An ill-favoured thing sir, but mine own!

If I am not just a name, who am I?

2011-06-29T11:47:00.000-07:00

I am Optimus Prime.

Ok now you would say, “First Optimus Prime is a name, and second, Mr. Pritam Barhate you are not Optimus Prime not by a long shot!”

I agree with the second not with the first. Optimus Prime is not just a name! It’s more than that. It’s an idea. The oldest in the world of fiction. It is “the brave and righteous conquers the evil”. This is how names stop being names, they become ideas, consider this Ram, Ravan, Ghandhiji, Hitler.

Of course most of us rarely reach to that level. But that’s not the point. The point is do we try?

Ok let me give a little context to this first. This post started as comment to the blogpost : http://bit.ly/mCOPiy.

नाम न होता तो क्या होता

Written by Ruchi Raval, who is my colleague (and who writes a fabulous blog). While writing the comment I found that I had so much to say on this topic that I started a blog post.

So, If I am not just a name, who am I?

In her blog Ruchi writes,

My answer, though not final, had been Water. It does not react with anything. The litmus test shows it to be neutral. It fills the vast oceans yet fits in a tiny blood cell. This quality – neutrality – is the most sought after and ideal state of the human mind.

So though it may seem silly, ‘If I had no name, I’d say I am water’.

My response would have been something same. "neutrality" Anything but about being unique or different. That beings me to a different question:

What stops me from saying: I am special who has the capability to make difference to my life and to others?

PS:

To Ruchi: Sorry, if it sounds like I am passing a judgement on you. I am not and to be fair you make sound water like being sublime. But I somehow find "neutrality" more appealing.

***
For those who got bored of my rambling, here is something interesting - the original Optimus Prime quote:

If you do not dance, you have no purpose : Sucker Punch

2011-03-25T14:43:00.000-07:00

Spoiler : If you haven’t watched ‘Sucker Punch’ and plan to watch it, don’t read this just yet.

OK, negative reviews have started to flood in for Zack Snyder’s new film ‘Sucker Punch’. I disagree.

In short Sucker Punch is a Snyder’s remake of the "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest". Sucker Punch has been criticized for its monotonous and meaningless action (I agree), portrayal of the girls in skimpy cloths (though the filming rarely focuses on it. The cloths are more about stylizing the scenes rather than titillation), lack of coherence, the list of flaws is endless.

However...

This all can be excused for the message it has:

If situation says: “If you do not dance, you have no purpose”
Then you find a way to make the dance purposeful.

“Bakwas end!” was what I had said about One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. “Brilliant End!” was my reaction about Sucker Punch.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was more about an individual’s win against the establishment, while Sucker Punch inspires you to “make the dance meaningful”. It tells us to glorify the battle against our life’s ordeals in our imagination. It tells you that you are the Hero who can win the battle.

May be yes you have to live with your lot in life but that should not stop you from making it worthwhile and delightful.

Why People and How People

2011-03-12T00:00:00.000-08:00

The boy asked his grandfather, "Why most people are poor and we are rich?"

The grandfather, who built a chain of hardware stores and was affluent, smiled to grandson and said, "Son, don't ask why. Ask how. Mostly people who ask why are writers and scientists. Most of them don't really achieve anything. Some do but most not."

"Learn to ask how and not why. The people who ask how solve problems and create things. Successful businessmen are people who ask how. They find ways to solve problems. That is the way to proposer. Solving problems for which people are ready to pay for. That is why we are rich and most people are poor. Poor people ask why. They ask that to the God and to the politicians. Both of them are well known for not answering. On the other side I have always asked how. Look where I am today."

The boy was intelligent. He asked, "But politicians are people who always ask why and they never seem to have any solutions. Yet they are few of the most powerful people. How so?"

The grandfather smiled, pleased by the cleverness of the question asked by his grandson. This boy had the right attitude to make an empire out of his business. Something sadly his poet son didn't have. He said, "Yes politicians are indeed powerful. That is one shortcoming of democracy. Most of the time people who don't have any solutions govern the society. Thankfully most of the politicians have one common shortcoming, greed. Almost all of them can be bought and manipulated. That is one important lesson every successful businessman must learn, how to manipulate politicians."

---

The portion above is based upon what I call Why People and How People Theory. It forms the basis of a novel I am "planning" (always planning, never writing) to write which deals with the clashes in Why people and How People. Basically it is a story of the 3 protagonists from three continents. However this is just planning and I don't really know when I will write it. So this will be filed under many "to write" stories.

Anyways what do you think about this theory of "Why People and How People"?

New Year Ramblings

2011-01-04T09:15:00.000-08:00

Today feels like those days when you want to write something and most importantly have some time to write to. (My work schedules are like those of the lawyers in the John Grisham novels; the only difference is that I am a programmer. Yes that is how I always see myself: a programmer, not a businessman, though I have cofounded a company). And yes most importantly I don’t get paid $300 per hour.)

A new year has started. 2011. The year is new; the resolution is the same old one: lose weight. As far as the weight is concerned, in the past glorious year I have managed to reach a new handsome record: 94 Kgs! However the most unsettling thing is not the weight itself. The thing that troubles me the most is I have stopped caring about the weight. I seem to have resigned to the fact that I am supposed to be fat. That is the intelligent design as conceived by the universe. So the challenge is even greater now. I first need to get out of this ‘intelligent design’ mental block and do something about the weight. (The first thing I could do is stop writing this and go on a walk. Of course I am not going to do that! Anyways I will end up eating something if I go out on a walk.)

Ok enough about weight! I don’t care about it, right?

Another biggest disappointment was the failure of Tees Maar Khan at the box office! (Sheela is totally awesome but that’s beside the point.) I was mainly disappointed for Farah Khan. For the first time she had made a movie without Shahrukh Khan and it didn’t work. I have always liked her kind of unpretentious cinema. I really think Tees Maar Khan would have worked at box office only if critics were a bit more generous with the ratings. Anyways I have quite a few other problems than worrying about box office performance of some movie. So I should get back to work.

Oh yes, sorry about this meaningless post, it was new years and I had to write something that’s all!

Such is Life

2010-10-30T13:14:00.001-07:00

Amazing things do happen I know but always to someone else.

Eragon - Christopher Paloini

I just walk down the road...

2010-09-08T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one those days you feel down and defeated. From somewhere the following lines came to me and felt very relevant. So just penned them down. But today is a do or die day. So I will just paste the poem(!!!) here:

I am walking on the road
with no destination in mind

Its might start raining soon
But it was that way since the noon

All I want to do is walk the road
Don't think about what the future may hold

I look at the fancy cars speeding by
and the beautiful girls walking by

I want to turn and look at her again
but what fruits may I gain?

I just walk down the road
with no destination in mind

There are lots of questions
but mostly whys and hows

I don't have any answers now
walking down the road seems the best option somehow

But they are still there, eating my mind
pulling me somewhere deep down

A granny walks down gives me one nice grin
all I can manage is the weak smile of mine

I just walk down the road
with no destination in mind

then he tugs me from behind begging for money
I fiddle around my pockets but haven't got any

I look down at him and say I am sorry
He smiles back, looks at the sky and says don't worry

I just walk down the road
with no destination in mind

I just walk down the road
and it starts raining

for once I don't mind,
getting drenched seems fine.

Twilight Series

2010-06-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

Finished reading Twilight series and quite liked it. Though I like Harry Potter series more. I have always liked Vampire Stories and that's the reason UnderWorld I & III are two of my favorite movies. But Stephenie Meyer's take on vampire's is not much different from formula fiction. Basically a teen love story, so what if the characters happen to be Vampires and ShapeShifters (Jacob is not a werewolf!).

The area where Stephenie Meyer succeeds is the chemistry between the lead characters. I think for a romance story to succeed the chemistry between the lead characters is very important.

I won't put Twilight in my all time favorites but indeed I enjoyed it while it lasted.

Our obsession about miracles!

2010-03-29T14:17:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading Dan Brown’s latest novel, The Lost Symbol. As expected Mr. Brown has produced an un-put-down-able thriller. The story has similar premise that of Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code. It depicts Robert Langdon’s yet another mystery filled adventure where he must solve riddles about mystical symbols to save the world from catastrophe. Classic International Thriller. Here also Dan Brown juxtaposes modern science and ancient faith to unveil some startling revelations. I have always loved Dan Brown’s novels for this element, his ability to draw parallels between religion and modern science to promote a more peaceful coexistence. Despite of having many flaws in terms of story telling which reviewers from prominent publications have pointed out here, here and here, for me the book succeeds because you don’t read a Dan Brown novel just for the thrill but you expect learn about quite a few interesting facts (or controversies) about history. Quite a few will claim that all of what he shows may not be true or shown in fair light with proper criticism, but everybody has opinions which vary from what actual fact is, some more than others. Anyways I am not here to review the book. I have since learned that my reviews are not really reviews but essentially my ramblings about the work. What I try to do is to share the thoughts and feelings that arise from experiencing the work art in question. Though in the defense of the book I would want to say that many reviewers miss the point of popular entertainment, no matter a novel, a song or a movie, is to entertain. The Last Symbol not only entertains but it succeeds in giving an important message of harmony between mass religion and modern science.

What I wish to discuss today is mankind’s obsession about miracles. A person must be able to perform some miracles then only he can be regarded as saint. The miracle dwarfs his hundreds of deeds of love and compassion. The bigger the miracles, more is the number of followers. This leads to hero worship and in the bigger manifestation to the phenomenon image worship. Here rather that turning to inner strength and self belief to overcome difficult situations, we pray to some God or Deity to solve our problems for us. Here religion looses its true meaning as a concept to empower an individual. It rather establishes the insignificance of an individual, a mortal toy in the hands of a much larger power. This is why I believe religion as more of a social device to keep masses in check rather than truly empowering them. But one can also argue that intellectual growth and empowerment has always been a personal journey for every individual where he/she must work diligently towards the goal.

I also have a strong opinion against rituals of any kind. Many argue that there is systematic science behind these rituals proposed by various religions. But how much effort is taken by these religious establishments to make sure that the followers understand true nature of these rituals and why must they be performed and how they help the individual in his personal/social empowerment. What is generally practiced is performing the ritual step by step as per given in some religious text and in case of older religions like Hinduism, many versions of these texts exist which can easily confuse the follower. In extreme form this word by word following of text leads to religious fanaticism.

Coming to the main objective of this post, why we are so obsessed with miracles is because it lets us common people believe that we are common, thus incapable of performing extraordinary feats. We, by definition of being common, can’t be performing what heroes, saints and the Gods can do.

It’s OK to be selfish, I am not a saint. It’s OK to produce mediocre work, I am a Hero. It’s OK not to try and fight against wrong, I am not an Avtaar (God). I am not saying I am an exception to this thought. I have found myself thinking along the same lines, just to rationalize the momentarily pleasure I want to have at that moment. [ I am talking about dieting! ;-) ]

Awed by these superhuman expectations we don’t even consider a possibility that we common people can produce miracles. Rather than looking for miraculous superhuman abilities even if we truly try to share whatever we have with love and compassion, the collective effort produced will be no less than a miracle!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

2010-01-28T14:33:00.000-08:00

‘Bakwas end!’ was my first reaction just after the last scene of the movie and I hadn’t even gotten out of the chair. I saw it today at a local film festival and I admit I wouldn’t have seen it completely had I been watching it on DVD. But since I was seating in National Films Archive of India (Pune) I watched it through. And the movie got better after first 45 minutes or so. Brilliant performances by all crew members! But I didn’t like the end. Yes it is one of those movies (like Forrest Gump) which grows to a new height with every minute you spend thinking about it.

The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated it, but still I don’t like the sad end. I just don’t understand why the writer had to end the story about a high spirited man who despite of having all the ‘human flaws’ rebelled against an institution for the sake of the patients had to end this way, when the writer was the God of the story. Despite of having his chance to run away, he chooses to stay to support his friends, to help them with the issues which primarily have arisen because of lack of self confidence and emotional turmoil rather than mental illness and What does he get in return, death!

OK one can argue that the escape of the chief and its celebration by other patients can be looked upon as the victory of what McMurphy stood up for. But then the Hero (yes the H is capital, the Hero within us is as important as the God, isn’t it?) died. Doesn’t this subconsciously kill the Hero within us? The story brings us face to face with the reality that if you try be a rebel who dares to go beyond the confines of the ‘civilization’, death or defeat might be one of the (most likely) ends. Yes those after you might enjoy the fruits but you might not be there to enjoy that. Look at that silly McMurphy, he didn’t think before acting, just went with his natural instinct to support the underdog and look what happened to him, he died! Are you willing to go against the ‘society’ now? Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Well most of us know this already, consciously or subconsciously, which is why we just try to exist within the society despite of the million flaws in the system. We also know that if we try to fight the system, there are very high chances of failure. And this strengthens the problem of lack of self confidence and unwillingness to change the things around us. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that not all revolutions fail! Some succeed and at the end of the war there are chances that you will be there to enjoy the fruits of the change and even if the chances are little, they are worth trying for!

Abhi Ho Sakata Hai – It can happen right now!

2009-05-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

Abhi Ho Sakata Hai – It can happen right now!
-Osho Rajinish

Ok this post was meant to be totally something else, but it is going to be something totally different. It was going to be about the lines, ‘Abhi Ho Sakata Hai’. I read these lines in Osho’s discourse on Ashtavakra Gita. No I haven’t read the whole discourse. It’s comprises some 7-8 volumes (I am not sure, this was some 5-6 years ago.) I was trying to read the third (again, I think) volume. I abandoned the book midway, partly because of my impenitence with teachings which claim to help you with your spiritual self but, more importantly, because I felt I already had gotten the message: Abhi Ho Sakata Hai – It can happen right now!

Thought the message is about attaining Superconsciousness, I have found the message to be very useful in the efforts of attaining my relatively materialistic goals. It is more about the power of believing in your ability and having the resolve: from now onwards the aim of my every activity will be to attain that goal.

(Though I didn’t complete Osho’s discourse on Ashtavakra Gita I did maange to read another of his discourse titled ‘From Sex to Superconsciousness’. See what a great title can achieve! But let me tell you, the message is not about Sex at all. It is about Superconsciousness. The way I interpreted it was like: OK so you cannot conquer your sexual urges, then don’t try to suppress them. That way the only thing you will be doing is thinking more and more about sex. If you want sex, do it and then concentrate fully on more important things in life.)

Though it is very easy to understand the message - It can happen right now! -, why I (and most of us) fail to realize our goals and ambitions? It is because though I have my goals at the same time I have desires which lead me to the path which is contradictory to the path I must take to achieve my goals. And every time the desires win I fail to attain one of my goals. I understand perfectly well why I fell, yet I don’t succeed. Because to succeed one must not only understand but also act according to the understanding. Manage that and yes, It can happen right now!

But you said, “Ok this post was meant to be totally something else, but it is going to be something tonally different.” As long as I can see, the post is about what its title suggests.

Yes till this point the post was about what it was supposed to be. From this point forward it is different. (See sometimes the conflict between aim and desire can produce something worthwhile. That’s why life is so interesting.)

Just before writing this article, I was reading a post on Ram Gopal Varma’s blog. In this entry RGV tells us about Satyendra, one of his friends in collage who was a genius in philosophy. But RGV describes their last encounter as,

Years later when I was shooting for a film in his town, I tried to trace him as I came to know he left his home a few years earlier. I found him in a windowless room filled with all kinds of books. His eyes were filled with boredom which made me realize that he got saturated with knowledge and intelligence, and as a result there was no more excitement in his life

And while researching for this post I found the wikipedia entry on Osho. Till date I have known Osho only through his discourses on various topics. The breadth of his knowledge is awe-inspiring. And his message is clear and to the point. But after reading about the controversial parts of his life, I was astounded by the things which (he purports) were done by his supporters without his knowledge but by using his wealth and power.

I read about two great men in short span of an hour. First Satyendra who despite of his intelligence and knowledge failed to put it to any practical use in life. I agree, may be I am being a bit too harsh on Satyendra in my judgement. Actually it is totally wrong when one person declares other person unsuccessful. But for practical purposes of life one must assess and one must judge. And for me, knowledge gained but not used is waste of time. (I agree that in larger philosophical sense the previous statement is shallow. But I observe that this particular attitude has helped to solve many practical problems.)

And then there is Osho, who despite of being a sea of knowledge, had let such sorry things to come to pass. But I shall refrain from passing any judgment on Osho. I need to know a lot more about him before doing that. And I think I shall be reading a lot more about Osho. Another conflicting desire which may stop or at least hinder my attempts to reach my goals in life. But hey life is not a race to be won, or goal to be attained, it is about finding what life is. Right?

The day you realized and did nothing

2009-05-06T02:22:00.000-07:00

Hello guys,

This is a special post! It’s the start of a new era!! It’s the beginning of a career of a genius!!! (Self proclaimed though!!!! And I bet you haven’t seen that many exclamation marks in one paragraph!!!!!)

Tushar has decided to publish one of his poems on my blog. So I am starting this new section on my blog titled, “Tushar’s Planet in Pritam’s Universe”. Let’s you get to read more of his brilliant (need I say self proclaimed again.) work here.

But seriously it’s a good read, my only grouch is that it doesn’t rhyme.

OK here is the poem:

The day you realized and did nothing

Oh how terrible be that cold cruel moment
when you realize that what you want shall never be yours
what you had, is lost and gone
and what you have become, you shall hate forevermore

beg and plead all you may
your heart shall know peace no more
take and steal all you want
what you hold shall never be yours

years shall pass and seasons turn
you shall grow and your heart shall burn
a cold calm shall cast a veil
over the desires that once prevailed

All you meet shall know you true
doubt and deny all you may
They shall see that you rue
The day you realized and did nothing.

--- Tushar

In Pursuit of Happiness: What I want from Life

2009-04-14T13:02:00.000-07:00

Image Credit: Zen
What is art? Well art is many things to many people. That’s the essence of a piece of art. Art is open to interpretation of the person experiencing the art. What a person will experience from a piece of art will depend upon that particular person, his unique personality, the experiences he has had before in his life.

Ho ho, now isn’t that vague and uncertain. I being a programmer don’t really deal well with uncertainties. What I have to do is to find a common most occurring situation and then create a solution for that particular situation and then handle the exceptional occurrences to complete the solution. So for my little purpose of living this life I have accepted the following definition of art,

“Art is something which at the basic level satisfies physical and emotional senses but which also stimulates the intellectual thought.”

Ok if you are scratching your head about why I am propounding on the definition art in a post titled, ‘In Pursuit of Happiness: What I want from Life’ then your doubts aren’t entirely misplaced. And if your mental state is like- "bhais ki aakh" saala kuch bhi likhta – I won’t really blame you. [And no this post isn’t a retort at the people who miserably failed to understand my work of art. ;-) ]

The reason is because I have just read “The Hungry Tide” (Good Book, a review post is in the making. For me a real work of art.) by Amitav Ghosh. In the novel Amitav Ghosh has showed a lot of different characters who have different expectations, hopes and ambitions in life.

There is Piya who is a scientist. She is ready to devote prime 10-15 years of her life to do research on some rare species of dolphins found in the rivers of Sunderbans, even when she doesn’t know what will be the ultimate practical benefit of this research. She is ready to live the harsh solitary life in the jungles of Sundarban where there is good chance that she may become food of some tiger or crocodile.

There is Kanai a successful businessman in the translation services. He knows six languages. His ambition is more success, more luxury and more women.

There is Nirmal and Nilima. The idealist couple trying to help the poor people of Sundarbans. They among other things also run a trust hospital for the people if Sunderbans.

There is Moyna, Fokir’s (described below) wife, who despite of being a fisherman’s wife and her rural background is determined to get more education and become a nurse. She wants a better life for her family.

There is Kusum, Fokir’s mother. She has endured unthinkable grief and hardships, yet she is zestful and determined to live a full life.

And then there is Fokir. What Fokir wants? You don’t know. What he does? He is a fisherman by tread, who spends a lot of time on river in the vicinity of nature singing songs. Why he sacrifices his life for Piya? You don’t know. Is he in love with Piya. You don’t know for sure but it seems so.

Of all the above characters, Fokir puzzles me the most. There is a big unanswered WHY about him. In a novel (and in real life too) you can understand people by their ambition. Understand a person’s ambition and you will have him figured out. You can guess in advance how he will behave in a certain situation if you understand his ambition and his moral framework (though quite a few times the moral framework is conditioned by the ambition).

Fokir is a kind of person who knows how just to be. There is no why about his existence, there is just being and being content about it. The kind of man the traditional Hindu religion instructs us to be. The concept of ‘nirvana’. End of want, the complete bliss, the eternal happiness.

You: Ae, bakwas band kar, direct bol tera point kya hai?

The point is: the WHY of Pritam? If you know me for more than 2 days, you will understand that I am all about ambition. In many ways I am a lot like Kanai. (Except for more women part. Though it may be the natural man situation, I understand the meaning and importance of THE woman and I am searching for her.)

So if I am about ambition, what is the ambition? Happiness for me and my people. Ambitions means want and want negates the possibility of nirvana, the eternal happiness. So what’s the problem? Why am I running behind some ambition when there is eternal happiness to be obtained? Well, it’s not the want or ambition which brings the grief. It’s the failure to achieve the ambition. But you fail only when you give up hope and stop running. If there is hope, the failure is only momentarily; you can always get up and start running.

It’s not really the happiness but the pursuit of happiness that keeps me running. It’s the pursuit of happiness that keeps me alive.

Life has Infinite Capability to Fuck You, Anytime, Anywhere.

2009-03-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

Life has Infinite Capability to Fuck You, Anytime, Anywhere.
पर का करे भाई, और कोई ओप्सन है?

ज़िन्दगी दिखाती है सपने और हम देखते है।
मंसूबो की रेत में बस किले बानाते है।

और ये कम्बखत जिंदगी कुछ सपने सच भी कर देती है।
आशाओं के ऊँचे ऊँचे मनोरे उभार देती है।

And then Life does IT to you. And it hurts like hell!

क्यो मीनिंग की तलाश में हम दर दर है भटकते?
क्यो देखते है हम ये सपने जो इतना दर्द है देते?
पर का करे भाई, और कोई ओप्सन है?

Oops! I did it again…. I wrote another poem. What has happened to me? Why I have started acting weird? I mean all this 'getting an inspiration and writing a poem about it' kind of stuff. Weird! It has never happened to me before. Am I under some alien virus attack or something? Okay, jokes apart this poem is actually inspired by the movie ‘Barah Aana’. I just watched it a few hours ago. And Right after watching the movie while coming back home, the first two lines came to me. The first line ‘Life has Infinite Capability to Fuck You, Anytime, Anywhere.’ is one of my favorite lines. I recited it and somehow I could hear Vijay Raaz saying, “पर का करे भाई, और कोई ओप्सन है?”

So you must be wondering, if the movie is capable of inspiring a poem, then it must be a very good movie. Well it is certainly a very well made movie. Performances are really good. Direction is really nice. Whether you will like it or not? I can’t really tell. It’s the kind of a movie one has to watch and decide for himself (or herself, I am not a chauvinist it’s just how English is).

So what do you think about the poem?

Ye Jindagi Ek Premgeet Hai!

2009-03-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

ये जिंदगी एक प्रेमगीत है ।
माना अब गा रहा इसे पंकज उधास है ।
कभी ये जगजीत सिंग की मीठी ग़ज़ल हुआ कराती थी ।
जब उनकी किलकिलाहट से हमारी सुबह हुआ कराती थी ।

हां अब बिरह की काली रात चल रही है ।
मन के सागर में यादों की सैलाब चल रही है ।
शायद ये तांडव प्रेमगीत नही हो सकता
पर मौसम हमेशां ही तो बरबाद नही रहता ।

ढल जायेंगे जुदाई के बादल
और आसुओं की बारिश भी रुक जायेगी ।
बस वो मुस्कुरादे एक बार, हरियाली फिर लौट आएगी।
जिंदगी फिर से एक प्रेमगीत बन जायेगी |

OK, so that was it! My first poem on this blog! And yes please ignore the grammar. I can't really write Hindi that well.

This poem started from one of my friend's Gmail status line which I thought was really sad. But more than sad it was pessimistic. Yes luck matters and some really shitty things happen to us, but sometimes how you look at it is more important then how it is.

I believe in hope. Yes I am a hopeless romantic.

From the Deep and the Dark of the Human Mind: Gulaal

2009-03-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes writing something is compulsory. And writing about Gulaal is something I have to do right now. Right now I am sitting in my office. I have just returned from E-Square where I watched ‘Gulaal’. It is 10.59 pm and tons of work is pending but I can’t think of anything but Gulaal. So work will have to wait till tomorrow.

Now about Gulaal. First,

Warning: If you didn’t like Delhi 6, the chances are that you will find Gulaal mind-numbingly boring.

Another Warning: Gulaal uses very rough, rowdy, derogatory and offensive language. So if you are a traditionally raised Indian woman, or a middle-class parent who behaves as if he never used, or heard people using, such language then you won’t even be able to watch the movie.

A good review demands that you should give a rundown of the story without actually killing the reader’s curiosity about the movie. And I really hate this part. So please read the summery of the story of Gulaal here on this review published on PassionForCinema.com

When somebody writes a story or makes a movie he has certain objectives which he wants the story to fulfil. Most of the commercial films have only one objective, to entertain the people. Why, because we essentially go to watch a movie to be entertained. So as consumer our expectations about the product exactly match with that of the producer. So when a director succeeds in making an entertaining film, we get a blockbuster. Hence we have these films called masala films which aim at creating a perfectly entertaining concoction.

Now there is nothing wrong in wanting to entertain people. That’s the reason why the movie industry is a part of the lager entertainment industry. But there is a big problem when we look at movies as products of art. This ‘art’ part royally fucks with the simple definition of a movie as a vehicle to entertain people. Generally it is said that when you are experiencing a work of art, there are five levels to describe this experience.

1. Unsatisfactory
2. OK
3. Satisfactory
4. Entertaining
5. Meaningful

Now since it’s art, the experience depends upon the person itself. But generally for average people, when the director tries to be meaningful, he has to cut down on entertainment part. (Aamir Khan is one filmmaker who understands how to maintain this balance and yet create a blockbuster.)

And I sincerely believe that from an average moviegoer’s point of view Anurag Kashyap has failed to maintain the entertainment-meaning balance.

But for those who are ready to venture into darker parts of human soul to understand people and world better, this movie is an absolute treat. And apart from that the movie has very good cinematography and dialog.

One problem why the movie fails to entertain/satisfy (depending upon how you look at it) is lack of a traditional plot. For example the movie doesn’t have any Hero. Dilip Kumar Singh is the protagonist of the story, he is certainly not a Hero. One basic rule that a every beginning writer is instructed to follow is to make the protagonist likable. Here Anurag Kashyap is the least bothered about making the protagonist likable. In fact for me the character of Dilip Kumar Singh is the least liked one. He is weak, spineless, and easily gullible and he doesn’t really have much of aptitude. I can not even pity him.

It is really hard to keep the audience interested in the story if you lack a plot, because the curiosity of ‘What happens next’? is something that keeps the audience firmly riveted to the story. And plot makes it easier to keep up this curiosity. If you don’t have a plot then what is currently happening on the screen has to be so engrossing that it shouldn't give the user a chance to think about what happens the next. Also this makes it harder for the director to create a continuous flow out of the story. Anurag Kashyap has coped with these challenges very well, still for around half an hour before the interval, I found myself asking, why am I really watching this? Is it really heading anywhere? But fortunately after the interval I was again firmly involved in the story.

But if you stopped to look at it as traditional story and just looked at it as a series of interconnected character studies, it is really engrossing. What I got from the movie is that people are all about their aspirations. All our actions are governed by what we want, consciously and unconsciously. Our aspirations create meaning in our lives. If we want to understand how a person will behave in a certain situation, we must be able to understand his/her real aspirations.

And one more thing some aspirations can force us to make dreadful choices. So be careful about what you want!

The One about Feeling Small, Insignificant and....

2009-03-04T11:47:00.000-08:00

Well almost a month has passed since I have written the last post on this blog and yes it’s just the usual reason: too much work. (Read: Procrastination) But it’s not really true. Twice during last month I found myself having the time and subject matter to write about but I didn’t. Why? Because the inspiration behind both the posts was negative emotions. Anger, angst and rage. One was related to corruption and other about BJP playing ‘Ram Mandir Issue’ as its trump card for the next general elections. Why I avoided writing those posts is because criticism solves little. Most of the time thoughts generated from negative emotions aren’t practical solutions to the real problems.

Why today’s post? Well in a way this one also stems from another negative emotion. It is about feeling small. It is about feeling insignificant. It is about feeling helpless. But nevertheless I am going to write this one.

When we think of the universe and ourselves, we can’t help but think that we are insignificant. Think of it, how many things can go wrong and in a short time the world as we of it will cease to exist. Science Fictions writers make there living out of such stuff.

When we think about the problems that human beings from all around the planet are facing, what we find? Terrorism, religious divide, war, poverty, hunger, … the list is almost endless. And what I can do about it? Nothing. The problems seem so enormous that whatever solution I can think of falls short of the reality. If you take a look at the history, it is filled with policy decision of Governments gone wrong. Many of them taken in good faith, but gone wrong during the implementation.

There is a theory: In large scheme of things whatever you do doesn’t matter in the long run.

Consider the example of medical health care. Sure we have found out cures to many diseases which have resulted in longer longevity. But at the same time we have found out more efficient ways to kill thousands of people in matter of seconds.

We have achieved faster transport but the no. of accidents is ever increasing.

There is no less grief (physical & emotional) in the world than that was a 100 years ago or probably a 1000 years ago.

Doesn’t one feel almost helpless? Sometimes I think this inability to find solutions to problems beyond our control gives birth to philosophy like, ‘Tum kya karate ho? Jo karata hai wo Who karavata hai?’ – ‘What do you do? Whatever happens is because of the Gods will.’

You are a droplet in the sea. All you can do is to move with the weave.

Trying to bring the change is futile. Stop worrying (caring?). Instead enjoy your life to the fullest! The world can take care of itself.

Really convincing, isn’t it? Why because it makes evading the responsibility so much easier.

What can I do? I am just an insignificant speck of dirt in the tornado.

Image Credit : Saiuri

And…

Did you read the title of the post? It ends with and ‘and…’ So here is the ‘and…’ part,

And… Kaala Bandar!!!

What? From where did the ‘Kaala Bandar’ come from? Well it comes just like that, whenever the plot needs it.

Well if you don’t know Blogger has this nice feature, using which you can save your half-finished post as draft and then finish it later on. So yesterday night when I felt very tired after writing about that 'feeling insignificant bit of piece of shit', I did just that. I hit the ‘Save Now’ button and turned off the lights.

And today I found out that I could take out 3-4 hours to go to E-Square and watch ‘Delhi 6’. (Oh! Don’t ever believe that ‘I found out that I could take out…’ crap, in truth it was like my hands were shaking, I felt seriously ill and inadequate, I couldn’t concentrate and I had to go and watch a movie in a cinema theater. Yes I accept I am addicted!)

And boy! What a movie it is! Awesome, wonderful, terrific, great…. I am out of superlatives! Great cinematography, awesome music score and simply great direction. One rarely gets to see such a perfect use of symbolization in a Bollywood (or Hollywood for that matter) movie. At one side we have Lord Hanuman and at the other we have Kaala Bandar. Both represent two essential natures of the human beings and it's up to us what we choose to become. And the writer and director - Prasoon Joshi and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra were spot on when they choose Delhi-6 to represent the India. With little bit of difference we have met/seen all these characters in our life.

Well I could go on and on about the movie the point is, the protagonist chooses to make a difference and yes he get horribly beaten up and gets shot for making the right choice. And I guess this fear of getting beaten up is what stops us from making the decisions which can alleviate (if not solve altogether) the problems we are facing today. But we never make those decisions. I know I haven’t taken any of those decisions! Being an insignificant speck is what we choose! One of the countless insignificant specks driven by the powerful wind of hatred forming the tornado which threatens to finish the ‘civilization’.

Image Credit : demordian

Image Credit : demordian

Image Credit : Tinneketin

God I Refuse to Die…

2009-02-06T21:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a wonderful video from a young Indian artist ‘StringSick’. Just brilliant work! A must see. The lyrics are really beautiful. And the photo compilation is … Well I have no words to describing them. It’s sometimes unbelievable to see the realities of the world. The song touches your heart while the video rips it apart!

So I did IT…

2009-02-05T03:29:00.000-08:00

OK this post has been due for like 5 days. Everyday I used to say like I will do it today. But work pressure is so much that it was really impossible. I am sleeping at 3-4 O’clock in the morning for last couple of days.

In that regard there is a news (Good or Bad I can’t really tell.) I have given 3 months notice to my current employer. So from May onwards I will be working only for my own firm. No more 2 jobs thing. I just can’t wait to see these three months finish.

And in all of the above, I forgot to tell you that this post is an update post to the New Year! New Resolution! Post. In that post I told you about this bet according to which I was required to loose 5 Kgs in one month. Well guys I am pleased to say that I have achieved that target. On the weighing day my weight was 78.81 which is 6.900 Kgs (That is almost 7Kgs!) less than the previous weight.

The original "contract" updated to show
new weight with signature and all.

New Slimmer (but not slim enough) Me.

As usual the credit of not so good photographs goes to...
Padmaja

[And OK the bold name right uder photograph seems to suggest the person in the photograph is Padmaja. But no she is not that ugly. She is a lot more.... What? I just left the statement incomplete. Fill in the blank. ]

And it was tough! The last 7 days were like hell. During these days I was obsessed over weight. Actually first 3 weeks went quite well and I had already managed to loose 4 kgs by 23rd Jan. But on 24th and 25th Jan I went to my home town Bhusawal and with all that “Maa ka pyaar and dular” I managed to put on something like a kilogram or so. And I was like... Oh no! I am going to loose this bet! But then I switched to strict liquid diet (and yes if you are wondering that involved quite a few trips to the loo.)

On 29th I was still 90 grams short of the target and I was majorly [Ya I know there is no such word as majorly. It’s just that Tushar keeps using the phrase – there was this cute chic in …. Majorly hot man! Majorly Hot!] pissed [No pun intended. And am I writing a bit too much in brackets? I love it, writing in brackets. In fact I think a cool name for this blog would be – Writing in the Brackets ;-) and yes if you have forgotten what the original sentence was: I was majorly pissed.] So in all my fury I cursed God [in whom I don’t believe] for being unfair to me and went on even harder diet and drank only a sip or two of water only when necessary [plus 1 or 2 glasses of buttermilk and 2-3 chai (with out sugar but with lots of Sugerfree – and that was a bracket within bracket – I am great)].

And then the weighing day came. 1 Feb 2009! I spent extra 10 minutes in the toilet to make sure I wasn't carrying any "dead weight". And I consumed only half a liter of water and 3 cups of tea in that day. I was feeling damn low on calories. I was getting irritated quite often. But it was a bet and I had to win. So I told myself to stay calm and not to do anything rash. I was waiting like mad for 6 O’clock in the evening. Then finally at 6 O’clock in the evening I called up Archana and told her that I was coming to pick her up. Poor girl was ill but I dragged her to Corn Club where I had weighed previously. And … You know the rest of the story….

Mile Sur Mera Thumhara, To Sur Bane Hamara….

2009-01-17T04:43:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the song, ‘Mile Sur Mera Thumhara, To Sur Bane Hamara….’? Almost everybody who has grown up in the 80’s has fond memories of all those songs Durdarshan used to show back then.

Of late at my work my colleagues and I have been discussing those songs quite are lot. These songs made us feel one as India. Everybody says it’s sad that Durdershan doesn’t show similar songs these days. Here are two of my favorite ones:

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

Ek Chidiya, Anek Chidiya

New Year! New Resolution!

2009-01-03T10:27:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody! And if I haven’t said this to you already,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So 2009 started and for the first time in my life, a year looks so promising at the beginning. Believe me usually I am the ‘New Year, So what?’ kind of a guy. But this time round I feel really exited. And part of it is because of my new year’s resolution.

Pritam’s Resolution for 2009:
To loose atleast 15 Kgs in 2009.

If you have known me from last 6-7 years then you probably know that there are FAT and Slim (OK not slim but definitely ‘not fat’) phases in my life. And for last 1 and half years I have been Fat. So I have decided enough is enough. The time has come for the Slim phase to set in.

On our regular walk from Charu’s (A restaurant where my colleagues and I eat our lunch) to our office, I told Archana about my resolution and said (all too prudly), “I am going to loose 5kgs in January”. Archana looked at me for one second and she started laughing and said not possible. So I challenged her that I will do that and she accepted a bet of Rs. 500. If I loose 5kgs by 1st Feb. 2009 I win the bet, other wise she wins. And I hear when Salil heard of this bet from Archana, he also agreed to a bet of Rs. 500. And when Tushar heard of this bet, Tushar being Tushar, placed a bet of … hold your breath… Rs. 5. So that’s Rs. 1005 to loose or win. Now that’s some motivation and I am not going to loose.

So as a proof of the bet Archana and I went to Corn Club where I weighed and here is the “Agreement” between Archana & I and besides it is a photograph of ME wearing the same cloths and shoes which I was wearing at the time I weighed.

(Photographer : Padmaja.)

If these pics don’t look that good, blame Padmaja. (See I spell it right now. I have spelled it all wrong in the Orkut testimonial that I wrote for her. Though it was a genuine mistake, I would like it if people believed that I did it on purpose ;-) so I wouldn’t look dumb and Padmaja will get super annoyed.)

So anyway, guys wish me luck. Soon you are going to see slim Pritam!

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi and Ghajini : Masala Overdose!

2008-12-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

What a month December has been. Two blockbusters from two greatest stars of Bollywood.

1. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi
2. Ghajini

First was ‘Rab Ne…’ I have watched it 2 times already and I can tell you that barring 2 dialogs Shahrukh uses the word ‘love’ to refer to ‘love’ instead of the regular hindi word ‘pyaar’.

And then there was ‘Ghajini’ which I watched on the first day last show at my home town Bhusawal. What an experience that was! In last one and half years, that I have spent at Pune, I had almost forgot what an electrifying atmosphere there is on the release day of a blockbuster. There were throngs of young rowdy guys ready to fight for the tickets. (I made the safe choice by buying my ticket in black for, hold your breath…, 50 rupees.)

But of course the seats weren’t numbered, which means whoever enters first, gets better seats. Result: A hard fought battle to get into the movie hall. I plunged myself with all the enthusiasm and courage I had and managed to get in quite early. But the real credit for securing the seats for our group must go to my cousin brother Prashant who is a Mumbai local veteran and is accustomed to getting into the locals through similar crowd. But I think I should get a little credit too just for managing to get in all of my bulk through that slit of a gate.

Image Credit: Nino Satria

Alas, Ghajini was a disappointment. Don’t ask why? Long list of problems: Irregular pacing, too long, too many songs, an age old 'the villain killed the heroine so the hero killed the villain' kind of story... But most importantly, WHAT WAS THE NEED OF THE ‘MITHUN-FIGHT’ AT THE CLIMAX? It is really laughable to see a bunch of bad men throwing themselves at Aamir Khan only to be thrown in air with a single blow. And what’s more puzzling? None of these bad guys had a gun or a sword or a knife? And this is supposed to be a big gang involved in national-level human trafficking and body parts selling.

But yes if you are ready to leave such ‘little’ issues aside and ready to accept that these are Bollywood movies after all, then both ‘Rab ne…’ and ‘Ghajini’ are quite entertaining (in parts). What both Aditya Chopra and Aamir Khan has done is that they have packed every last bit of masala they had in their respective movies to ensure commercial success. After watching the movies one can’t help but wonder, ‘Only if there was a bit less of the masala, these could have been great movies’.

About Books and Acting Silly

2008-12-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday through innumerable twists and turns of fate, I found myself in front of Crossword in E-square with 45 minutes to kill. Actually I shouldn’t have been in E-square. With some very tight deadlines I should have been in my office working like a donkey. But no, I am at E-square waiting for the next show of ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ to start. (More about that in the next post.)

Image Credit : LotusHead

The next mistake was to stand in front the books display of Crossword. Books have this magnetic pull on me that before I could stop myself, I was inside Crossword drooling at the stacks and stacks of books.

In the end I ended up spending Rs. 694 on three books. I know for some of you its not much, but for me its huge. As a rule I either borrow books from library or from friends. (And I always return them in good condition!) In extreme cases I purchase second hand books. But that’s it. No more expenses on books. I cannot afford it.

But yesterday I told myself, “Dude whom are you kidding? You can afford to buy original books. You earn at least that much.” So with all those financial apprehensions quelled, I started to look at the books with renewed vigor and lust. Finally I ended up buying:

1. Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru
This one was suggested by Anand. He also wants to read it.

2. It Happened in India by Kishore Biyani with Dipayan Baishya.
All you shopping aficionados (Padmaja I also mean you) Kishore Biyani is the person responsible for the shopping mall revolution in India. Here is the list of stores run by Mr. Biyani’s Future Group: Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central, Food Bazaar, Home Town, eZone, Depot, Future Money and futurebazaar.com.

3. That Thing Called Love by Tuhin Sinha
I actually bought this one for Padmaja. She likes such silly (and Tushar suggests silly should be replaced with scandalous) books (Well I like them a bit too.)

So that was about a silly night and about squandering money on books. And It felt so good yesterday that I fear my trips to Crossword are bound to increase. God help my savings plan!

Essence of Being Indian

2008-12-15T02:26:00.000-08:00

This is a cool advertisement of trucommunication.co.uk, a Tata Venture. Have a look at it.

Value of Rs. 500.00

2008-12-15T02:01:00.000-08:00

Take a look at this video, I found it on one of my friend’s Orkut profile. It shows what 500 rupees mean to different people from different financial classes of the society. Most of the well-to-do-people seem to answer the question with: movies or booz.

Did you notice the kid who talks about buying ‘tamater and aloo’ to market them? Isn’t it astonishing to know that what you think of as cost of one evening’s fun can be a seed capital for somebody’s dreams.

Unfortunately my answer would have been movies too. It is hard to know what to feel in such incidents. I almost felt guilty about squandering money. A question repeatedly comes to my mind:

What if I had been born to poor parents from some slum instead of being born to my parents?

A lot of time we complain that our lives suck. I certainly do it a lot. But then after watching videos like this I feel have, I really even experienced a day of what is called as hard life. What it must feel like being hungry and not able to buy food? How must it feel when your loved ones are down with fever and you can’t even buy some medicine?

Quotes : Amusing

2008-12-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

"Know thyself?" If I knew myself I'd run away.
-Goethe(From Oxford essential guide to writing)

There are no facts only interpretations.
-Friedrich Nietzsche(Source: RGV Blog)

If you save someone's life, you're responsible for them.
-A Chinese Saying(in the novel 'Bag of Bones' by Stephen King)

The world's full of injustice.
-David Eddings(in his novel 'Pawn of Prophecy')

Some things are unforgivable
-David Eddings(in his novel 'Pawn of Prophecy')

There are three kinds of lies ― lies, damned lies and statistics.
-Ben Bova(The Craft of writing science fiction that sells)

Greatness inspires envy, envy engenders spite, spite spawns lies.
-Lord Voldemort – The Dark Wizard(in Harry Potter and The Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rolling)

Great men can't be ruled.
-Ayn Rand

The genius must have his freedom and his independence.
-Ayn Rand

It takes a whole village to raise a good child.
-African proverb(in the novel '' by James Paterson)