Wanderlust

When you start a trip with apprehensions and hesitations, and when it turns out to be just the opposite, then it was worth it. Is it not?

Something like that happened to me. Office announced a trip to Bintan, Indonesia. Too many issues pulling me down, at office and personal, I was in a bad / guilty mood to go out on a trip. I disregarded that nagging voice inside me and said ‘Yes’. Of course the nagging stayed on – it continued to remind me of the various reasons why I shouldn't be going. But there I was standing at the boarding pass counter, albeit wondering whether that was the right thing to do!

It is not easy, packing your bags, leaving the comfort of one’s own home and leaving to a country you have never been before with people you don’t know too well. But such trips do something to you which you find out only after it is over. The freedom you get is unbelievable – no one knows you, you don’t have a reputation to keep – these give a sense of confidence and bring out the child in you. I now firmly believe reputation etc. is unimportant. What you are inside is your reputation!

Anyway, good things don’t last forever. Sitting in a 4X4 cubicle and staring at the computer is reality for now. All the “paused” issues come up and you have to face them. You can’t escape.

What the trip did to me, however, is to give me renewed energy to face problems. Some things that I learnt:

• People behave with you the way you behave with them
• Focus is needed for anything that you do
• Regardless of whether you are tall or short, fat or thin, black or white, young or old, you look beautiful when you smile with happiness.
• Photos distract you from enjoying
• But, photos are important because you forget sooner than you think
• Genuine appreciation of people is a sure fire way of forging relationships
• Singing is healing
• Health is wealth
• Family is a treasure that you own, focus on family should be the highest thing on your list

Here’s to bringing out the wanderlust in me!

Grateful post

Among all the twists and turns that life can take I am honestly glad that my life chose to take the turns it took. It’s tragic that I am enlightened about such grateful feelings only when I confront misfortunes which I cannot fathom can happen with people. People who are as normal as I am, closer to me than I can imagine. 

It is said that tragedies are a true test of your strength. It must be true because I have seen these people climbing back into life, step by step, and that is nothing short of a miracle to me. I cannot predict what will happen in the future. But if I am confronted with something that sucks the life out of me, I only hope I have the strength to resurface. And that I can remember all these people to draw inspiration from.

A Tale of Two Stories

No Indian needs an introduction to Varnashrama or caste system. How did this idea take birth? They say it was the Vedas that stipulated this order of society. I am reasonably convinced that the Vedas did say so, but maybe not with the shade with which we have implemented it. I used to think that Manu (of Manu Smriti) was a more appropriate source, since he was quite (in)famous for such dictats.

Anyway, I spotted a pattern about this topic in the current Indian fiction world. I read two different books recently with an explanation of how Varnashrama took a stronghold in India. Interestingly there is one man who is pivotal for this – Rama. In both the stories, he is the ruler under whom Varnashrama flourished. Even more interesting is the fact that Rama is a hero in one and a grey character in the other.

Amish Tripathi’s Shiva trilogy has drawn a Lord Rama who was nearing perfection. His division of labour was based on skills only and not by the accident of birth. The "Maika" concept enabled all children to evolve their skills and then choose the work that they were best at. While it was logical and was based on natural justice, human bonds were severed.

Anand Neelanatan’s Rama in his “Asura, tale of the vanquished”, is a puppet of the image he has built of himself. His Varnashrama is what we have seen and continue to see in India. Your birth decided your caste and your caste decided your occupation. When everyone stayed within their boundaries, albeit in distress, the system gave an illusion of a perfect world. When someone rebelled, gaping holes were revealed and guilt overtook people of conscience.

Both are refreshing takes on retelling stories we grew up with. They are starkly different but essentially say the same thing. People should be treated like people. Nothing more and nothing less.

My Perfect World

The past few days have been hectic. Too many changes happening to my perfect world. Change is not my best friend. I am trying to take one day at a time for now. I am also practicing the art of deception to divert my mind.

So, I‘ve been reading some Kannada since the past few days. Accidentally stumbled on “Mankutimma”. I have read only a few verses till date and not really pondered over the relevance. Wiki says, the work “Mankutimmana Kagga” is called the Bhagavad Gita in Kannada. You have to agree with that. The Kagga has answers to all the questions we can ever ask ourselves. How could one man have written this in his lifetime? It is hard to imagine the experiences he has had that’s enabled him to write this profound piece. I am unable to describe the awesomeness of the work. If you know the language, it is even better!

Now there’s one verse that’s gnawing my mind from many days describing the illusion or everything perfect. The habit of expecting the “prefect everything” will only spread negativity. The perfect house, the perfect partner, the perfect job, the perfect lunch, the perfect blog post…….it never ends…this obsession. Once you stop this mania, I think you will start finding  satisfaction and happiness even. I also understand that there is a balance you ought to achieve. Less expectation also throws you back in life. Balance is the key…which I am struggling to find!

On a lighter note, I’ll stop worrying that my house is not really spic and span. I see that I am raising happy children in the same house J.

ಸರಿಯಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲವದು ಸರಿಯಿದಲ್ಲವೆನುತ ।
ಹರಡಿಕೊಳಬೇಡ ಮುಳ್ಳನು ಹಾಸಿಗೆಯಲಿ ।।
ಕೊರೆಯಾದೊಡೇನೊಂದು ನೆರೆದೊಡೇನಿನ್ನೊಂದು ।
ಒರಟು ಕೆಲಸವೊ ಬದುಕು ಮಂಕುತಿಮ್ಮ ।।

"This is not right, that is not correct":
Saying thus, spread not thorns on your bed.
So what if something is not perfect?
Life is but a rough job. --Mankuthimma

[With reverence to Sri DVG]

[Reference: http://daily-kagga.livejournal.com/19576.html]

English Vinglish - Time well spent

English Vinglish - here’s a movie you should not miss. It’s not idealistic or preachy even though  the synopsis of the movie might suggest so. You really feel for Shashi, the protagonist. You cry when she cries, you cringe at her embarrassment, you feel proud of her, you dance with her…you feel everything she feels and, that for me, is the definition of a well-made film.

Subtlety is used for the most defining scenes, which works very well. Nothing over-the-top and dramatic. Music aides the scenes rather than being a hindrance to the pace of the movie. The supporting cast is perfect. The movie is as close to reality as it can get.

Few scenes where I felt that the dialogues have been inserted only for the general good-feeling and whistles in the cinema halls were the ones in the consulate where Shashi goes for her visa interview and the one where Amitabh’s character talks with the I-94 stamping guy. Like I said…feel-good scenes :-).

One might also wonder as to how the people in the English class get attached to each other in a matter of just a few weeks. But again, maybe the common dilemma of being left-out in a foreign land bonds them intimately.

Day-to-day happenings are shown with such honesty

• Shashi’s mother-in-law’s scenes…excellently etched out. You’ll want to hug her.
• The scene where the husband talks to Manu, Shashi’s sister, inviting them over to USA for her daughter’s wedding. You can see Shashi constantly trying to get the phone from her husband to talk to her sister but how he never hands her the phone and the silent exchange shown is outstanding.
• Shashi goes to bed in her saree. She does not change her routine or her style even when she lands in the USA. Even such small quirks of her personality are displayed and the character is not compromised till the end.

Many incidents portray Shashi’s  personality

• The café-coffee-day revelation and how she takes it in her stride without berating her teenaged daughter
• The motherly love for her younger child leaves you with a warm and cuddly feeling :-)
• How she makes a business out of her passion
• Her acceptance and thoughts about the homosexuality of the class teacher
• How she is brave enough to venture on her own in a foreign land
• Her ability to decide her priorities on whether or not she should attend her exam
• How she hits the nail on the head when she delivers her final speech….each of these brilliantly executed.

The portrayal of sensitive issues is outstanding, especially considering that this is mainstream Hindi cinema

• “She was born to make laddoos”, wow! Never has such a statement shown to be degrading to a woman in Hindi cinema :-).
• Handling the attraction between the French guy and Shashi is brilliant. No guilt-trips. Just acceptance.

Finally, we come of age. 

You can’t end any piece of writing on this movie without mentioning Sridevi, the actress. She’s brilliant – the master of subtle nuances of body language. She represents so much with just that. Agreed her Hindi sounds funny …but she’s always spoken Hindi the same way for the past 3 decades, isn’t it? And that she’s beautiful is an understatement! You’ll root for her. You’ll root for every woman who has been-here-done-this.

One of the cleverest and entertaining movies of recent times. Don’t miss this one for sure!