A creative and intellectual high!

Do you know that feeling when you come across something so beautiful, brilliantly creative and intelligent that it leaves an indelible mark on you, compels you to think about the issues that were deeply buried in your heart, search answers for the questions you always wanted to ask and does all that effortlessly without putting even slightest burden?

As I write this article, I am on a great high! Last week, I watched the movie, "Ship of Theseus". I can't call myself a movie buff exactly but I do love cinema as a medium of creative expression and enjoy good movies. The different genres of movies one gets to see these days is certainly reflection of the changing times and that makes me really happy and proud of the fact that Indian cinema is coming of age!

The movie took me back to one of my childhood memories. I remembered an incident that had put me in deep philosophical contemplation at very young age. My brother, a scholar in the house was reading us an article from a science magazine about how every seven years each cell in the human body is replaced by a completely new cell. My instant reaction after listening that fact was, "does it mean, we are born anew, if so, why don't we look/feel younger and if not, how do we remain the same in the new body?" Since there was no evident connection, even remote one between me and the studies, my question was ignored and laughed at. The movie "Ship of Theseus" starts with the question on precisely similar analogy; "If the king of Athens, were to restore his ship by replacing all its original parts, would it still be the same ship?" 

I am not a film critic nor do I understand the technical aspects/ creative nuances of art of film making but what fascinated and inspired me to write this article is compelling tales of three different protagonists woven beautifully together with one common factor, their need for organ replacement; eye, lever, kidney. The movie poses very artistic, moral, ethical, social, philosophical and life changing questions. There are a few insightful gems that grow over you even after you leave the cinema hall.

The protagonist of the first story, Alia has lost eyesight due to cornea infection but has attained stunning vision for brilliant photography despite it through her other senses. When her eye sight is regained, she suffers a creative dilemma after her painful encounter with realization that in the process she has lost the inspiration and vision of seeing things in her unique style. It is easy for any photographer to identify with her pain of not being able to "see" things. In her brilliant argument with a very supportive boyfriend, she narrates a story about a frog and a centipede that suggests her predicament. (“How do you manage to walk on a hundred legs without ever stumbling?”), the frog asks the centipede. The centipede, having never dwelled on such details of technique, now starts thinking about them – and promptly trips over himself.

The second tale is about a Jain monk, fighting a case of animal rights. When he is diagnosed with lever cirrhosis he undergoes moral and philosophical dilemma about taking medicines that might have been tested on animals to save his own life. There is an interesting quandary he faces over his own values and principles. Some of the best dialogues of the movie are between the Jain monk and a young, curious lawyer who thwarts monk's philosophy by posing some very interesting questions. The exchange is richly intellectual, philosophical and soulful despite the profound tone of the story. Being a believer in karma, I enjoyed the philosophy discussed in this tale immensely. 

Navin, a stock broker is the protagonist of the third story. He has undergone a kidney replacement and suspects it is done in unethical way. In his journey to find redemption he reaches out to a poor chawl dweller whose kidney is stolen. Navin's arguments with his activist grandmother are sheer delight and his interlude with the chawl dweller is an eye opener for social reality of how easily people are duped with lure of money that they don't mind parting with their own organs! 

There are some poignant moments in the movie that are difficult not to be inspired by. I have already started looking at the subjects of my photographs bit differently after watching this film! I am planning to watch the movie again in case I have missed out on seeing, listening, enjoying and understanding from the vast canvas of this brilliant movie! "Ship of Theseus" is certainly one of those movies that one would love to watch again and I am sure, like it happens in art, it would unfold new meaning. I can't wait to relish the experience once more!  

Remember that thing called, conversation?

Scene 1:

We are at a fine dining restaurant. A big family of about fifteen people walks in and settles at the huge table next to ours. It is apparent the family is celebrating birthday of the senior most patriarchal figure. His face is glowing, overwhelmed with the kind of love showered on him and being surrounded by people close to his heart. After the initial euphoria subsides, slowly each member is confined to private space of his/her smart phones. Their table becomes absolutely quiet. He tries to talk to his grand- daughter, barely eight who gets irritated for being interrupted in her telephonic conversation with her canine, Bruno. The old gentleman, feeling bit awkward with the change in the scene, struggling hard to shift his focus and hide his helplessness, takes out his cell phone and starts fiddling with it.

Scene 2  

At the breakfast table, I am trying to figure out everybody's schedule for the day. Hubby is checking news on his cell phone as usual without saying much.  My son is incessantly sending text messages in-between munching his breakfast, his facial expressions, absolutely in sync with what I am saying, nodding his head, looking at me giving me impression that he is hanging on to every word being said! I give him a glare and stop abruptly.  His fingers still busy dexterously typing out messages on his cell phone, "Yeah mom, I'm listening. Go on" Frustrated, I wonder if it was a major blunder to have spent those long hours teaching him to hold the pencil and write! Now, he has mastered the art of typing messages on cell phone with almost any activity going on simultaneously. 

Scene 3

A dear friend of mine sends me message on Whats app while he is attending a meeting. He claims to be involved and give inputs in the meeting whenever required and also wants to catch up with me during those "empty, wasted moments' that don’t help him do anything constructive. He feels he can easily switch between the chat and meeting smoothly! I quip him "God save your company", paste a smiley and leave the chat asking him to catch up later at mutually suitable time.

These scenes sound familiar? I am sure we all have been subjected to this. Knowingly or unknowingly we have even done similar things. We live in times when world is increasingly turning to texting, tweeting and chatting in virtual world 24/7. We can connect with any given soul under the Sun; talking without speaking, hearing without listening, communicating with hundreds of "friends". The lure of virtual world is in freedom to involve at our discretion. No questions asked. Talking and listening is not compulsory. A "like", a "poke" or a simple tweet of 140 characters is sufficient communication.

We are connected to hundreds of friends who are neither too close nor too far but just at right distance, so that we can control who gets what amount of our attention at what time. Our relationships whether personal or professional are generally chaotic and change with quicker pace with each interaction or lack of it. We are too busy to listen, to empathize, very basic ingredients for a good conversation.

The other day, my friend almost panicked and demanded to know why I keep my cell phone switched off and enjoy being alone, without staying "connected to the world". When I told her that my mind becomes “alive” when I switch off all the gadgets and it’s a really beautiful experience, it was very scary thought for her. We get so wrapped up in instant connections to the world that our gadgets bring that we tend to forget there IS life beyond it. A simple, beautiful, real world beneath it!    

Amid the crowd we are locked in our self-created cocoons, our closely guarded private worlds where we find people to laugh with, share things, confide in. We don’t realize the danger of virtual world; a world where all our needs can be met without feeling the need of a person in our physical world.  We barely recognise needs of the people, living under the same roof with us but know problems of our virtual friends who we are perhaps never going to meet!

There is absolutely no denying that virtual world has brought people together globally and it is a remarkable tool that can work wonders if used wisely and constructively. Unfortunately, it is permeating in to our real world influencing every part of our life including communication, the very essence of most important aspect of our life - relationships.

Like drug addicts, we check the gadgets to know what is happening at every possible moment. Invariably, we are boggled with the incessant happenings that add unnecessary pressure. I have seen people who are complete wreck without their cell phones and gadgets and behave as if life has no significance if one is not connected to the world.

It is worth trying out a liberating experience of completely switching off from all the gadgets once in a while and strike real conversations with real people in our life. It is more important to get a real hug, listen to what your child is saying or hubby needs than to post those pictures of perfect life on social networking sites and earn some admiration. That natural scene on our gadgets looks really cool but experiencing Nature first-hand in real life is awe inspiring, majestic and absolutely divine experience! There is no gadget no matter how smart that can substitute authentic experience of life.

Am I sounding cynical and old fashioned? You know what, to hell with it! lol.  

The need to multitask

The need to multi-task; what a popular habit!  I am not sure about you but I have this habit of multitasking. It started with demands and expectations from my various roles and work and before I realized, it became a habit, a compulsion. To be honest, I have always taken pride in it. (What a kick it is to boast about getting everything"done", achieving things, in no time!) 

Last month, I got a wake up call when my health deteriorated making it difficult to even carry on with daily routine and simple tasks like pinching a pot at the pottery studio. I had to take a very painful decision to leave all the activities including my pottery course half way and take rest. For a restless soul like me, there can't be more severe punishment. Life has been bit more dervish since we shifted the house making me scatter in all possible directions.

It is interesting how we often find our truths in least expected spaces in the least imagined ways! I feel there is a lesson for me in this experience no matter how painful. Offlately, my focus has been "no agenda", relaxing completely, listening to my body, cater to its needs, pamper it and bring back rhythm of my life that has somewhere been lost in crazy pursuit of "achievements" whether personal or professional.  

Speed is a natural high and attempt to multitask is a modern way of life. Whether we call it sheer need of the day, compusion or unavoidable evil we all are paying price for it in some way or other. In the era of giving our brain's multitasking hot spots an appropriate workouts, there is nothing new about being pulled in zillion directions, with constant distractions and demands. The question is, how involved are we really in every task that we try to aaccomplish? No matter what all we do but what really matters is whatever we do, we really do it with 100% integrity and involvement. 

When I look back as the days wander off to eternity, I realize the burden of years passed by! These days, when I contemplate on a languid day, listening to music, reading books, mediatating, I realize how sometimes making simple choices are hardest things to achieve in life!

I am currently reading a book and a quote from the book sums up what I am going through:

"All pain is a reminder that we have strayed from the natural rhythms of life."
From "Path of practice", A woman's book of Ayurvedic healing by, Bri. Maya Tiwari  

I have not worked or achieved anything since last few days. My phones are mostly switched off and I have almost cut off from outside world to focus on my health and guess what? The earth has not stopped rotating around the Sun. Life has not stopped. I am still alive and much happier...note to self! 

Flicker of hope - Malala Yousafzai

* Picture of Malala, taken from google

In October 2012, when a teenage girl, Malala Yousafzai was shot in Pakistan, I struggled hard to find coherence of thoughts in my deeply enraged state of mind to write about that barbaric, inhuman attack. I confess, I could not succeed then because it was beyond my comprehension to grasp how could any religious belief condone a fourteen year old child being singled out for a deliberate execution-style assassination? I am dismayed that a young girl could end up being shot at point blank range because she dared to insist upon her right to education in her very own country! 

How can anyone, in name of religion lose basic human instincts towards fellow human beings turning depraved and savagely cruel, in order to exhibit supremacy over others? Why does one need to explain need for right to education as an equal opportunity in 21st century? 

It is shocking that the government that claims to have democratic principles does little about extremist organizations that flourish on its soil; turning blind eye to the blatant truth that those organizations are controlling entire regions of the country, exerting their orthodox dictate over people, vanquishing them against their will to a life of fear and repression! 

Fortunately, Malala has survived and become a global icon of courage, hope and woman power. Her innocent eyes and wisdom of simple words are haunting. Last week, when she addressed the U.N, one could feel beauty of her soul! Her profound words are reflection of unflinching determination, forgiveness, deep understanding, maturity, compassion and kindness. I am completely bowled over by her speech at the U.N and feel so proud of her! There is a lesson to learn for each one of us as we live in politically turbulent times and are subjected to climate of unrest and violence that creates vicious circle of hatred and negativity. Malala's words bring great hope and faith in my belief that goodness always wins.

Time will tell if this tragic incident of attempt on Malala's life would serve as tipping point to change anything in Pakistan and its politics and future. Malala's speech at the U.N is worth reading and deep contemplation without forgetting the fact that those are words of a young girl, barely sixteen, from a country where anyone who suggests reform of the draconian blasphemy laws risks death! Isn't it difficult to believe that someone could even think of harming a beautiful soul like her? Here are some gems from Malala's speech at the U.N:

"I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there was a gun in my hand and he was standing in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the compassion I have learned from Mohammed, the prophet of mercy, Jesus Christ and Lord Buddha. This the legacy of change I have inherited from Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

This is the philosophy of nonviolence that I have learned from Gandhi, Bacha Khan and Mother Teresa. And this is the forgiveness that I have learned from my father and from my mother. This is what my soul is telling me: be peaceful and love everyone."

"One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world. Education is the only solution. Education first."

Malala said that the Taliban's attack on her nine months ago changed nothing in her life, except that "weakness, fear and hopelessness died."

Malala Yousafzai, salute to you girl! Thanks for being candle in the wind and igniting hope! God bless you! 

Shifting our nest

Past two weeks have been immensely crazy, bustling with activities making me scatter in all directions. We have shifted our house, yet again and I am busy setting it up. Its immensely exhaustive, frustrating and yet creatively gratifying experience for someone like me who absolutely loves decorating house. Well, its like having a huge blank canvas waiting to be painted!

Friends are surprised that I am not on shopping spree for the new house as it has bigger and better space and scope for "designing" . Well, its an office accommodation hence there is no point in investing in it beyond certain point. And for me, home is never a tool to flaunt an image. Instead of a show stopper house that boasts owners'"success" and "wealth", bearing stamps of the latest trends, I prefer a more personal space that resonates essence of the people who live there, even in most unstated corners.

What is the point in having a cold designer space, a "perfect" house from a photo shoot of some design magazine with the most impressive brand names if it is devoid of warmth? I love my home to be inviting where people feel welcome and absolutely cozy, at  ease with the spirit of the home. My home for me is a reflection of who I am and it holds charm of my understanding and aesthetic sense. Its a space that mirrors splendor of my heart and soul; a space where I am just happy to BE. The real embellishments are the little acts of love, care, sharing and lot of laughter of people that bring grace and beauty to the aesthetic of our home. 

As I try to decide places to keep objects gifted by loved ones and stray memorabilia that evoke personal stories, the real nature of who we as people really are is beautifully evoked. The scratches and marks on furniture that have not faded even after getting them polished, are the marks of the history very dear to heart. The glow of simple paper lights or aroma candle, the serene tidiness of the home  adorned with heady fragrance of fresh flowers or Auroville incense, a bigger "rangoli" at the entrance  transform a seemingly ordinary day into something remarkably spectacular, making family togetherness much more delightful. 

Fortunately, our previous house is in adjacent building so I am not going to miss out on the huge trees from the garden and lots of birds singing songs in gay abandon. I still wake up to the divine fragrance of fresh flowers and birds chirping at early mornings. And guess what, the new home allows great view including endless opportunities for star gazing! But more on my star gazing experiences, some other time. The carpenter has just arrived to mount some paintings on the wall. Its time to sign off.

They say change is good and I am so loving it!!