Rang De Basanti - a thought

They could never sift out the nonsense & improbable relationship with the real & contemporary lives from Indian cinema. Last week, I purchased some DVDs, and when I came back home, made me some coffee, pulled down the curtains, turned on the volume, it was RDB inside the Narnia cover. Lazily lying down, I cursed the DVD-waala, but since I had nothing better to do, & with all the hype & hoopla about the movie, I decided to watch it anyway. And while they sang "Paathshaala", I wondered...

To tersely opine about it, a group of very adorable but confused young people, ambivalent & aimless, suddenly dramatically change, not by a realisation of systemic wrong, but due to a personal mishap. I'll spare you the story, but here's the thing - they get away (not until later) with shooting down the Defence Minister, & they do that with no military training, & security impedimenta are defied like child's play. A revolution follows, & forms the very axis of the movie, but though a revolution may be provoked by an experience of personal injustice, doesn't it essentially speak for the masses? Weren't the freedom fighters of India vanguards of a mass-based uproar rather than solo performers?

OK, before I meander to something more intricate, could they defy the security at India Gate and sing out "Paathshaala", whilst happily gulping down beer in an open jeep?
From my experience, me and my friends had to spend an hour inside a thana when one of us got a little too impatient & popped open a beer can at a Mayur Vihar red light, inside a car with dark windows at 6 pm on a normal evening and were spotted. I could never imagine doing the same at India Gate.

Still, its an enjoyable movie according to Indian Standards. And so much for Bollywood, we are obliged faute de mieux.

Loo musings

Firstly, for people satisfied with their busy, purposeful lives, let me rephrase the topic to "Loo musings of an idle bloke", coz as you read on, the subject turns polemical.

I have been sitting idle for quite some time now, & between awaiting my results to looking for a job, from finding a job to awaiting my date to join, a rather depressing thought has come into my mind.

Why am I here? Why are we all here? Do we really have a purpose? While some might argue that we are here to make this world a better place, I say bullshit. While some might accept that we are here to make the world a better place for us, I ask you, have we done it any good yet? De facto, we dwell, consume everything around us, pullulate to the brink, start squabbling about it & to survive, dwell around a new corner & the cycle goes on.

This is about the purpose of life, & how we make it look like a travesty. Why was man evolved out of a microbe? Why did we turn into the smartest species of all? Or was it per se? Why have we always been so greedy & hungry? Has it always been about survival?

We begin with toys, study for half our rotten lives, work to earn some money, get married & die eventually. Is that what the purpose of life is? Accepted, some have ambitions, some have dreams, some are pertinacious & lucky to achieve either or both. Yet, as such minuscule creatures in the whole wide universe, are we making a point? Are we all travelling on a downward spiral that becomes more and more narrow as it progresses? A spiral, the end of which is a tiny dot? Is there a supreme power watching us? (No arguments on that please!) Or are we mere marionettes? Look at what we have done to everything around us!

Yet, life goes on, and for now, I'll go get some grub. Like I titled it, these are only loo musings (of an idle bloke).

*Burp*

'Holika Dahan'

The festival of colours is here. A splash here, a splash there, delicacies, friends, a get together, cricket, bhaang, a late night walk & a slumber that you can only enjoy once an year. For me, there was more to Holi than everything I just said.

As a kid, I enjoyed Holi eve called 'Holika Dahan' more than the real thing. Let me spare you the history behind it, but believe me, it was exciting.

At around 7 pm on Holi eve, youngsters in our colony would start collecting wood, fuel or anything even semi-combustible & make a heap (more like a well-structured pyramid) in a corner close to the huge playground. Its funny how the tradition had passed from generations, with the responsibility passing on from elders to the new kids on the block. I always wanted to join them & lend them a voluntary hand to build up the structure stick by stick. But my comrades and me had to wait till we were 'big enough' & to our chagrin, had to content with watching & waving from the window.

Our time did come in another couple of years. It was fun to act like responsible adults. As the tradition ran, we collected wood, fuel or anything even semi-combustible & made a heap (more like a well-structured pyramid) in a corner close to the huge playground. Since we had the muscle power available in the form of some sturdy volunteers, I remember us dragging an old fallen tree to the spot as well. While some donated generously, some shut doors at our faces. Misusing muscle power was against the rule, so after much convincing and mollifying, we chose to go by the book.

By around 11, the structure all set, we returned for dinner, while some kept watch.

And by 12, it was showtime! Even the memory of the moment still excites me. An adult used to light up the base, and we would clap, dance around & laugh out loud. Oh, what a sight it was, the moon dancing in the lake, the chill of the night, the warmth of the fire, the sparks disappearing into the starlit sky and gossipping with friends over roasted chana right out of the embers. The time just flew by sitting there, all our worries going up in smoke and a feeling of togetherness keeping us warm.

The team was particularly tired & sleepy, so after exchanging good nights, we were back home & off to bed.

And the next day:

"Trrrrrriiiiinnnng!", rang the doorbell.

Screams....

Splash!

"Holi Hai!!!"

In & out of love

A lot has been said and written on one of the most complex human phenomena called 'love', & yet, no one knows why we fall in love, or fall out of it.

Subsumed under 'love' is a mother's love for her child, a patriot's love for his country, a messiah's love for his folk & everything which encompasses a selfless act of adulation. For me, thats love in its purest immaculate form.

I am no doctor here to talk of enzymes, stimulus or the brain segment which causes it. But all I want to say is for people 'falling in love' with each other, its only a facade. A charade which is always mutual. They gain some - lose some, give some - take some. The verity so goes, we are all greedy for some support. Its never enough for us. We cling on to each other like symbiotic parasites, & when the sweet stuff is all over, let loose.
Its human, & I'm no log here. But for people in love, they'd always demur.

I have seen people going crazy - laughing it up, crying it out, ambivalent & pertinaciuous. Something was always right & concomitantly something was always wrong. It was spicy. It was exciting. I was always in a quandary, wondering if they were on either side of the thin line which divides being dissatisfied & being unsatisfied. But like I said, its only a facade. No sooner, ennui uproots the blossoming flower, & everything withers away to a salvo of expletives.

So heres the point:
Deep inside, we are greedy.
Deep inside, we crave for attention.
Deep inside, we need another brain to dump our garbage.
Deep inside, we are only a species who yearn to mate.

But 'love', so to speak, is only a primordial human impulse. And thats the way we lose paradise. Or in some cases, seize it.