A day in the life of LIFE

The Sufi songs of Kurbaan play back to back on my list even as I type this post. It’s Diwali on the IIM campus, just as it is across the other parts of the nation. Diwali is probably the most solid cultural link between the North and the South of the Vindhyas, in a land as diverse as India – talking of which brings back memories of all the cities I’ve celebrated Diwali in, over the period of my life thus far: Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Mysore and now Shillong.

One attribute of the festival of lights is its unmatched grandeur which is symbolic of the existence of human civilization. Poets and writers alike have written at length about the power of the light to liberate, primary of whom include John Henry Newman (Lead, Kindly Light) and B.M. Sri (Karunaalu Baa Belake – Kannada). The scene from Swades describes the festival of lights in an apt manner – one of sharing, love, contentment and hope : the last two emotions being opposite yet complimentary in nature.

An interesting comment by Sri Sri Sri Ravishankar on the importance of the humble “diya” in today’s Times of India is worth a recall here. He says that it is mandatory for the wick to remain part under oil and part out of it, exposed to the air, so that it can provide light to the surround. So ought to be the balance in all our lives which is most often a roller coaster of emotions. We all have faith, belief and expectation as the three underlying pillars of existence. And then these are both of internal and external dimensions. Managing these two perspectives is what is required of us and can be learnt from the omnipresent diya, the brilliant resonance of which according to me, is seen on the banks of the Ganges at Haridwar.

This flash of the thought brings to me the aspect of the transience of the present. T.S. Elliot rightly mentioned “Where is life lost in the living"...

I still believe that the “Hope of Hope is the reality of life” and I shall leave my readers with a beautiful one liner in the Times of India a few years ago when Ramzan and Diwali coincided on the same day.

“Here’s wishing everyone a very happy diwALI and RAMzaan” – It happens only in India...

Looking forward to this evening which promises to be a cracker of a celebration on the IIM Campus….

Pic below : The rangoli last time in front of the Academic Block..

The beauty of Bollywood is that it has always been a universal healer. All you have to do when you feel low is to go and watch the latest bollywood flick to get your dose of rejuvination. The success of a movie is based on how well the audience relates to situations and the plot that the movie presents.

Wake Up Sid opens with Siddhart Mehra, a typical gen y individual from upmarket South Bombay (oops... Mumbai) the typical "Ameer Baap ka Bigda hua Beta" who is seen struggling to make a choice between video games and financial accounting on the eve of the final exam - no prizes for guessing what he finally goes with!

Enter Ayesha Banerjee, a typical "ajnabee in the anjaan shahar" who meets Sid at a party. Bold, suave, independent and outspoken are attributes best associated with Ayesha. A brave pick up line which is acknowledged by the latter leads them to the "most favourite hangout" of Mumbai - Marine Drive, which sets the foundation for a relationship of friendship.

Small favors by the chauvenistic Sid makes him liked by Ayesha who reiterates from time to time that they are "just" friends. Ayesha, with her chirpy nature lands herself a job at Mumbai Beat, a city based magazine as the assistant of the Editor-in-Chief, who takes her out on Jazz dates only to make Ayesha realize that she is better off humming Kishore Kumar and Saigal as against listening to boring jazz.

Sid's lifestyle can be best described as that lead by Hritik in the first half of "Lakshya", who on the other hand continues painting the town red, with friends until he fails miserably in his exams while his friends get through. A sound warning and hard talk by Mehra senior makes Siddhart wild and he storms out of the house. He moves in with Ayesha as a room partner (and not a live in one)and is gradually transformed into an organized person who gets to learn daily chores. Sid, with the help of Ayesha lands the job of a photographer at the same magazine, where he discovers his true talent.

A brief period of Sid dating Tanya is thrown in as the parallel track to Kabir (Edit-in-Chief) dating Ayesha. What happens post that is best described as true blue hindi movie storyline.

Though the movie gets caught in stereotypes for a brief 20 odd minutes, it does convey quite a few meaningful messages, one of which is to not stick to the conventional and striking out on your own, by pursuing your deeply embedded life interest.

Some good numbers, Shankar's melodious voice and great lyrics, make the movie a refreshing entertainer, though with hints of relatedness to Dil Chahta Hai, on certain occasions.

Great acting by Konkana is definitely something that leaves you impressed at the end of the movie. Karan Johar could have kept a greater grip on the screenplay, but otherwise, it's a good job indeed....

A 7 on 10 for "Wake Up Sid", and it definitely goes well with Sunday brunch if you plan to watch it tomorrow...- If you WAKE UP in time for Brunch, i.e. ... :-)..

I stood by you in times of sorrow and joy;
I did so too when surrounded by hoi polloi
I tried as much and managed to swallow all my fears,
So that I could, always wipe off your tears

I thought, I assumed and presumed for long,
That my assumptions could never be wrong,
And I moved all along advising you,
That the world is not like me and you..

You listened, You heard, I sought confirmation
I thought, as much, you comprehended the situation,
I knew for long that I’d never be shunned; this was a consolation:
In what I could comprehend in my limited imagination.

Days’ve passed and so have the seasons;
I’ve shared a bond of friendship with no precondition,
But today when the scheming hoi polloi emerged:
You turned your back on me and left me submerged…

You might have had reasons galore,
Existence of which has become folk lore;
Though a choice you did make today,
I shall still hope you realize someday..

No emotion is also a state of emotion:
This is what I feel as I type this explanation;
Learning to let go, for me is perhaps the only way;
Even when many, off our path try to make us sway…

Tracks diverge and so do they intersect;
Am human too; so I introspect:
Did I err somewhere, on this journey?
Answers to which may still remain a mystery….