Something called...Love

Since the time I have been writing, many of my close friends have been waiting for me to write something about the most sensational topic in the world...Love!

I wonder why they are so curious to know what I think about something so strange. Perhaps, the very fact that it is strange is what makes people interested in it. I have been reading a couple of articles written by my friends on their blogs and have been thinking of putting down my thoughts too. Finally, I have convinced myself to sit down and do it. I have finally failed in my attempt to evade the topic!

To begin with, let me tell you, I am an idealist. I have an idealistic approach to everything in life, including Love. I have always believed that Love is sacrosanct. But strangely, it has revealed itself around me in many different ways that are not so congruent with my idealistic beliefs.

I know of some of my very close friends...their fragile hearts were smitten with Love. And as Kahlil Gibran says it, ' then came Satan and drove them out of the Paradise of Love '. Their hearts shattered into a thousand pieces. After the tempest died, they sat in the darkness hoping for a ray of hope. Some of them just gave up on it and let the wind blow away the shattered pieces lying strewn all over. Some optimists, picked up the pieces and tried putting them together as though playing a jigsaw puzzle which they can never comprehend.

On the other hand there are people who can conveniently trample over those fragile hearts and confidently justify their actions. These people seem to be like jugglers juggling with hearts.

I know that atleast when it comes to Love, there are many idealists like me. And for us idealists, assimilation of certain modern day theories become difficult. But I have realised that this thing called Love has a 'psycho-socio' dimension to it. And if we take this into consideration, it may seem that the concept of Love has been treated with a lot of hypocrisy. It is said that Love has everything to do with the heart...originates from the heart and terminates at the heart. But looking at the trend, one may be rest assured that every thing in between the beginning and the end has something to do with the brain, society etc... and least with 'heart'.

Yes, for idealists its hard to believe that distance can break relationships, but the fact is that in many cases it does. Its impossible in the story books for the princess or the prince to fall in Love with someone else, but outside the books, its very much possible. One of my very good friends recently told me that its possible for a person who is in Love with someone to have an infatuation for someone else. My idealism questioned this.. but that fact is that it happens. I have heard people say, "its perfectly fine to have crushes outside your relationships". I wonder how?! The other day I read an article in the paper which states a new discovery by some scientists somewhere in the world that flirting..even outside your relationship can be good for you. Don't scientists have anything better to do?

And I must not forget to include one of the most important aspects which can make or break relationships. Money! (i now think Love has a psycho-socio & economic dimension too!!) I guess the more we look into it, the more factors will appear...achievements, capability, dreams, space etc etc all play their respective roles. It always begins with the heart...and then there is everything except the heart, in it.

Finally I am forced to conclude that Love is not absolute. It is subjective...subjective in terms of perceptions, decisions & experiences. Each one can interpret it differently and experience it differently. Its best if we remember that it is not an Axiom.

As for me, the more I try to figure this out, the more complicated and dreadful it gets. I feel my understanding of Love when I was 15 years old was far better than what it is now because... it was innocent. I was ignorant of the darker sides of paradise. I could only see the beauty. I could believe only in the purity. Maybe that's why its said...sometimes ignorance is bliss.

And now, leaving each one to his own, I return to where I belong...the story book...where the Prince & the Princess are locked in the sacred bliss of Love. The perfect Love which the 15 year old within me still believes in. I will rather be happy with my eyes shut than be sad with my eyes open...

The Inevitable...

While we walk through the winters of life...we learn a couple of lessons. We never forget them, but these lessons settle in the dusty shelves of our minds when the good times come...

And then, Life knocks...to remind us that we are still in school and we should not forget what we have learnt. A recent incident in my Life reminded me of one such lesson that I had learnt a long time ago...

Right from our childhood, we all strive for something, constantly, throughout our life...and that is 'Belongingness'. Abraham Maslow has included this in his theory. It has been weaved into us. We always want to belong and we want someone or something to belong to us.

Sometimes when I look at life through a prism, it looks like we all 'live to belong'. Be it our family, friends, organization or social setups...we yearn to belong. The moment we land up in a new environment, we instinctively look out for groups of people among whom we may fit in. We do so many things just because we want to belong. We go all out to do things that we may not be in tune with, just so that we belong...

But the truth, as strange as it may seem, is that we DO NOT belong....we do not belong anywhere or to anyone. We are not inevitable. None of us is, no matter how important we think we are, we are not important enough to bring the world around us to a halt. Forget about the world, not even our friends and family would halt in our absence. There had been souls who created empires, which continues even in their absence.

Perhaps the only one to whom you belong is yourself. But the irony is that you do so less for your own self so that you could belong to some place or someone you can never belong to.

The only person who truly travels with you in your life is 'you' yourself. Belongingness is important, but remember....

There is no Game Over... The Game goes on....

A Miracle!

This is a little flower which bloomed right in front of my window today morning. I kept looking at it for sometime and then, I saw a great lesson that life had presented in front of me on this beautiful morning...and I captured it forever on my camera and in my heart.

I have seen a flower bud since my childhood...
I have seen a flower blooming since my childhood

We all have seen a flower bud since our childhood...
We all have seen a flower blooming since our childhood...

But today what you see as a blooming flower...I see as a Miracle.

We take so many things in life for granted. Have we ever wondered, as to how a little plant grows, leafs form and then the buds blooming into a flower? We havent...because we have taken life for granted. We have assimilated the theories written in those botany text books which explain how a flower blooms and never questioned it. Maybe it is right.

Science has gone a long way to explain many mystries which puzzled mankind in the past. But it has also blindfolded us to the miracles that appear in our life, everyday.

We try to reason everything that happens...we try to establish logic. We try to prove that our logicis right.

But today I realised that there is a far superior intelligence which has created this Universe flawlessly...every intricate detail worked out to perfection. No matter how much we try to reason...this intelligence is way beyond the realms of human comprehension.

Most of us wish for a miracle without realising that miracles are happening all around us, each and every day in the simplest of the ways. All we need to do is keep our eyes open to the beautiful miracles of life...

I feel ecstatic to know that everyday morning when I wake up and look into the mirror I will see a Miracle!

Whats with Slumdog?

Finally there comes an Englishman and makes a film especially focusing on the underbelly of Aamchi Mumbai which goes ahead to win the Golden Globes and then making a final dream run to the Oscars, just like the protagonist of the movie Jamal Malik.

As they say in the movie, ‘it’s written’ and maybe..it is indeed.

Back here there is a hostile group who criticize Slumdog to the extent possible. But then criticism is an integral part of film making. But what is amusing, is the reason for which the movie is being criticized. It is said that it has projected India in bad light. The underbelly has been highlighted so much that it can tear down the Global image that we are trying to create. Some prominent people have gone to the extent of saying that it is not Jamal who is the real slumdog but India itself. It is being looked at as one of the shrewd tricks of the West to defame India now that they themselves are in a grim situation.

I am not saying that the movie is an all time Classic. But when I saw the movie, the first thing which came into my mind was that it takes a lot for a film maker to tread an uncommon path to make such a film. Going down into the real slums, studying their way of life and actually shooting there, is not a cake walk. And if I am not mistaken, the production team has taken shots of real locations (garbage dumps & sewage canals). When we pass by these places we turn away our faces and probably cover our noses let alone going there to shoot.

Moreover, the cinematography, the background scores and audio effects are excellent. The script I guess is a bit too complex so even the director needs to be appreciated for handling it well enough.

The bottom line is that it is just a Film. I do not understand why people take it so personally, that they feel, that the makers are trying to defame India! All those things which have been portrayed in the movie are things which we are aware of. Let us just keep aside our inflated egos and accept the fact that there DOES exist an underbelly like this and there might be many such Jamals who haven’t managed to become millionaires overnight.

And every nation, even the most developed ones have an underbelly. Hollywood comes out with movies on everything from dinosaurs to mutants to gangsters. Even though we watch these movies none of our perceptions of the West have really been altered.

The makers have been accused of shooting the dirtiest of the things including the open roofed toilets. I now ponder as to why do our film makers go abroad to shoot films? Why not shoot in the most scenic locales in India so that the world gets a glimpse of it’s beauty? Moreover when our babus go there, they choose the best of the locales. No one is stopping them from shooting the dirtier sides of those nations.

Come on fellow artists and management gurus…learn to look at a piece of art work just as it is…and let it just be…if not appreciate it. The fuss in the cup will only rob us of some time and energy to make something better!

There is something that I personally felt after I saw this movie. Gratitude! I thank God for all what I have in my life, right from my parents to my house to my education. And I now feel that my house is a palace!

Beyond The Point of No Return

'The Point of No Return' is a term used in Air Force which refers to a point in a mission after which a pilot cannot return without completing the mission. This point is usually plotted in the enemy territory. Once a pilot crosses this point, its a 'Do or Die' situation. He has to either kill the enemies and then return or NEVER return.

Today, Mother India and we, her children have crossed THE POINT OF NO RETURN, not by the virtue of choice but by the force of destiny. I guess RabindranathTagore had never imagined this twist of fate..when he wrote "India's Tryst with Destiny.." Yes India's Tryst with Destiny began long ago...we were proud to have broken free from the shackles of British regime without realizing that it was just the beginning of the test. I believe that we are in a worse situation than what we were in, half a decade ago. We have only ourselves to blame for this. We took our freedom for granted and we continue to do that. The Independence Day has shrunk into a mere holiday we look forward to after our tedious days of chasing money. It’s a shame that we, today, stand on that very soil where our freedom fighters hoisted the National Flag after paying a price with their blood and we shiver with the fear of a terrorist attack even as we hoist OUR flag on two significant days.

I always thought that those Sons of Satan were the cowards...but I was wrong...it is WE who are the cowards. They come...they go on rampage...and after their dastardly acts cease temporarily, we boil with anger...within a few days our attention gets diverted back to the Sensex, the CAT and what the IIMs are doing...the gruesome pictures on the front pages are replaced by figures of the packages the IITs and IIMs get or the graphs of Sensex or maybe the 'one and only' sport of India...cricket..in which we try to satisfy our needs for vengeance by defeating our neighbour. Then once again 'they' come and go scot-free and we watch them dumbfounded and after they are done, our blood boils once again till the next sensational news appears on the headlines.

What is the point of screaming that "we will not let them go..we will get out on the streets and tell them enough is enough!” These immature reactions look worse than a caricature. What are we going to do going on the streets when we don’t even know how to use a pistol to shoot down a light bulb?!! It is ridiculous to exhibit pseudo-bravery by trying to face those guys who have ace weapons. And getting them killed is no victory either because they come here prepared to die...in fact they take pride in it by calling it 'sacrifice'.

Once the damage is done..It’s done. It is not killing them but preventing them from doing what they do, that can be considered as an achievement. Let us accept this first and then think practically what can be done.

I have been pondering over this problem for a few days now and I think I have a lead..it’s not an absolute solution but a lead to start thinking on. We don’t need to sacrifice our life or join the army or give up the comfort of a family life to fight against this. Fighting terrorism does not necessarily mean going and standing in front of the terrorists. There is something each one of us can do even while following our own vocation. Engineers and technically trained people should try to involve themselves in R&D of new technology instead of running after investment banking! Not that it is unimportant..but doing what you are good at and trained for rather than focusing on monetary benefits can prove extremely helpful to our country. And yes..these men will definitely require the funds to conduct research...that is when our financial experts can come in. Instead of waiting for the government to generate funds, these activities should be undertaken privately...and I am sure that each one of us will have something to contribute no matter who you are or where you are from. We talk of sacrifice...if sacrifice is what you want to do then sacrifice your selfish desires and change your outlook towards our country!

I hope to see a day when we will hoist our National Flag fearlessly.

Jai Hind!!!

A Memoir

It was 5.30 am...a Sunday morning...one of the most eventful and memorable mornings of my life...OUR life. Mumbai was asleep...but we were awake. Two of my friends (the ones in the photograph) and myself were speeding down the express highway towards town. Destination Churchgate. We were out that early morning to shoot for Bachpan...our music video. I had planned to shoot at some of the locations in South Mumbai...my alma mater. We shot at Marine Drive, The Oval , Afghan Church and..........The TAJ and GATEWAY OF INDIA! This photograph has been taken from the scene that I shot at TAJ...and we did shoot some of the finest scenes there.

3 months later the very spot that you see in this picture became a graveyard of many innocent souls.

I have spent five years of my life in Churchgate. I still remember how I used to feel every morning when I got off at Churhgate station...that walk from the station to my college...that sea breeze... it was a liberating feeling.

I have spent hours at the marine drive staring at the sea. I have introspected as though there was a close friend right beside me.I have written pages and pages of thoughts and reflections sitting there...I have experienced some of the most peaceful moments of my life there...PEACEFUL...

That word seems so ironical today especially while talking about the marine drive...

When the Sons of Satan were fulfilling their purpose of life at these places...I could do nothing but watch helplessly. A part of me was being killed again and again. They say that Mumbai will bounce back in a few days...but there are a few like me who share a special bonding with that place...and we know that it will never be the same again.

Deja Vu...

This is a photograph of the Oberoi Trident Tower and the marine drive taken by me using my cell camera. This is one of my personal favourites. There is something very special about this pic. The angle that I have used to capture the frame and the colour scheme gives the pic a very different look. Whenever I look at the pic, there is something that I feel about it which I have shared with others who have seen this pic. It looks like we have come to the END of earth...beyond which there is nothing. I used to feel very proud of being able to capture it so aesthetically.

But that special feeling has turned into an eerie creepy feeling today. When I look at this pic today, I see the long winding stretch of concrete which seems like a path which leads to the tip of the earth where everything comes to an END...the arabian...dead calm as if it knows what is about to happen ... and the sky which will soon be covered with dark clouds blocking every ray of the sun...and every ray of hope...and finally those three towers helplessly awaiting their doom...

When I look at this pic today, I feel like a numb spectator...yes...numb is the word. Almost the enitre world is watching this tower and two others...numb... Is this a kind of deja vu?

I loved the entire look of the photograph when I clicked it. But today I saw that colour translating into reality. Somethings are better off in aesthetic works of art and should never turn into reality.