Have I been excited about the holiday season? Definitely yes…Has it been because of Christmas? Perhaps No…Do I celebrate Christmas? No…Do I know why is it celebrated? Perhaps Yes…Have I been turning Santa for a few special ones? Yes…
I have been thinking of these questions for some time now. Why am I celebrating Christmas? Why am I wishing Christmas to few and all, to colleagues, to drivers, to shopkeepers, to my wife and to my parents? Why I like getting snapped up in that little red and white santa cap? Why is my mother preparing the grand six egg cake today? Why do we have little Christmas trees all over the house? Why am I rhyming ‘jingle bells’ to my little niece? In a manner, I am celebrating…I am celebrating the spirit of Christmas. What’s the reason then? Why?
Is it because it’s truly a global festival; celebrated by majority of inhabitants of planet earth and I would like to be a partner in their joy? Perhaps not…Is it because that Indians by nature love chaos, love being boisterous and always search for a reason for celebration; no matter whatever be the occasion? Or is it a phenomenon being experienced only in select cities with higher per capita income? Perhaps…
I pondered and pondered and then celebrated. The reason most likely exists in the idea of India. The idea that binds us all together and wants us to celebrate happy times and share not so happy ones. This idea of a secular society which is expanding to every nook and corner of the world is the reason why I am celebrating Christmas; with the same vigour that I would celebrate Diwali. The idea is paying off. The idea of India that our leaders dreamt off is yielding results and I feel good just like you all.
A free day comes with all its thoughts which I scribbled right away as below:
Just when the little roadside boy needs a sweater,
Just when the impish child turns pale with hunger,
Just when the unreachable school needs a teacher,
Just when the patient needs clean drinking water,
Just when the farmer desires little drops of rain,
Just when small businesses look for making some gain,
Just when a martyrs’ hope of peace remain,
Just when the hatred rules …we need you again,
O Jesus! We need you again.
After reading this, my good old friend Jolly is going to say that ‘He is Everywhere’ and we just need to be true to ourselves. And I agree…
Merry Christmas to you All My Friends
Friday, December 25, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Tantalizingly Close: An Idiot
I now feel like an idiot. When I succumbed to slumber last night, I felt irritated, anxious and praying. Before I continue further to my state of mind, I need to recommend Times of India’s Crest Edition and Mint’s Lounge Edition. They are now on my Saturday definite reads list.
So why am I feeling the way I am? Well, I read Raju Hirani’s interview in one of those newspapers and tell you what …it did not read nice.
Hirani showcased his style of film making and how important the message and plot are for his ventures. As I read on, I really liked the idea he worked on during Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai. In the first venture, he wanted to present as to how doctors can be more compassionate while in the second he wanted to peel the make-up off citizens who abuse Gandhi about his brand of nation (un)building but do not stand a chance when prodded further on their thinking. I appreciate Hirani’s work and went on reading further. I felt good from within.
Then I read about his new film – 3 Idiots. Loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone’, Hirani explained how he has developed the screenplay. He explained how five point was just a slice of life and how he developed the ‘plot’ which is inherently the heart in the art of movie making. I felt nicer as Hirani went further to drop in a few hints on the storyline. But my heart tanked as I further read Hirani’s words – ‘So the story is about three guys in Delhi IIT who are not so interested in studies. The film has two time spans – what happened to the three protagonists after they left. Two go in search of the third. At the centre of it is the love story…’ I confess that my book also has two time spans separated by a decade, is about close friends, is about search, has a decade old love story…and what not. I felt cheated as I read Hirani’s words time and again. The motivation to continue writing further ( I am three chapters old out of possible eight) died down and ebbed away as I had small blasts of interrupted sleeps.
Self-motivation is one of most important aspects in any work one pursues. I am learning this fine art these days and it took me good ten hours to re-motivate myself. I still have keyboard with me and I have planned to tweak the storyline if Hirani wants to follow me. My plot - Still a Love story, still some search, still about college but still not that way…
I am still motivated to complete the book…no matter how long it takes and so what if the manuscript keeps residing on the hard disk for time unknown. This will just be for my friends who will read a chapter or two on some lazy Saturday evening.
P.S. While I am eager to watch this movie next weekend, I just hope Boman Irani’s character doesn’t resemble the character ‘TARANA’ of my book (Mr. T.A. Rana who is not a professor...but a lawyer L)
So why am I feeling the way I am? Well, I read Raju Hirani’s interview in one of those newspapers and tell you what …it did not read nice.
Hirani showcased his style of film making and how important the message and plot are for his ventures. As I read on, I really liked the idea he worked on during Munnabhai MBBS and Lage Raho Munnabhai. In the first venture, he wanted to present as to how doctors can be more compassionate while in the second he wanted to peel the make-up off citizens who abuse Gandhi about his brand of nation (un)building but do not stand a chance when prodded further on their thinking. I appreciate Hirani’s work and went on reading further. I felt good from within.
Then I read about his new film – 3 Idiots. Loosely based on Chetan Bhagat’s ‘Five Point Someone’, Hirani explained how he has developed the screenplay. He explained how five point was just a slice of life and how he developed the ‘plot’ which is inherently the heart in the art of movie making. I felt nicer as Hirani went further to drop in a few hints on the storyline. But my heart tanked as I further read Hirani’s words – ‘So the story is about three guys in Delhi IIT who are not so interested in studies. The film has two time spans – what happened to the three protagonists after they left. Two go in search of the third. At the centre of it is the love story…’ I confess that my book also has two time spans separated by a decade, is about close friends, is about search, has a decade old love story…and what not. I felt cheated as I read Hirani’s words time and again. The motivation to continue writing further ( I am three chapters old out of possible eight) died down and ebbed away as I had small blasts of interrupted sleeps.
Self-motivation is one of most important aspects in any work one pursues. I am learning this fine art these days and it took me good ten hours to re-motivate myself. I still have keyboard with me and I have planned to tweak the storyline if Hirani wants to follow me. My plot - Still a Love story, still some search, still about college but still not that way…
I am still motivated to complete the book…no matter how long it takes and so what if the manuscript keeps residing on the hard disk for time unknown. This will just be for my friends who will read a chapter or two on some lazy Saturday evening.
P.S. While I am eager to watch this movie next weekend, I just hope Boman Irani’s character doesn’t resemble the character ‘TARANA’ of my book (Mr. T.A. Rana who is not a professor...but a lawyer L)
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