Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Year End Comparison - RNBDJ Vs Ghajini

What kind of stupidity is this? Comparing Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (RNBDJ) and Ghajini? Where is the connection? Both are different type of movies - completely different genres, story, heroes, style, narration. One is 'Ghar Ka Khana' and another is 'Feast with all masala'. You will compare just because they got released in the same month and you managed to watch them both? What the hell is that?

Yes, I understand your concerns. But let me tell you, irrespective of its differences, there are few similarities in the movie - Let me explore them in this post:
  • Memory Loss Effect: In Ghajini, it's apparant - Sanjay (Aamir Khan) suffers from Short-term memory loss. In Rab Ne, it's very subtle - The girl Tanni (Anuksha Sharma) suffers from permanant memory loss - yes, someone who can't remember her husband's voice or face
  • Terrorizing fights Effect: In both the movies the heroes fight difficult villains. The fights are way too violent and terrorizing. In Rab Ne, it's a humungous and gross sumo fighter who is made to fall on the floor in a single flow and in Ghajini, with a single blow, he makes everyone hurl and fall on the floor.
  • The Duality Effect: In both movies, there are 2 different versions of the same person. The girls in both movies get deceived of the true identity
  • "Shake Shake" Effect: (Courtesy: McDonald's commercial) The heroes shiver and shake in both movies. Suri (Sharukh) in his usual style makes his hands, lips, face and entire body shake, shiver trying to deliver very emotional dialogues (Yes, girls went crazy and shed the tears whose magnitude could solve the water problem in India). Sanjay was shaking his head vigorously frequently (yes, camera man / editor had to do it so that people can understand that he's getting confused and not remembering anything)
  • Old Daddy Effect: The heroes get to romance with girls of their daughters' age, some call it grand-daugther. (I can hear my N.Indian friends saying "what the heck? Your southie heroes romance with great grand daughters" :P) But it's good fun watching them - Tremendous effort from both given their age
  • Pani Puri Effect: Did you notice? Both the heriones take heroes to pani puri shop
  • Girly-2-wheeler Effect: Yes, the guys had to sit behind the girls in the two-wheeler tricks, chases and stunts
  • Lady Teacher Effect: The girls teach the heroes. Tanni teaches Raj to dance. Kalpana teaches Sachin (Aamir) to act.
This list is just indicative - We can go on just like this. Let me conclude with the last, both movies managed to have a good paisa vasool, bring smile to the producers (though it's not guaranteed for viewers) - ultimately, that's what matters no?

Monday, December 29, 2008

Ashtavakra Gita

Came across Ashtavakra Gita. It's supposed to be the conversation between Rishi Ashtavakra (Yes, he is the one who listened to Vedas from his mom's womb as per mythology) and King Janaka - containing some of the core teachings of Vedanta in a lucid manner. A bit abstract, but really short and sweet. Some seems too Impractical and Instructional, but still worth giving it a try since some of them are truly Insightful. Don't ask me more about it - Like you, I am pretty new to these.

Some excerpts from the poetic translation:

To be free,
shun the experiences of the senses
like poison.
Turn your attention to
forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, simplicity, truth.

A single understanding:
'I am the One Awareness,'
consumes all suffering
in the fire of an instant.
Be happy.
You are unbounded Awareness'
Bliss, Supreme Bliss

He who is unattached,
untouched by opposites,
free of desire,
experiences neither pleasure nor pain
as events pass through.

When there is no 'I'
there is only liberation.
When 'I' appears
bondage appears with it.
Knowing this,
it is effortless to refrain
from accepting and rejecting.

Realize Self in All and All in Self.
Be free of personal identity
and the sense of 'mine.'
Be happy.

One who abhors sense objects avoids them.
One who desires them becomes ensnared.
One who neither abhors nor desires
is neither detached nor attached.

The great soul
remains poised and undisturbed,
whether in the presence
of a passionate woman
or observing the approach of his death.
He is truly free.

One who knows Self,
whose mind is serene and spotless,
does not desire to give up anything,
nor does he miss what is not there.

Having had enough
of the endless workings of the mind,
the wise one comes to rest.
He neither thinks, nor knows,
nor hears, nor sees.

The mind of the liberated one
is neither troubled nor pleased.
It is actionless, motionless, desireless
and free of doubt.

The liberated one
does not exert effort
to meditate or act.
Action and meditation just happen.

Depending on nothing,
one finds happiness.
Depending on nothing,
one attains the Supreme.
Depending on nothing,
one passes through tranquility
to One Self.

When one realizes
he is neither the actor
nor the one who watches,
the mind-storm is stilled.

In short, the great soul
who has realized Truth
is free of desire, enjoyment and liberation.
In all of space and time
he is attached to nothing.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Goals

We are getting to the end of an eventful year. Every news paper and news channel is busy with covering 2008 - Terror attacks, Economic turmoil, Olympics & Cricket everywhere. People would be ranking whether the year was personally a blockbuster or mediocre or disaster. Few would be working on resolutions for 2009. That stuck me to think on its remote cousin know as "Goals". To be more specific, I was thinking whether one should have goals or not. If you feel "What a silly question - If you want, have it, otherwise leave it. What's there to think about it?", you are not far - closer to how I might conclude. ;)


First, coming to "why this question?" I believe answering this question could fundamentally change the way we live our lives. I think there are 2 different ways of living: (1) Take life as it comes (2) Have goals and constantly strive to achieve that. A bit of clarification here: Under #1, there are 2 sub-categories: (1a) Be open to opportunities that life may throw at you and give your 100% (1b) Be a lazy irresponsible bum. Obviously, (1b) is out of any discussion here. The fight is really between #1a and #2. In some sense, it's like the classic fight between Fate (call it Karma / God / Luck / Fortune / Universal plan) and Intelligence. Supporters of Fate say 'Everything has been planned out in detail for you - You just execute it honestly'. Advocates of Intelligence believe, ‘It is stupid to think that someone decides your destiny. You and you alone plan and execute everything.’


Let me take my personal example. Some of you, who know me, would be surprised on why I talk about Fate, since I 'come across' as an ambitious person. (Looks can be deceiving ;)) Let me tell you, my best of, what they call, 'achievements' happened not by absolute planning and meticulous execution - but more through opportunities and by enjoying what I was doing. On the other hand, there are many instances where I had set the goal "A", but ended up getting "B" - Too many examples in this category: Targeted IIT, but went to CEG; Yearned for top US Schools, but worked for Trilogy; Envisioned to be a great coder, but excelled in management and the IIM gates opened (literally got B over A here!) Thought I would die for this one girl, but was reborn anew. Similar story with job. But on hindsight, I think it is best that B has happened to me than A – E.g. Had I got what I initially targeted for, I wouldn't have experienced the great life of Trilogy and eventually an exciting career in India. Thanks the entire Bs! Some of the happiest days of my life had been when I took life as it is - giving 100% to whatever opportunity that pops up. So, as I see, there are 2 issues with setting goal:

  • Figuring out what is the right set of goals for oneself – Most people say 1000 things on what their dad / kid should do, but can’t go beyond half a dozen when it’s intended for them – typical conversations like “I really don’t know what’s good for me”, “will I be able to do this”, “this is not for me”. Or that people become too greedy and end up setting too ambitious goals which don’t make much sense later
  • Second, we forget about living the life when the focus shifts solely on the final objective - it's like a mirage - you constantly run behind something - there is never an end to it.

Let's now take a U-turn to explore the other side.


From childhood, we have been encouraged to have goals / ambitions and almost all motivational books suggest us having goals – Don’t think so many people can be collective idiots. Tam saint Thiruvalluvar says Ulluvathallam Uyarvullal (Means “Think Big” – oh, nice caption for Mr. Anil Ambani!). They say aim at star to shoot at the sky and fortune favors the brave. Going back to my personal examples: Who knows, I got "B" just because I tried for "A" and / or that I didn’t give my 100% for A. Also, it might be short-sighted to architect our lives just based on past. Life is like a stock market - one can't predict tomorrow based on yesterday - Everyday is new. Apart from my personal example, I think there are few reasons why it makes sense for everyone to have goals:

  • Goals help one to stretch himself.. to bring out his best. So, if not for personal reasons, goals might be good for the progress of the society at large. Many people who made great discoveries and improvements had a great vision or an ambition.
  • Goals are somehow related to one's personal, professional, financial or societal developments. So, it's difficult to skip them - You need to have goals, unless your goal is not to have goals.
  • By nature, human beings are desirous (if not greedy), want their ego to be satisfied, want recognition (both self & others), need a sense of contribution / doing work, prefer being in control of their lives - Having goals could tie all these.
  • For many people, though having goals may not be the best way to go about, there is no other better way - Life is not generous enough to always throw things at us - not having goals or aspirations could lead to boredom, desperation and frustration. For most people, life could be difficult and clueless without proper direction in the form of goals.


Ok, do all these mean we have no other choice but have goals? Of course, NOT. It all finally boils down to our values and how we want to live our lives. In fact, most people spend more than half of their lives trying to figure out what life really means. I think life is nothing more than what we say it IS. If one says life is all about "Peace", he can choose to not have goals and be content with whatever he has. If you define it as "Success", have tones of goals and go about accomplishing them all. If life is all about "Happiness" - It's a mixed bag - some people are happy about doing something, for others, it's doing nothing. The list can go on. Just would conclude with 2 points (a) We can do whatever we want, unless we regret later in our life for doing / not-doing something (b) One can keep an eye in the destiny, but still enjoy the treasures and pressures during the journey.

So, are you going to have goals? Irrespective of whether you are have it or not, have an awesome year ahead.
:)

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Mumbai - A week of transformation!

Mumbai. What a transformation within a week! From a passive, helpless city TO an active, WE-CAN-attitude city. The leader-less, organization-less, promotion-less pure-citizen-based initiative of yesterday - mobilization of thousands of people near the Gate way of India - with people expressing their views - It was simply electrifying to be part of the crowd.

Like most others, I also felt it was just an emotional pouring or a spam, when I first got a random SMS from a friend last Sunday. But it was totally IN-ACTION yesterday. People shouting to their core - "Bharat Maatha Ki.. Jai", "Vande... Mataram..", "We want... Action" etc. The environment of huge mobs carrying posters ranging from "Enough is enough", "A'chut'han", "Vote for 49'o", "We want justice", "No Security, No Tax" etc. Flaunting the tri-color flags was scintillating. I wrote and carried a A3 poster with my favorite phrase "ONE India". We didn't forget to sing our national anthem with atmost sincerity. I could imagine how the freedom fighters would have felt!

Till yesterday, I used to wonder whether people protesting like this could make any REAL difference - Yes, people make their point - it also looks good to say to your friends that you have participated in it - that's it - everyone would go back to normalcy after a week. BUT yesterday definitely gave a different HOPE. The rage people showed on politicians - the way they are becoming aware of things happening around them - the way they call others for action - the way they get into action - all are really promising. If not great leaders emerging out of it, they are getting prudent enough to chuck ch**** out of the system. The politicians can't take it for granted that people are dolls who will just dance to regionalism / ideologies OR dogs which will run for the bone they throw. People want Justice, they want Change, they want their Tax to be used properly, they want Security, they want a Justification of the official post. And most importantly, they didn't just stop at asking what the politicians can do for the country, they discussed what they can do for the country. That is REAL difference.

The other day, my friend referred this long but thoughtful article on why poor countries are poor. In line with that article, no doubt our politicians have a played a major role in keeping this country in a pitiful state irrespective of its great resources. Hello... Our dear politicians, please Jaago Re. We have woken up - You can't keep cheating us! If we make a mistake in electing a wrong person - we shall throw him out and find a new person. In a country of 1.2 billion people, we are not short of leaders! Hey Joker, if you can't truly deliver what you promised, make way for others! These thoughts were reflected in the entire crowd.

Before I conclude this post, I just wanted some concrete ideas for a cause. It was great to sing the national anthem together in a group - Reminds us of our nation and our patriotic feelings - Reassures that we are ONE India! Mumbai does a great deal by having the national anthem played (in screen) in theaters before a movie - ensuring that we think of the nation at least for 0.8% of time we spend on the movie. In fact, I was so happy looking at the level of respect Mumbaikars give when it's being played - standing still, either singing or remaining silent. It's definitely a great deal. Now, the question is: How can it be done nationally?

Yes, I was told, it used to be played in theaters earlier, but was stopped after the reasoning that people are not respecting it properly - Seems like they reasoned it "Better to not have it than disrespecting it". Yes, point taken. But that's not a solution - it's like "When people don't follow the traffic rules, I will remove all traffic signals" - My comparison may sound extreme - But the point is simple: For anything and everything, there will be some dissidents. Why care about them? Think of the positive impact it could have. Even if it's one person, it's worth it. I also presume people's attention would go up with the latest inspiring visuals in big screens (yes, thanks Bharatbala).

Ok, let me come to the action part. It can be made possible in 2 ways - make it mandatory (through Government) OR inspire the theater owners to take action. Yes, the second solution may not be very sustainable in long term. But in any case, to make it happen, we need the buy-in of all the stake-holders: Government - State & Central, Theater owners and People. Few quick top-of-the-mind ideas. If you have any ideas / suggestions to make it happen, please comment.
  • Theater owners: Target cities first - the multiplexes are more organized - Few owners to target - Through the top management or its board of directors, try to influence companies like INOX, Adlabs and PVR. Even if one makes its mandatory in ALL its screens in ALL cities (Yes, it will get a good PR for the Co. for doing it), others will follow it. Pretty soon, I believe, small theaters would follow - Not doing it would be not just a lack of respect for the nation, but the fact of being left out of the big league.
  • People: Media can play a huge role in it. Some NGOs and volunteers can chip-in to create awareness.
  • Government: Yes, Government Ji, if you implement it, i'm sure you can put it in your "List of achievements". But how can we influence you to do it? But.. Please don't tell us we need to BRIBE you!
Will post an update when I make that difference.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Stop Talking.. Start Doing..

62 hours. 195 killed. 295 injured.

We have been watching the TV last 2 days about Mumbai Terror attack.. With varying comments like "Man, our security system Sucks!", "We know that it's coming to Mumbai - it's a matter of 'when' - how can they let it happen", "Mumbaikars are so insensitive to burn crackers in such a situation!", "TV channels are trying to make it so dramatic", "Where is Raj Thackeray?", "These terrorists are so clever", "Few dozen terrorists have brought an active city of 2 crore population to its knees"... and a detailed discussion following each comment!

Talk.. Talk.. Talk.. Till we die!!! So, what can we do? Feel sorry for the people who lost their lifes? Express deep condolences? - Who needs all our sorry and condolences? The middle class as usual speaks, feels and forgets after a couple of weeks. These don't matter to lower class. The upper class seeks footage, assesses the material damage to their businesses. People unanimously say "Government has to solve this issue. We are helpless in these situations!" The talk continues - "But you know.. Government is incapable.. It's corrupt.. It gets priority all wrong.. Till we have dirty politicians, nothing is going to happen". Enough of talks.

Not just terrorism. Take any other social issue - Pollution. Poverty. Corruption. Child Labor. The list goes on.. Our talk goes on as well.. Endlessly..

Didn't mean we shouldn't talk - Of course, our words become actions. What I meant is useless talk.. empty speech.. the attitude of being an eternal cribber.. constant complainer! So, next time - when you think you can't make a difference - when you think you are not interested in taking further action - pls dont talk - you can better spend that time in selling an additional pepsi or write 100 lines of software code or serving another customer in your shop - just do honestly - atleast that would serve the country than your pointless talk.

I feel 98% of social work is done by 2% of the committed people - the action people - the selfless people - they just dont have time to talk like us.

In fact, I feel even this blogging is pointless - it's just another way of talking..

From today, let our actions speak more than words!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Black Tiger

White Tiger: Read a fiction after a long time. Thanks SK, BK and Mam for the B'day present!

Gripping. Entertaining. Humorous. Shocking. Infuriating. Humiliating. A roller coaster of emotions while reading this simple-yet-thoughtful book. I quite liked the way the story unfolds; the language, interpretations & narrations - as from a poor-innocent-villager-driver-murderer-turning-into-smart-entrepreneur.

Yes, on one side, I laughed at the sarcasm, wittiness and the humor in the novel. It made me realize some dark truths about India. Thoughts like: 'Come on, you can't do this to them - the under-privileged', 'Man, am I living in this country? Completely oblivious to what's happening to the poor!', 'S**t, the system is really screwed! How & When can we fix it?', 'We need heroes of Shankar movies to weed out these morons - unethical, corrupt and sucking politicians, bureaucrats & business-men' preoccupied my mind.

But on the another side, his criticisms and remarks on India made me rage with anger: 'Yes, I know my country is not perfect. But is it as bad as he portrays?', 'An American / German / Chinese or any other country man will have equally bad and imperfect things to write about. But will they do so?', 'Is this how an Indian has to present India to an outsider?', 'Thanks, Aravind! you have done a great honour to your mother-land. You made us proud of you for winning the award', 'No wonder the sadistic western judges voted it out for booker award - Who wouldn't like bad-mouthing a threatening, rising neighbour, esp. when the expatriate of the same house becomes the messenger', 'Dude - you are giving a very biased opinion!'

I tried to synthesize and resolve these incongruous view points: The very fact that I had the first view point means that I agree that there is mess - yes, every Indian would agree that there is mess. So, in addition to the self-proclamations of "Incredible India!", it wouldn't harm facing the grass root-level reality. Unless we face it, we won't solve it - we would just be in the conceited state. So, let's face it! But, how about the biased opinions? Screw opinions, man! Who cares? How does it matter if a neighbor thinks that there is some problem in my family - what ultimately matters is the happiness & well-being of my family. But my dear friend, it's not shielded any more - In an increasing flat world, what matters are the impressions and opinions - A country portraying itself as 'powerful with big brother attitude' would be successful in ensuring due respect from small boys, another nation advertising as 'safe, peaceful and sound political system' would simply attract flooding inflow of investments. So, "impression management" is very very very important!

"Haa Haa.. I know what happened to all those big big companies which tried to trance people with their false impression management systems.. so, you better be yourself.. people would appreciate known devils than an unknown Gods.. What have impressed outsiders is the ability of this devil to rise among the self-proclaimed-gods and getting noticed.. Yes, a devil with a messy past.. But future is definitely bright.. We may be just be black devilish tigers.. Nevertheless have the power and capabilities of a white tiger.. So, my dear friend, don't give up HOPE.. Let's imagine India and Create ideas for the new Century*"

Thanks Adiga for this entertaining book. Sorry, for being a little harsh on you - But it helped.

*PS: Got to read 2 chapter experts of the forth-coming book of Nandan Nilekani - "Imagining India" - Very promising - Looking forward for it.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Need more proofs?

Moon. Light. Rain. Breeze. Sea. You. 
Yes, they said all these should feature in my first poem.

Can one survive 1000W electric shock everyday? I defy physics whenever you go past me!

I had 1 million thoughts yesterday.. You played dual role in all of them.

I saw a two-petal red rose in my life.. yes, your lips!

"Let's make it Green" became my slogan though I'm not an environmentalist. (Yes, it's your favorite!)

They categorized as 'day' and 'night'. I too have 2 categories - 'Eyes' and 'Mind'. (Yes, the way I see you!)

Thanks waves, for the cheers! One reason why I like bringing her to beach.

Don't you know I'm behind you. Everyone in the college including the professor & the bench know it!

Even my puppy advised me to propose. You would blush if I tell its idea of proposing.

Used to wonder why I was born.. Got clarified on Jan 27th - the day I met you.

Aren't the white long dresses extremely painful? You seem to wear it everyday in my dreams.

Meteorological department can predict rain with 100% accuracy for 1 place in this world. My heart - 24x7 (after I met you!)

I hate attending classes. But I will fight for extra classes, evening classes, weekend classes. At least they bring you to the college.

Let Rahman not hear you laughing. Would use it as new musical instrument in his composition!

I'm happy. I won the bet with my friend. Accurate prediction of what you would wear for a week.

Can a man fly? that too in water..? Been doing in it for an year!

India would be a super-power, if people work like my HEART. Doing double-duty.. sincerely.. passionately.. consistently..

Who said only mouth can speak? Every cell of mine can speak clearly.. yes, your name!

Oye Sun: fire Mr. Moon, appoint a new guy who can beam like you - Her mom keeps calling her after you-set in the evening!

"See all these.. Read them all.. You wrote me all these.. at various points in your life.. I kept it safe so that it would be useful one day like today.. You have been asking why I call you an 'Idiot'.. Aren't these good enough? Need More Proofs??" -- Mrs. Krishnan handed over the diary to Mr. Krishnan. Both had a good laugh looking at them!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

ONE Ideology.. ONE India..

What makes a nation tick? Make it leap ahead of others? Bounce back from a crisis?

The overarching answer I could think of is ONE ideology - a common ideology - ONE that binds the entire nation - ONE that inspires every one in the nation irrespective of their age, sex, profession & socio-economic status. Prominent examples where ONE ideology worked would be revolutions, freedom-movements, national war etc. Japan's demolition in 1945 and raising from ashes is a good example. It's similar to companies having ONE sound vision with stakeholders' buy-in doing much better than others.

Ok, let's shift our focus to India. Yes, India has amazing diversity in culture, language, religion and what not, ideologies - I greatly admire and being proud of the same. But is this really helping in the progress of our ultra-capable nation. Ideologies like "My religion is superior", "Need a separate state for us", "THE Champion of Political party XYZ", "Cinema actor fan club", "Reservation for my caste", "Job preference to sons-of-soil" etc are like 16 horses trying to pull the chariot in innumerable directions. Beyond a point, all of these just take away people's time and energy than adding real value to the progress. Wait, by ONE ideology, I didn't mean that people shouldn't have any other ideologies - rather the ONE ideology should be the "primary" ideology for most people - people can freely have N+1 secondary ideologies. 

The immediate questions that pop-up are - 
  • ONE ideology stems from the assumption of "progress" being the priority of the nation. But who decides this priority? - one says "progress", another says "diversity", third one "freedom". My opinion: freedom without power & progress is like big empty pot - you can 'someday' fill it with all you want, but when? It has been more than 60 years! Adding 'Diversity' may not help much - just makes the pot - a big 'beautiful' pot.
  • Does the boundary of 'Nation' make sense in today's 'flat' world? Only 0.008% of India's population works for Infosys. In my opinion, the entire nation hasn't progressed to the level of thinking / talking about ONE world. 
  • What's the ONE ideal ideology? Is it possible at all to come up with only one? Yes, It's going to very very challenging. But the example of "CHANGE" ideology pepped up by young Obama gives us the hope of YES WE CAN! (the actual execution of the ideology is yet to be witnessed, but getting it right with people's buy-in is half-job done!)
  • Who will promote, champion, lead this ideology? Who will empower & inspire others to live this ideology? Are our politicians sane enough to think of national interest? Is it going to be business man or a social worker or a public figure or media? Will we get another M.K.Gandhi? Who is the ONE? 
The search continues... 

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Little things..

Buzz! Buzz!! It was the calling bell. Half asleep, Aditi's consciousness told someone is at door. She acted deaf to enjoy the extra bit of coziness - curled back into bed thinking 'Who knows I am awake!'. Buzz again! She couldn't act deaf again - door was opened. 

It was Valli, the house servant. 

Aditi sleepily asked  "What Valli? It's just 6:30 AM! Why half hour early today?" 

Valli said "Maaf keejiye ji.. Aaj beta ko hospital leh-jaana.." 

Aditi - "oh, ok. ok.. Finish work quickly and go home early"

Valli began the usual house-sweeping and utensil-cleaning at a brisk pace. Aditi entered the kitchen and started preparing the tea for her. That day was different - She didn't know why she felt so, but she thought she should prepare tea for Valli as well. She made an extra cup.

Aditi handing over the tea to Valli, said "Have chai Valli."  Valli was a little hesitant - "What is this ma? You serving tea for me!". Aditi said "It's ok, Valli. please have it". Unexplainable joy in Valli's face, heartful thanks in her eyes.

Same day. While heading to office in Taxi, Aditi thought "Sometimes we take things for granted - things like - servants are supposed to serve us.. how wrong it could be.. Compared to the services she does for me, what I did was nothing.. It's just a small thing.. a simple thing.. a little thing.. but making a big difference to Valli..  I'm so happy for whatever I did today.. Hope her son gets alright soon!"

Her thought related it to other things in life - "In some way, it's not just our servants, rather the people who love us the most - parents, kids, spouse and close friends.. we take them for granted.. we forget to appreciate them.. we forget to reciprocate their love.. Little things like playing hide and seek with my son.. a funky-tshirt as surprise b'day gift to my dad in 50s.. calling a school friend who admired me in school days - to just say a 'hi'.. yes, little things to me.. makes a big difference to them!"

From that day, Aditi never missed the opportunity of preparing an additional cup of Chai for Valli. 

Monday, November 17, 2008

From Today...

From the diary of Mr.Common Man:

Till Yesterday..
  • I WORK like a donkey for my living
  • I FIGHT like a dog for my survival
  • I HOG like a pig for my growing
  • I CHEAT like a fox for my approval
  • I PLAY like a kitten for my pleasure
  • I LAZE like a buffalo for my relaxation
  • I KILL like a lion for my supremacy

From Today..
I am a MAN. Yes, I GIVE like a man to others & the society! Thanks to GiveIndia.org!

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Top 3 predictions

It's fun to play the game of predicting future. Let's come up with 3 random predictions for 3 random people..

Super Star - Rajnikanth
  1. He will enter politics, quit then and enter again (though will never hold any major post)
  2. The next generation Tamil Kids would love to play/see Rajni toys/animation shows - "Ranjnee-Show", "Scooby-Kanth", "Super-Star-Man"
  3. His movie "Enthiran, the Robot" will do so much collection that it would take decades and a heavy depreciation of Rupees for the new tamil movie to match its collection

Ultimate Queen - Aishwarya Rai
  1. Would have a baby boy who is to be named starting with letter "A"
  2. She would venture into Movie production, many of which would have good collections in UK and US
  3. She would head "Bachans Foundation" which would soon become India's one of the biggest social organizations

The Wall - Dravid
  1. Would play a villian role against the super hero Shivraj Kumar in a Kannada movie (Yes, Shivraj's 150th movie!) which would later be dubbed to all Indian languages. The movie would also feature Cricket bat stunt
  2. The "Dravid Cricket Academy" would attract talents from abroad. BCCI would mandate every new Indian player to get coached for1 week to learn the tricks of test cricket batting
  3. He would chair the committee set up by ICC for the new format of the cricket called "S-Format" (Short for "Senior" Format). This format doesnt require running or scoring runs - winner is chosen based on S3 - Style, Stamina and Strength

November Twelfth!

(Short Story 2)

"You know, today is a special.", John started.. holding Maha's hands.

"Don't tell me you took bath today!",
winked Maha.

"Chup! something to do with our relationship"


"Hmm.. couldn't think of anything.. you tell"


"Gals are simply dumb! boys have to explain everything! It's 143rd time we are meeting secretively in this park"


"My God! You keep track of all these! You beat cricinfo statistics!"


"Yeah, it's women who typically keep track of all these.. our case is just the reverse!"


"Hmm, who decides all these 'things-to-be-done-by-women'?"


"Its our culture! And it's how Venus creatures are designed. Though there are abberations like you!"


"Enough of mindless chat, John. Tell me what's happening with your job search. You don't behave like a 24 year adult",
a bit of seriousness in Maha's face.

"Correction - 23! Hmm.. I'm doing my best, Maha.. even yestereday talked to my uncle's friend.. ",
the glow in John's face seemed to fade

"You know what.. my parents are becoming very serious about my marriage.. Soon all my tam bhram aunties will begin the groom-hunting-process. I am very scared!"


"Tell your dad you won't marry anyone but me"


"I told you thousand times John.. my family is very orthodox.. they can't imagine any one from other community to be their son-in-law, forget different religion! A mega-drama is soon to be staged once the secret is out! Hmm.. I hope I can initiate the conversation after you have a good job. I am much worried.. But you seem to be very careless!"


"Maha, dont tell me I am not serious - I have never been this serious for anything else in life. You mean so much to me. I can't imaging a life without you. If you happen to marry someone else, graveyard wouldn't be too far for me!"


"Enough John, don't put senti dialogues like these - we have crossed that stage.. show me it in action!"


"Come on, Maha! You saying I am not taking any action?"


"I am not saying so - I am just saying you dont seem to have the focus and commitment"


"Oh.. yeah! amazing! welcome to the world of commitment! The world which men understand and live-by more than women!"


"Why do you have to talk about women in general?"


"Yeah, you girls are just focused on getting things done for you. You never care about how men feel. Have you ever heard stories of women dying for men. Mental asylums and suicide attempts appear only in men's dictionary."


"Love should let people Live, not die!"


"Nor do I say so. It's just an indication of how committed men are! If things don't work out, women would be sad for few weeks, may be months.. worst case - few years.. life will resume normally after that! Men are not like that!"


"Who says all these to you? Don't get all these wrong impressions from movies! Women are more committed than men! We don't check out every damn person of opposite sex in the roads! We dont yearn for 'more beauty' every moment.. We are committed to one person!
" - this is Maha

"Hmm, you speak so much! If you are so committed, why can't you just say 'yes' to the registration marriage"

"Come on, John! How can I forgo my parents who supported me, helped me in every possible way for the last 22 years just like that.. I cant run away from home - I would like everything to happen with their blessings!"

"Then, I dont think it's going to happen! Maha, you gotta decide - Me OR your Parents!"


"John, why speaking like these?
"

"Because I am seeing so many live examples outside - Gals leaving guys just like thst. Rock solid hearts you people have!"

"You are not understanding John. Most women in our country are made to be dependent on men - father, brother or husband. Additionally, the difficulties, disappointments & betrayals in the name of "love" and "marriage", which we go through, call for higher level of cautiousness, patience and courage!"

"You mean to say that I would cheat you and that you don't trust me!"


"John, I didn't mean that.."


"Then, what? You are just proving the point - women are just pure simple selfish creatures!"

Tears started rolling in Maha's beautiful cheeks.. She just started walking with waterfall of tears "You dont understand, John! Let's just leave it!"

5 years later...

Maha holding John's hands, "John! Can you tell me why today is special for us?"

John laughed "This tracking job gets shifted to women after marriage!"


Maha ignoring his comment said "A turning point in our life - the day which changed our lives! The day which really made you become serious. The day I left you in the park with tears.. the day which brought out the talents in you to get this amazing job within 20 days.. ultimately the marriage of the most loving and most fighting pair.. and the cute & lovely kid named Nitin! The magical day.. Yes, Nov 12 it is!"

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Short Story 1

As Ranjan was hurrying back home from office on a busy friday evening in Mumbai, multiple things were racing in his mind - Should I take the train or the bus? Will I reach home in time? Will I disappoint Nandita and Aruna once again? What if that 'stupid, dumb & cruel' manager calls me again?

It wasn't more than 5 seconds - His phone started ringing "Pappu can't dance saalaa...". Oops, what he didn't want to happen finally happened - The Nokia was flashing "Abhishek Nayar". He was in two minds - "Should I pick it up or not?" He built up his courage to shift the phone from his left side pocket to right side without answering the call. Mr. Saturday would never satisfy with a single attempt - "Pappu can't dance saalaa.." again - Ranjan felt like shouting "This Nayar saalaa can't let me be in peace!"

Nayar was blaring from the other side "Ranjan.. Toot gaya.. laptop chaalu nahi kartha hai yaar... this bloody thing is not booting up again.. I told nah - you didnt fix this f***ing thing properly - the all important presentation with Mr. Ratan Tata is in the laptop.. I need to present it today.. Come right now!" Call was disconnected. Ranjan felt helpless. He told himself "I shouldn't have joined this stupid job - IT support in a world famous Investment Bank - All these dumb-a**es call themselves intelligent, but can't fix a simple thing with their laptops"

5 years back, Ranjan shifted to Mumbai after he married Nandita. Aruna, their lovely kid, is one of the smartest kids Ranjan has ever seen. In fact, he believed that Aruna has more computer knowledge than the i-bankers in his office. He loved his family so much. The only complaint the family had about him was his punctuality. "The little one" at home had been pestering him to take her to "Kungfu Panda" - He had managed to say "next week" for 5 weeks. Today morning, the little one, being smart said "I know you. You won't book tickets. And even if you book, you won't come on time. Myself and Mommy going. You just sit with your computer and manager - both of which don't have any brain." Finally, Ranjan was moved - He told Nandita "Let's not disappoint Aruna once again - book the ticket for evening show today - I will be at home by 6 PM" - Nandita laughed "Don't make false promises! It's fine if you dont take her to movie. I don't want yet another story of booking and not making for the movie." Ranjan said in Super star Rajini style "Book pannu. Naan oru thadava sonna, nooru thadava sonna maari" ("Just book - My one-time-telling means 100-times-telling" ;))

As Ranjan was rushing back to office, the above scene flashed in his mind. He thought "Yes, today story over. Little one will behave like a big mother. Wife would wait with a knife. Yes, everything is over!" It was already 5:30 PM. Evening show is at 6:30 PM. Chiding the fate & fat (Nayar), he reached office at 5:45 PM. Nayar was typing something in his laptop while happily munching Domino's pizza with double cheese . Ranjan thought "what the hell is this?" Seeing Ranjan, Nayar said "Oh, I forgot that I had called you. I solved the problem". Ranjan "Oh, what was the problem?" Nayar laughed and said "I went to my neighbors room and tried to boot a laptop there!" Ranjan wanted to kick the sick Nayar. He told silently "Nayar.. Real jackass you are! Thank God you didn't go to your neighbor's house and tried to ..... " Oops, already 6 PM. No time to think about Nayar now. Time to run to house - He was sure he would reach by 7 and would miss the movie as usual.

His Sonata watch was showing 7.17 pm when he entered the house. TV was on - Cartoon Network channel - Tom was getting it left, right and center from little Jerry. He thought "Don't worry, Tom.. you are still better than Ranjan" He sat on the sofa silently. Nandita was cooking and happily singing "Vaseegara.. " ("Zara zara.." in hindi!) He didn't have the guts to talk to her now. He started shouting "Aruna Kannu.. where are you?" - Came the immediate reply "Daddy, dont disturb me.. I am playing in computer - will talk to you later." Ranjan was baffled by the behavior of the 2 girls at home. Came the sweet voice of Nandita with hot filter coffee and aromatic samosas, "Have these.. you deserve them. Don't panic - haven't added anything mischievious in food!" Ranjan didnt know what to do - He started gulping the coffee and stuffing his mouth with a samosa. She said "Slow, no hurry! The movie is only at 9:30 PM"

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Jaago Re.. Oram Po..

It happens with Chennai Autowalas - Yes, my blogs. Dusting off my blog after a long time.

Scene 1: Mumbai Airport. Just before the departure of my flight to Chennai, had a conversation with a friend from Janaagraha on their new initiative with Tata Tea - "Jaago Re! One Billion Votes". I am sure many of you would have seen and appreciated the TV ad. The initiative is very commendable for multiple reasons
  • Its new approach with the strong message of "Agar aap soyenge to desh kaise jagega!"
  • Making voter registration a much simpler process esp. by leveraging technology
  • Endorsement by Election Commission
  • Support of a corporate body - Tata Tea
  • Execution by a dedicated Janaagraha team (with most of them below 30 years and alumni from IIT Madras who devoted their career to work for social causes)
  • Last but not the least, the YOUTH factor - the initiative is to be driven by youth - Yes, true to what Vivekananda says "Give me 100 youth, I would change the fate of the country."
It's an excellent case of how multiple stakeholders can work together to begin a new era - a change that many have wished to bring in.

Scene 2: Chennai Airport. Landed at Midnight - I couldn't believe myself for having gotten an Auto from Airport to Nungambakkam for Rs.150, that too without any bargain. Yes, remember Chennai! The driver immediately proved his kindness and honesty by helping a poor airport worker on the way. I couldn't avoid but to ask him "Chennai eppadi irukku?" (How is chennai doing?). The conversations during the rest of the journey were interesting. (It's interesting to have conversations with auto drivers - they mirror the mentality of a common man and they know / see the mentality of many random people who travel in their autos). He began with how inflation is affecting the common man - He gave a statistics, which I never realized and found hard to believe - a tomato costs more than Rs.2! His point was that Government is driving the inflation and that the politicians just suck out people money (whenever he mentioned politicians, he promptly prefixed the Tamil abuse starting with "thev.." - I couldn't resist but to laugh at hearing the Senthamizh!). I decided to listen than giving gyan on inflation. He continued "I may not pay income tax, but i'm paying tax indirectly - from the match box to the petrol. Have these political Bas***** ever utilized the money properly? Look at the roads... For sucking and looting people's money, they and their families will never have a good death." Yeah, I asked the question, most of you have in mind - "You are complaining so much.. what did you do to change it? Did you vote in the last election?" With an ephemeral laugh, he said firmly "I'm 49 years old and have given up voting long time back.. I also encourage my family to not vote." Filled with rage quickly from tummy to eyes, I remarked "You dont vote.. but just keep complaining huh?" He quickly responded "Are there any good politicians or parties here? All are bas**** Whom will I vote for?" He made it clear that he doesn't support any party / politicians and that he believes in just 4 things in life (a) Being an MGR fan, though he never supported him as a politician (b) Lord Muruga devotee (c) Responsible family man (d) Honesty in work. I said "Hmm.. you wouldn't bother about what is happening outside your life. yeah, there are bad politicians.. but you won't make an effort to change things". He replied "Nobody can change these. I can't change the world. I will just do my work honestly and will help the person next to me in whatever small way I can". Auto reached door #9, **** Street, Chennai. Would have been nicer to hear more of his view points about life and politics, but just had to thank and bid adieu to him.

People might be perplexed by the title of the post! "Jaago Re" in hindi means "Wake up" - A call for action from others. "Oram Po" in Tamil implies "Leave way for me" - a typical phrase used by autowalas. In a broader sense, the 2 scenarios depict 2 different ways of living. W.r.t. voting, they imply different standpoints. In fact, it's not just the autowala - lot of people give up on voting saying "No good politicians", "things can't be changed." My good friend quoted this article - she said it makes much more sense to take an economist view and not vote in India today.

So, should we shout "Jaago Re" or "Oram Po"? You decide what you want to shout, but I would make my call loud and clear "Jaago Re"! I strongly believe - voting is not just a "civic duty", "self-interest", "make-a-difference", "feel good", "look good" factors, rather it's the "foundation" for many things. Like a foundation for the building, it incurs a significant cost at the beginning and may not have any immediate perceptible benefits, but it's absolutely necessary for a solid building. Voting may not be a cure-for-all solution. It may not be the ONE step, rather step one for solving many social issues.

So, what are you waiting for? If you haven't registered yourself, go ahead and register to vote at www.jaagore.com and no harm in spreading a good message to others! :)

Monday, May 05, 2008

Saadhveeka

Coach S2, Seat Number 23. Beautiful evening! Mild drizzles, which showered as a panacea for the hot month of May! I boarded the train and it was just leaving the station.

I looked around. Nobody seemed interesting to talk with – A couple talking to each other; an old man noting down something in his torn diary and a mid-age woman reading a novel. So, I continued with Chapter 4, India Unbound. So much information in that book that I had never thought of thinking! Huge price for hating history in school days!

Kreeechhhh…. The train stopped at Thirumangalam, a town near Madurai. It was still drizzling. The evening had almost bid adieu and the night baby was ready to smile with its white teeth, moon.

Perfect setup! A young & beautiful gal boarded the train. Silently, I prayed “Oh, God! Save me from this boring crowd around. Please let the girl come and sit near me.” God wasn’t deaf that day! Wish granted!! I felt heavenly.

She said “Berth number 18”. I thought “Good number”. She sat next to me. She was simply gorgeous! I couldn’t believe my eyes – She was wearing capris a.k.a pedal pushers (For tam guys: Mukka-Kaal Panttu) with clean shoes and a nice sleeveless t-shirt. I wondered how come such a gal from a village. We remained silent for few minutes, but I couldn’t control the excitement and eagerness to know more about her.

I began with a pretty mild voice -- “Hi, Are you from Thirumangalam?” She gave a wired look and replied “No, from Bangalore.” I felt a little awkward, but didn’t bother too much. Quite liked talking to her, so didn’t feel like stopping. Continued “Where in Bangalore?” I think she felt a bit comfortable now. In her sweet voice, she replied “Padmanaba Nagar.” I knew the place but looked a little baffled. She clarified “It’s the place near the famous house of Mr. Kumaraswamy.” Then, I shook my head, as if I understood things. I replied “Oh, Great place, it is! How come in this village?” She was quick to reply - “Came to visit my Grandpa.”

She gave a very brief intro about her. The most striking part was her name – “Saadhveeka”. It was unique and sounded blissful. Fell into love with her name immediately. She explained, “It derived from Sanskrit – It means Some one who is very peaceful and will get everyone’s respect” I was in a double-mind to tell the meaning of my name, since it sounded a little scary, but continued and proclaimed “My name in Sanskrit means Six-Face!”. (My parents were generous enough to add more stuff to my name, which I simply ignored for the sake of simplicity.) She sounded excited (Not sure whether she was surprised or scared! ;))

I was thinking what to talk next. Came in handy, the usual-but-never-boring “What’s your hobby?” I thought I should ask it in a different way and asked “So, what are your interests other than your studies / work”. 1000 watts bulb in her eyes and teeth (We probably could have turned off the lights in our compartment). She talked in-length about her interest in oil painting, glass-painting and some other craft which she does with mud and beads.

During the conversation, I realized she didn’t seem to know much about Tamil Nadu, not even the places near her grandfather’s village. I thought that was my chance to strike the chord. When asked about the places she had visited in Tamil Nadu, she listed few places and narrated random descriptions about each of them in her melodious voice.

When my chance came, I started telling about the places. She listened with keen interest, occasionally blinking her beautiful eyes. We crossed Thiruparankundram. I moved back to show her the temple and the enchanting view of the near by hill, unfortunately it wasn’t visible because of poor lighting. She seemed to enjoy the history & mythology behind the place.

We were crossing the Vaigai River, which to my surprise, was over-flowing with water on that particular day. I explained her some stories behind it esp. about Aathula Alagar Eranguthal (Lord Vishnu getting into River) – She got excited and jumped from her seat to get a glimpse of the river.

Lots of conversation and I thought she was pretty comfortable talking to me – Felt happy. I thought, time for some personal questions to her. I didn’t want to jump into very personal questions abruptly – I wanted the conversation to flow smoothly. Since the conversation was on Gods, I asked her “Who are your favorite Gods?”

Was quite surprised and laughed at the response!

Bal Ganesh, Hanuman and Hanuman Returns

I told myself “This is the digital age of internet and animation. This is what you should have expected, when you asked the question to a four year old sweet little girl”

No Wonder why the Indian Animation Industry is on a Roll.

:)

Monday, April 28, 2008

How much for Central Station?

“How much for Central Station?”

“Sir, you tell how much will you give!”


“It’s ok. You tell!”

After some silence, with a smile he said, “70 bucks, Sir”

Thought myself “Guy seems reasonable. No need to bargain much!” Got into the auto and told him “Ok boss, make it 60” (It’s a sin to not bargain with Auto drivers Chennai!)

“No Sir, not much business today!”

Yeah, 10 bucks won’t make a big difference to me, but may not be the case for him. So, didn’t talk more about the fare.

“Which route should I take, Sir?” he asked

I replied, “If you are a Vijay (Tamil film Star with huge number of fans following!) Fan, take the Ponamalli High Rd – You can get a glimpse of his huge cut-out of the forthcoming flick, Kurvi; Else take the Mount Road.”

He said enthusiastically “I will take the Mount Road, Sir”

“Boss, please stop calling me ‘Sir’. Also, I am much younger than you!”

Came his next question “Ok nga, should I go faster or slower?”

“I have lots of time. You can go at your own pace!”

I found the guy interesting. After a couple of minutes, I initiated the conversation, “I would like to understand auto-walas – their concerns and a little about their businesses”

He started revealing the secrets – business models, strategy & revenues etc. Though he didn’t use the business jargons, I would say he’s pretty smart in business.

First, he said how much he makes per day –

Gross Revenue = Rs.800-900 (1200, if it’s a lucky day!)
Fuel Expenses = 300
Auto Rent = 150 (Most of the auto-walas drive the autos from Settu – They need to give Rs.150 per day excluding maintenance charges!)
Operating profit = 400-450
Daily personal expenses = 150
Take home = 250-300
All figures are “per day average"

I told, “Hmm, that doesn’t seem like great money for someone who works very hard from early morning till late night. So, why can’t you try to increase your revenue by improving the occupancy rate?” (Yeah, this is what Airlines try to do!)

Came the reply, “We, the auto-walas are bound to a particular area. My Auto, for e.g., belongs to Anna Nagar – In our area, we can pick up any customer. In other areas, we can pick up customers, only if those autos don’t want to pick them up. We begin the day from our area and after every trip we try to come back to our area. On the way, we drive slowly and try to get customers. We also try to take the route of crowded places. After 8 PM, we go only to areas near our homes. There are auto drivers having different schedules – people starting very early in the morning and going early evening; starting late and drive till mid-night; there are night-drivers as well”

I exclaimed “Looks like a tough business!”

We were half-way through the station. After hearing my sympathetic response, he paused for a moment and said “Sorry, sir. Really Sorry, sir!”

He opened up, “Sir, I had drinks today and sorry to drive you when I am drunk!”

“Hmm, what did you drink – Beer, Whisky, Brandy or Rum?”, I asked inquisitively

He tried to justify --“Just a very little of Brandy. Really Sorry, Sir. I had some major issues with my uncle. That’s why drank.”

I lectured, “Yeah, I don’t say you shouldn’t drink – it’s up to you. But not while you are driving - you are risking the lives of travelers like us.”

He replied apologetically “What to do sir, we lead such a life. It’s not just me. 90% of the auto-drivers drink and drive. If you are really concerned, I can get another auto for you, Sir”.

I was astonished with that unverifiable and alarming statistics he gave. I replied “It’s ok. I don’t mind. Next time, when you take someone in your auto, please avoid drinking”

He was silent for few minutes. I guess he felt guilty.

I began the conversation again “So, who are the major pain-points and competitors for auto-drivers”

“Traffic police and share-autos”, came the immediate response!

He continued, “Share-autos charge 5-10 bucks per passenger. People who want to travel in the main roads have almost ruled-out using expensive autos. We can take only interior & long routes that these guys don’t cover”

I thought myself – The share-autos ensure that their vehicles run continuously – Theirs is a high volume business and normal-auto is a high margin business.

I told him “Yeah, added to that MTC (the Govt. owned metro buses, which are very economical) is planning to introduce the hugely successful 'mini-buses' concept in Chennai, I was told 1000 of them!”

He was smart -- “Yeah, it would affect our business to some extent, but share-autos would be heavily affected. It’s their direct competitor!”

I was about to reach the station. I just wanted to conclude the talk with some food for thought for him. “You could reduce your personal expenses by nearly 50%, if you reduce taking drinks. Your take home salary per day could increase as much as Rs.50." Keeping a serious face, he replied "Sure, Sir. I will try to reduce drinking."

I concluded "Have you heard of this Rs.1 lakh car by Tata. Once it’s available, will you buy one and start driving it instead of auto?”

I didn’t expect that reply from him.

“I am completely aware of that, Sir. I am a mechanic myself and have a diploma in the same. In fact, I was the proud owner of a reasonably big car mechanic shop – we did all sorts of things – servicing, painting, repairing.. everything!! But.. but.. unfortunately, I encountered a huge loss of more than 5 lakhs rupees and I had to close down the shop. So, I resorted to driving a rented auto”

We were in front of the station. I was very much interested in knowing the reasons for such a colossal loss, but time and the place didn’t permit. I just handed over 70 bucks and patted on his back saying “Don’t bother, your dream business will prosper soon. All the best!”

With bright eyes and smiling face he bid adieu “Thank you very much, Sir!”

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Mind Trading

In B-schools, you are asked to wear others' shoes, esp. when you are analyzing case studies. In Edward De Bono's lateral thinking, you are required to wear different hats. I am sure, most of us would be receivers of "Can't you sympathize with that poor fella?", "Why don't you empathize with me?!", "Think from my perspective." Hope all of these would help in better understanding of people and the situation.

8 PM, last Wednesday. The dinner plan with my friend didn't materialize, my bike got punctured and the auto-walas in front of the Bangalore Central asked insane money for a 5 km journey. Decided to experiment something - Walk till Trinity Circle, explore people and places on the way & travel in the local crowded bus. Quite an interesting experience it was!

Walkers, Riders, Pillion-Riders, Sleepers, Road-Side Enterprises - the aggressive entrepreneurs and its loyal customers, Beggars, Traffic Police, Poojaris, Auto-walas... I told myself "Let me play the Mind-Trading-Game" - When I see a random person in the road, try to think of what might be running behind his mind - his joys, worries, concerns, ambitions, objectives etc in life. Most people seem to be lost in thought. I guess they don't even realize they are walking in M.G.Road or crossing the ING building. But apart from the usual ones, there are lots of interesting observations!

Next time, dont tell you are bored when you have to travel all-alone or when you have nothing-to-do at home. Just take a walk and start noticing people around! It's interesting & fun!!

Friday, April 18, 2008

Paanch Punch Pics

4 days. 5 Movies. Finally, moved them from my 'TO-WATCH' to 'WATCHED' list - Taare Zameen Par(TZP), Jodha Akbar(JA), Jab We Met(JWM), Page 3(P3) and U Me Aur Hum(UMAH). Yes, they had been lying in the former list for quite sometime (except the last one).

Quite liked all of them. Different themes. Different actors. Different levels of seriousness & fun. TZP took me to the world of children. JA to the period of Moghuls. P3 to the lesser-known side of few Mumbai cliques. JWM to Punjabi marriages & running trains. UMAH to cruises and asylums. Hmmm.. but is there anything in common among these movies? Apart from the obvious factor of being bollywood movies without the usual masala stories, I found the following interesting connection.

In all movies, the characters face tough-to-handle life problems - TZP: Problem of a child & its parents, JA: Political problem, Page3: Social problem, JWM: Pre-marriage problem, UMAH: Post-marriage problem. But they all try to handle the problems in an UNCONVENTIONAL manner.

  • TZP: Ask the basic question "Is what you call a 'problem' really a PROBLEM?" and most importantly try to understand the so-called-problem from the 1st person. Find the root cause of the problem. Try to solve root cause than reacting to the symptoms.
  • JA: Collaboration instead of head-on competition & fighting to solve the problems. Yes, I mean Akbar's approach of hindu-muslim cultural synthesis & collaboration - including Hindus in the courtyard, marrying Hindu princesses (seems like Akbar had 40 wives! Gowarikar, can we expect movies like - Akbar Jodi No. 23 ;)] etc
  • P3: Be part of the system, while you want to reform the system.
  • JWM: A cool attitude simplifies the problem and a better way to handle it. (So, the next time someone dumps you, burn & flush it out OR use your friend's phone to call the person and you-know-what-to-talk)
  • UMAH: Never lose hope in solving the problem. When there is love and that you are determined to solve the problem, you would solve it. At least, you would learn to live with it.

Also, impressed with the kind of PATIENCE that the characters show in solving these problems. Any difficult problem needs time and continuous effort to be tackled.