 58% of people belonging to those areas participated in the election positively playing their part in their dream of a better and peaceful Jharkhand.
I personally can see a lot of promise in the state and what upsets me is when we are ridiculed to be belonging to such a state. High time educated youth should enter politics. A fresh perspective and a fresh start is the need of the hour. Jharkhand has already suffered a lot in these 9 years of its existence and it is high time someone fixes the wound. Am I hoping against hope? Am I counting on miracles – I don’t know, all I know is hope is what keeps the world moving and miracles do happen!! I sincerely wish that a decade or so later I will not have to mention to somebody that I belonged to a “State called Jharkhand” still oblivious of its existence.
If you log onto the official website of Jharkhand and browse on the governance page, you will find a smiling face of our present chief minister (Hope he continues till I post the blog!!). Don’t get carried away by his smile ;) , scroll down and read the description of “Other information’s” about him- there lies the surprise or better still no surprise- suffered imprisonment on several occasions!! Wow what an adventurous CM who has had a history of corruption charges and to add to it, the situation when we talk of the so called other leaders of the state is no different. Victory of these brands of leader underlines a poor quality of the representative politics but then where is the choice. The blame of the present crisis should be equally borne by political party and also the people of the state – I sometimes really wonder whether they (people) really want to develop!! I felt a sense of relief after learning that despite Maoist poll boycott call - 58% of people belonging to those areas participated in the election positively playing their part in their dream of a better and peaceful Jharkhand.
I personally can see a lot of promise in the state and what upsets me is when we are ridiculed to be belonging to such a state. High time educated youth should enter politics. A fresh perspective and a fresh start is the need of the hour. Jharkhand has already suffered a lot in these 9 years of its existence and it is high time someone fixes the wound. Am I hoping against hope? Am I counting on miracles – I don’t know, all I know is hope is what keeps the world moving and miracles do happen!! I sincerely wish that a decade or so later I will not have to mention to somebody that I belonged to a “State called Jharkhand” still oblivious of its existence.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Mile Sur Mera Tumhara ????
Mile sur mera tumhara - A song that impacted me personally every time I heard it, I had gooseflesh each time I viewed it. A song that is hard to erase from the memories of all Indians. A song that was not merely a symbiosis of words and lyrics woven together but the symbiosis of true spirit of Indians and the then mantra that seems extremely ironical in the present Indian scenario- Unity in Diversity!! It was released on 15th August, 1988 and went on to create history :)
22 years later we are ‘treated’ to a newer version “Phir mile sur mera tumhara”. Just another evidence of obsession with re-making classics but some classic should better be left untouched. The point in case comes in handy. To me it was utter disappointment to watch the video- yet another patriotic initiative by the Times Group. It has in its attempt miserably failed to re create the magic of the “old”. The old indeed did successfully represent India, the tune and the tone was extremely pronounced. The new lacks in its soul. It is clearly a lost opportunity to say the least - instead of retelling a ‘behind-the-times’ story of national integration, all I saw in the video was shilpa shetty promoting her ‘Solar Energy Brand’, Shahid Kapoor still seems to be promoting ‘Chance pe Dance’, the old video did bring together Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun and Jeetendra in a single frame but in the new version that promised to bring the khans together was again a let down, though I appreciate the causes being promoted by Aamir and Salman in the video the overall treatment does lack the lustre of the old version!! If it is “Phir mile sur mera tumhara” then why not come together in a single frame.
It was yet another surprise to find none of our cricketers in the video – I don’t know whether it was a deliberate attempt to promote other sports in a cricket crazy nation or it had to do with something else but yes now I would just want to add that for me the biggest disappointment was not seeing Sachin Tendulkar in the video and do I have to write something to prove his stature – How can we talk of India and not him. I truly missed him in the video. Apart from Sachin I would have been happier to see the likes of Lata Mangeshkar and Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam in the video.
The newer version is more entertaining that emotive. I don’t know about others but for me personally it’s just a little difficult to relate my sur with the NEW MILE SUR MERA TUMHARA.
22 years later we are ‘treated’ to a newer version “Phir mile sur mera tumhara”. Just another evidence of obsession with re-making classics but some classic should better be left untouched. The point in case comes in handy. To me it was utter disappointment to watch the video- yet another patriotic initiative by the Times Group. It has in its attempt miserably failed to re create the magic of the “old”. The old indeed did successfully represent India, the tune and the tone was extremely pronounced. The new lacks in its soul. It is clearly a lost opportunity to say the least - instead of retelling a ‘behind-the-times’ story of national integration, all I saw in the video was shilpa shetty promoting her ‘Solar Energy Brand’, Shahid Kapoor still seems to be promoting ‘Chance pe Dance’, the old video did bring together Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun and Jeetendra in a single frame but in the new version that promised to bring the khans together was again a let down, though I appreciate the causes being promoted by Aamir and Salman in the video the overall treatment does lack the lustre of the old version!! If it is “Phir mile sur mera tumhara” then why not come together in a single frame.
It was yet another surprise to find none of our cricketers in the video – I don’t know whether it was a deliberate attempt to promote other sports in a cricket crazy nation or it had to do with something else but yes now I would just want to add that for me the biggest disappointment was not seeing Sachin Tendulkar in the video and do I have to write something to prove his stature – How can we talk of India and not him. I truly missed him in the video. Apart from Sachin I would have been happier to see the likes of Lata Mangeshkar and Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam in the video.
The newer version is more entertaining that emotive. I don’t know about others but for me personally it’s just a little difficult to relate my sur with the NEW MILE SUR MERA TUMHARA.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Cut Above The Rest
I was just wondering what topic I should chose to write and what better than the flavour of the season – “3-IDIOTS”. I saw 3 idiots on the 31st of December, 2009 and what a way to bring an end to the year. The buzz that this particular movie managed to generate has been phenomenal and as I write I hear its all set to break the record of one of the greatest movies of all time “Sholay”. Now what is it that makes this movie a cut above the rest? Well in my view the simplicity with which this movie manages to tell the story of the present generation. Inspite of being instructive and at times preachy in its tone, it is touching and inspiring. I bet not a single person who comes out of the theatre can afford not to ponder over what they just witnessed in the guise of a complete commercial entertainment coupled with the regular song and dance sessions. The genius of “Rancho” gets to you instantly in the very scene he makes his entry. The man who directed “Munnabhai” and “Lage Raho Munnabhai” does it again – 3rd time in a row and how!! He is a genius when it comes to story telling. If it was jaadu ki jhappi that had caught the fancy of our nation a few years ago, “All Iz Well” becomes the new mantra. The scene in which “Omi” (I believe this is one character in the film that stays with you and has huge impact) delivers the Teachers Day speech is a master-piece and so are scenes that brings the two outstanding performers – Boman Irani and Aamir Khan face to face. The issue of suicides being nothing different from murder is so well projected. This movie attempts and succeeds in raising the concern on student suicide, parents pushing students into fields they don’t enjoy, overjealous students who learn things by mugging up failing to understand what is going into their head and yes how human emotions come to surface when your friends fail and how in a split second transform into jealousy when the same friend tops in the exams.
Like it’s said it is hard to touch perfection – this film too is no exception, the delivery scene of Mona Singh (aka “Jassi” who plays kareena sister) is indeed very filmy. Moreover for me it is scary to believe that nothing is right with the education system in our country at the moment. We have to give due respect to the IITs and IIMs for atleast being a benchmark for other institutes and at the same time building it as the dream institute for God knows how many aspiring students. I agree ‘all is definitely not well’ with the education system at the moment and the educational reforms are not as easy as this film projects but it goes a long way at hinting the right attitude to achieve the same. The performances are exceptional and dialogues and one-liners simple yet effective. I highly recommend this movie to all. Do yourself a favour- Go and watch it and I am sure you will not come out disappointed. It’s a real pleasure to be belonging to the times when movies are made not only keeping emotions in mind but also sensibilities.
Note: Do believe Funsuk Wangdu when he says “Chase Excellence, Suceess will have to follow- it has no choice”
Like it’s said it is hard to touch perfection – this film too is no exception, the delivery scene of Mona Singh (aka “Jassi” who plays kareena sister) is indeed very filmy. Moreover for me it is scary to believe that nothing is right with the education system in our country at the moment. We have to give due respect to the IITs and IIMs for atleast being a benchmark for other institutes and at the same time building it as the dream institute for God knows how many aspiring students. I agree ‘all is definitely not well’ with the education system at the moment and the educational reforms are not as easy as this film projects but it goes a long way at hinting the right attitude to achieve the same. The performances are exceptional and dialogues and one-liners simple yet effective. I highly recommend this movie to all. Do yourself a favour- Go and watch it and I am sure you will not come out disappointed. It’s a real pleasure to be belonging to the times when movies are made not only keeping emotions in mind but also sensibilities.
Note: Do believe Funsuk Wangdu when he says “Chase Excellence, Suceess will have to follow- it has no choice”
The Bug Bites
I take this opportunity to welcome myself to the world of blogging. Having said this I am surprised what kept me away from blogging for so long considering it’s all about being “you”, sharing your mind and 'penning' down your thoughts. Yes the bug has finally bitten and for the good. :)
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