celebrityhood,convictions,irresponsibilty,laxity

Any premise can be supported or opposed based on how one feels about it. It can also be ambiguous for which both supporting and opposing stands exist. The basis on which Mr. Aamir Khan got embroiled in a cause, the NBA cause calls for a discussion. My perception is one of ambiguity and the controversy that has hounded him coupled with his views has instigated me to come up with a post.
Let's start with how it all started. On a fateful day Mr. Khan was venturing out in the busy streets of Delhi when he chanced upon a movement that had gathered in Jantar Mantar. The victims of the movement spearheaded by the irrepressible Ms Medha Patkar were demanding justice from the Government and opposing the decision to increase the height of Sardar Sarobar project. Mr. Khan, bubbling with his enthusiasm of "Kucch Kar dikha ne ka" on the lines of "Rang De Basanti" whole heartedly jumped into action. He joined the morcha and gave a message to all the parities concerned that he was against injustice to the masses. It is another thing that he had no idea about the timeline, duration, history and geography of the movement. He had no idea of the fact that what he saw was only one side of the multi-faceted story. He later admitted it. Which means that he got carried away with the plight of the people and his "dariya-dil" got swamped in an unending deluge of human trauma. After that Mr. Khan went into a verbal spree and NBA got more glamorous. The perception about Mr. Khan was that he was a serious actor, a perfectionist and an idealist. But it was totally uncalled for that he would get so carried away in such a manner. Beats me totally.
After that Mr. Khan gave interviews after interviews in various platforms, forums. He had to handle uncomfortable questions regarding his endorsements etc... When a public figure like Mr. Khan gets into a controversy for the sake of his ideals or his unabashed enthusiasm I can't help but think about the reason they should be doing it in the first place. It is because, two days ago his film "Fanaa" was banned in Gujarat for hurting Gujarati sentiments. Having introduced the topic I will come directly come into the pros and cons of his actions. Through his actions I would generalize it, i.e. the role of a public figure in a campaign. My stand is neutral.

For the motion.
A public figure is much more than a normal next door neighbour pretty much busy with daily chores.A public figure carries the burden of the public because he has been made popular by the public.He is a simple human being otherwise,is made of the same flesh,blood and bones that other humans are made of.But he has rissen above the levels of normalcy and given us something.He might have qualities that others might not think of achieving.He might be better,greater like the eternal motto of the Olympics "Citius,Altius,Fortius".That has made him a public figure.His talent surpasses the normal boundary of ordinary and he has created a new pinnacle which other lesser individuals might aim for.Since ordinary individuals cannot reach his level he is deified.But then that brings an added responsibilty.He has to act like a God.He has to come good on our expectation.All in all he should not do something that may hurt us.There comes the problem of his idealism amd beliefs.The public in a free and fair democracy is fairly divergent in views and beliefs.And so the path of idealism becomes pretty much constricted.That is the problem with Aamir Khan.In life we call it a compromise.And aamir fails to value that because of his selfish interests.
(to continue)

Ankahee -The movie.

The theme of the movie is not new. The subject of passionate love, insane love leading to devastation has been discussed in the Hindi movies for decades. Love is a complicated subject. "Love" in itself is quite simple. Having feelings for one another is how we define it. But the baggage that love brings with itself for e.g. the relationships, the responsibilities, tend to complicate matters. The movie "Ankahee" deals with love in a forbidden zone. The movie deals with extreme love, on the verge of insanity. Insanity can be fun. It brings a thrill to our moribund lives. But continuous insanity practically vitiates the atmosphere. Human mind is complex. And we tend towards complications most of the time. We fall into love as easily as we fall out of love. It is a delicate balance. And love has different meanings. It can be motivating as well as distracting. Human perception is when love tends to demand most of our time it is more distracting than motivating.
In the movie Esha Deol , the reigning Ms World falls in love with a doctor Aftab Shivdasani.To complicate things Aftab is already married to Amisha Patel who plays the role "Sati-Savitri" "24-hour" housewife with finesse .Esha is suffering loneliness and looks up to Aftab as the only source of her sustenance. She falls in love with Aftab in a manner that drives her towards insanity. Aftab falls for her charms, leaves his family and starts living with her. But the excess baggage that love brings,most notably possessiveness, drives Esha towards insanity .Insecure in her own world she feels dispossessed all the time which finally drives her to suicide. Aftab returns to his wife, only to be disowned and rejected. And the end of the story he dies too leaving everyone devastated.
Someone once said "Man is a social animal". Humans prefer to live in a web that is their life and each human tends to be interrelated points. So when one point goes awry the whole web tends to crumble. The points closer to the affected point tend to be affected the most. That is what happens to Aftab's life.
We always look for balance in life. Balance between stability and insanity is one such instance. We seek peace in stability and thrill in insanity. When we tend to lose control of our lives we lose that balance and lose our lives.
The most memorable aspect of the movie is the music. Directed by Pritam the music is a soothing manifestation of the emotional upheavals each character undergoes.

Zindagi ki sacchai aab maine paii

Life is more of an exception than an equation for a human mind. But the irony is that life is guided by equations at each and every step which tends to lend stability to life itself. Then one equation tend to get unstable we tend to compromise with another equation. Like if we tend to get late for something we tend to compromise on something that is desirous.
On a clearer note if we have diabetes we tend to compromise on our greed and abstain from sweets... We look for balance all the time.

The brain is the most complex organ in the world. It is perhaps more complex than the universe. Humans might try to comprehend the universe with the brain but can they comprehend the brain itself. The emotions and feelings associated with it, the complex chemical reactions associated with it. Ask any human...

Happy Orkutting..

Orkut is a great tool.
Specially in terms of networking and building contacts..
I realised it really late but I plan to make up for it. Somehow I convinced some friends to join orkut without actually realizing the full potential of it.The most important thing about orkut is it is a compact all in one. And like different colours of a flower it is multifaceted. Each colour with it's own importance. But the most important is the fact that one can seamlessly traverse from one domain to another.It is like a never ending maze and limited only by unlimited human intellectual capacity. When you chance to attach yourself to a community it is highly probable that you catch up with some old school buddies. I am just giving an example. And once you start scrapping you get pretty addicted to it. Now, with power comes responsibities. So one better control oneself before embarking on a journey.
Meanwhile happy orkutting

The rose and the star..

The rose cried below the heaven..

With the sky staring down and the stars peeking..

The rose bemoaned the misfortune

Pain was a fact of life..

Giving in to circumstances

The rose cried from deep within

Its brothers had wilted under the sun

The pressure was too much to take

The rose simply cried at night

The star asked "Why are you crying ?"

the rose said "I cannot handle life "

The star explained "Look,don't take life as it comes,

Be strong,be hopeful

Take control of your life and fate will smile on you.."

The rose asked "Who are you ?"

The star said "I was a rose who aspired to be a star"

The rose asked "Then what happened ?"

The star said "I enjoyed my life and when I died I became a star"

Past..

My belief is that the past always holds you back..
Now tho events always happen in life that can be commemorated
1. Sad and painful occurences.
2. Happy days..

Tell me that neither evokes pain in you !!
Sad days remind you the pain you endured
And happy days remind you of wondeful moments.
Painful isn't it ?

Connotation to last post..

As a connotation to my last post I think the obstacles to development are removed if people have a developmental attitude..
I came from Durgapur on GT Road and like everytime I am enthused by the mindset..
The additional factors are free flowing logic like
planning--> convincing farmers and subsequent land acquisition (the most diff part as changing mindset happens here)--> building stuffs
Meanwhile Buddhadeb has got elected on a reformist plank
Let us see

Calcutta-The alter ego (Kolkata ?)

While going through Rajabazar area in Kolkata I was lost in a stream of thought.
People say that Kolkata is undergoing transformation.But all these transformations are taking place in the already developed parts of the city..Places where flyovers ,multiplexes etc etc are being built are the already developed parts of Kolkata..Since they are pre-planned ,it is easy to tinker with the existing structures of the city to create new facilities..Like widening of roads etc etc..Places like South Kolkata,Park Street,Salt Lake etc etc
But what about blighted parts Rajabazaar.Can The Government create a new flyover over there without widespread opposition ?A couple of days ego a lot of brouhaha was created in the news media over the demolition of a religious place..
The question is what is the point in developing an already developed place..
What is the point of raising objects to development in the name of religion etc etc when we want allround development ?
Why is our policy so skewed ?
And at the end of the day..
Are we visionaries ? (At least in Kolkata)
Another interesting aspect about development is that a developed place creates a base for further development i.e you can develop and redevelop an already developed area.
It is a never ending process.On the other hand when there is any oppostion to development there is always resistance to a change that is for the greater good rather than individual benefit..Is the Communist Govt listening ? Individual benefit !!!
Development is a mindset..If we have a stubborn attitude we can never aspire to develop.So in the name of development you create shelters that ultimately lead to slums and there is a total absence od real development.
Where is there is a will there is a way ?
The Delhi Metro and Konkan railways are shining examples.
Where there is no will ,there is hypocrisy and existence of extremes.
The shining malls hiding the dark realities of Razabazar are befitting examples.

Hope floats

Over the shady face of the world

Where delusion reigns supreme,

Hope floats with a fluttering grin.

When the mind just gives up,

Gives in to situtions,

Hope takes over and bliss runs amuck.

When humans repent for Pandora's sins,

Hope shows them the light,

Gives them reasons to fight.

You lost something which was dear to you

But why repent when hope is around ?

Take care of things that still remain..

You for one.Never give up to sadism..

Pandora wanted you to die..

Yet you lived and so did hope.



Shawshank redemption: "Fear sets you prisoner,Hope sets you free"

Writing..

kaleidoscopic thoughts run through ur mind..
When u jot it down it becomes a piece..

The first thing people might say about writers is they are alone.They love to be in melancholy and let random thoughts take over their mind..I have to disagree with the melancholy part because if u r a thinker then u need melancholy,solitude.But u don't necessarily have to be a lover of solitude.
Ideas are like abstract patterns.When they take shape people like us get into a lengthy overdrive with surging adrenalin..But u need not write ideas.U can discuss that with friends..That becomes a vocal manifestation...
The beauty of writing is that with an intricate pattern of words you can put ur thoughts in somebody else's mind without getting the slightest of opposition..Writing is like moving in a car without brakes in an empty road that leads to nowhere..It is the driver who actually decides when the road has to end and the car has to stop..
My belief is that there are infinite was to express oneself..And looking from an angle (there are infinite angles) I feel that one or supreme is same as infinite..It is a complex thought..
The other thing about writing is style..People have different style of writing..The choice and use of words,the use of examples,poems and quotations are all part of style..
Another thing about writing is the art can be acquired..And the best way of motivation is reading...(One of the best sources of ideas)

A tribute to Mahajan

Unflinched in his route to glory..

The stone remains crushed waiting to be dusted..

For a man borne out of him..

had broken all the obstacles with tenacity..

A man born without silver made himself a jewel..

Rallied against problems and became an achiever..

Shy he was, he went on to be an excellent orator..

With managerial skills par excellence he became unsustainable..

So God called upon him to manage heaven