OMG sligshots at Ritualism

He takes a slingshot at the idol of Krishna! That it just hits the bell and misses the idol, is incidental - making a Bollywood film that supports atheism and cynicism in a country where people will persecute you for less.

Oh My God! or OMG is a Bollywood film released a week back. I got good reviews from reliable sources so I went to watch it[1]. For popular mainstream Bollywood, I liked it a lot. The strength of the story and it’s ‘purpose’ is the plot. And that is where it scores all the points. Technically (editing, cinematography, playwriting, dance, music) it is only below average.  

The protagonist Kanji bhai Lalji bhai played by Paresh Rawal has a small shop that sells articles of faith and antique value. He is a very inquisitive (and cunning) person who does not believe in god or ritualism. He blasphemes of god on the day of the birth of Krishna (Janmashthami) and in a mild earthquake his shop is razed down to rubble. When he makes an insurance claim it turns out his policy does not cover act of god. So to repay the debts and save his house from the debtors, he challenges God and His 'collection agencies' – religious trusts and places of worship, to repay his debts. The case is admitted in the High Court and it follows an interesting debate around if god exists and what is an act of god. Who is responsible for acts of god and who should repay the damage caused by god if insurance company has a clause that they do not cover such losses?

The plot is thin but, I felt, well put.  Much to an atheist’s delight, (and my show was full of them clapping and cheering at every line) the picture makes many jabs at ritualism and the concept of an omnipotent, omniscient God. At least in the first part.

Points for making the atheist functional illiterate in first part of the movie, and making him read books and investigate religion through these in the second! A bag of brownies for the impersonation of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar by revered Mithun Chakrabarti!

How does one make jabs at ritualism of many[2] prominent religions of India and still not get booked? Solution - have a god on your side. And I am not talking about the Muhurat and other rituals that most film makers in India would carry out even if they are making OMG. Make a character of God, and make this character agree with the views of the atheist. Omg, don’t I love the power of Performance? Enter “Krishna Vasudev Yadav, from Gokul” played by Akshay Kumar - “Krishna, because you are a Hindu. If you were a Muslim – the prophet; if you were a Christian - Jesus Christ”. 

What is a befitting Bollywood Climax to such a movie? That Kanji bhai breaks down idols of gods with an iron rod; and then present a moving speech in front of a crowd - asking them to never ever visit a place of worship and/or pay any religious (or spiritual) trusts. How oh how, without getting theatres burnt?

The idols should be of a lesser known god --> How about a freshly baked God? --> How about the atheist was made into a god by people and then he breaks his own idols? Brilliant! A conniving ingenious plot for a blasphemy orgy! 

Ending in a thoughtful and sensitive manner, when Krishna V Yadav of Gokul finally departs, He leaves a token behind! Kanji bhai instinctively wants to preserve it for memory when God speaks from inside him and asks him to get rid of the token symbol. Remember what I said about 'purpose' of the plot?

Of course my favourite is still The Book of Mormon with a cameo by Jesus Christ, God, and Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, but enjoyed Oh My God! thoroughly! If you haven’t seen it yet, watch it as soon as you can, it is not going to last much longer at the cinemas. Obviously.

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[1] Full disclosure I was afraid it maybe a remodelling of a movie made elsewhere, but in the credits it mentioned a Gujarati play. That relieved me. It could still be a remodelling of a story, but that is much better in my books.

[2] Jainism and Sikhism were missing, I felt bad :D. In fact Buddhism is also ritualistic and idol based in its practice in at least parts India. 

Some Pencil Drawings

(pics are taken using webcam)

She was somewhere in my pencil and jumped on me. (I wish)

 Anonymous Girl

 

This one is a (bad pic of a) good drawing

Upper Berth

Barish - Hindi

 From the Hindi movie Thoda Sa Romani Ho Jayen
- लेखक:  कमलेश पाण्डेय

बारिश जो अस्मान से आती है
बूंदों में गाती है
पहाड़ों से फिसलती है
नदियों में चलती है
नेहरों में मचलती है
कुँए पोखर से मिलती है
खपरैलों पर गिरती है
गलियों में फिरती है
मोड़ पर संभालती है
फिर आगे निकलती है


वो ही बारिश , 
यह बारिश अक्सर गीली होती है
इसे पानी भी कहते है
उर्दू में आब
मराठी में पानी
तमिल में तन्नी
कन्नड़ में नीर और बंगला में 
                                            जोल कहते है
संस्कृत में जिसे वारी नीर अमृत पेय अम्बु भी कहते है
ग्रीक में इसे aqua puraa
अंग्रेजी में इसे water भी कहते है
french में eau
और chemistry  में H2O कहते है


यह पानी आँख से ढलता है तो आंसू कहलाता है
लेकिन चेहरे पे चढ़ जाये तो रुबाब बन जाता है
कोई शर्म से पानी -पानी हो जाता है
और कभी कभी यह पानी सरकारी फाईलों में अपने कुँए समेत चोरी हो जाता है
पानी तोह पानी है , पानी जिंदगानी है
इसीलिए जब रूह की नदी सुखी हो
मन का हिरन प्यासा हो
दिमाग में लगी हो आग
और प्यार की गागर खली हो,

तब,
और तब में हमेशा, यह बारिश नाम का गिला पानी लेने की राय देता हूँ ।

Satyuki

The well received recent Hindi movie Kahaani has a character Satyuki. Satyuki is not a hero. He is a companion to one. A female hero.

Satyuki is simple. Not unintelligent but innocent. Innocent and romantic. Satyuki is a hopeless romantic not unlike Stanley Ipkiss of The Mask. Falls in love easily. Bends over backward to be nice. He is nice with everyone. But he is especially nice to a beautiful woman he is attracted to, maybe loves her in one of the meanings of the word love. He is willing to give up his life, endanger his career, expose his weaknesses. He is running the risk of being used: with the morning-after terrible feeling of being the biggest most-brainless douchebag in the world.

His feelings defines him, propel him; make him exceed his limits, understand himself.

Khan is another character in the movie: a dedicated lover (nationalist), has done very well and risen high in his work, and by definition of his work at Intelligence Bureau, must have prevented wars, saved crores of rupees of possible damage, and thousands of lives, sacrificing a few. Khans of this world make it possible for Satyukis to exist.

Khan gives Satyuki a piece of advice: something on the lines of
प्यार  बहुत अच्छी चीज़ है, इसे सही जगह इस्तेमाल करना सीखो
[Love is a nice thing (object/weapon/tool), learn to use it the right way.]
Khan of course is talking nationalism, loving the country versus loving a person. Loving an idea, dedicating to a cause, fused with the discipline and training of emotions which is usually associated with nationalism. But he is presenting it as the most pragmatic idea and oh so logical!

Is there a law of conservation of love? It would seem so, if loving is spending time with, thinking about, and taking care of, surely love is limited by temporal dimension of human existence. Some of my friends who are dating many people at the same while managing a career would agree. Satyuki can survive, keep falling in love with damsels in distress and spend his time and energy thinking and caring. On the other extreme he can be like Khan: serving people with little or no localised sentiment (Aha! that is how harems work). And there are all the shades in between.

I worry about Satyuki. He is what... 22-23 years old? And yet he has a child-like smile and demeanour. Not affected at all. Will he be able to move up in his career? Is it desirable? Is it that being someone who falls in love easily makes Satyuki a lesser person than Khan?

This time is just a beginning. He may be used many times in his life, sometimes by the people he come to trust and like the most. Will he be able to move on and retain his simple loveliness? Will he allow himself to fall in love again, even if attaining companionship is impossible? What if he does, and stagnates in anything else in life? If he does succeed in bringing the ring: his simple loving heart, back to its maker, will he not be Frodo Baggins of the Shire? Will he not be a hero?

Who decides that?

On Ambition :)

Bare Necessities (from Disney's The Jungle Book)

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
Old Mother Nature's recipes
That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam
I couldn't be fonder of my big home
The bees are buzzin' in the tree
To make some honey just for me
When you look under the rocks and plants
And take a glance at the fancy ants
Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw
Or a prickly pear
And you prick a raw paw
Next time beware
Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw
When you pick a pear
Try to use the claw
But you don't need to use the claw
When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw
Have I given you a clue ?

The bare necessities of life will come to you
They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it
Fall apart in my backyard
'Cause let me tell you something little britches
If you act like that bee acts, uh uh
You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

(Lyrics Transcribing Credit:
http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/thejunglebook/thebarenecessities.htm)

Chandu ki Cycle (Hindi)

चंदू  की  साइकिल  बिल्कुल चंदू जैसी थी, 
चलती थी तो चंदू जैसे चुन चुन  करती रहती  थी,
handle उसका चंदू के हाथों  जैसा  ही  हल्का  था, 
pedal उसके चंदू के पैरों जैसे ही पतले थे, 
सीट उसकी चंदू के  पिछवाड़े  जैसी  चौड़ी  थी, 
carrier उसका चंदू  के  career जैसा  ही  छोटा  था ।
पर चंदू  की  दोस्त  वही  थी, वही  उसके  साथ  रहती  थी,
चंदू  के  भारी वज़न  को  बहुत  ही  आसानी  से  सहती  थी ।


लेकिन...
ऐसा  दिन  आया  जब  साइकिल  उसकी  टूट  गई,
आता देख  सांड  आगे  से  चंदू  से  वो  छूट  गई ।
ठीक  नहीं  कर  पाया  जब  montu mechanic  भी  उसको,
चंदू  के  daddy  ने  उसे  बेच  दिया  कबाड़ी को ।
चंदू  सब  कुछ  भूल  किताबों  में  डूब  गया  ऐसे,
जैसे  किसी  पुरानी  ख्वाहिश  को  सच्चा करना  था  उसे ।
फिर  जब  चंदू  बड़ा  हुआ, तो  अपनी  first कमाई  से  वो नई साइकिल  लेकर  आया,
अपनी  नई  मिली  चतुराई  से ।


लेकिन ... 
नई साइकिल  भी  बिल्कुल  चंदू  जैसी  ही थी,
कितिनी  भी  कोशिश  कर  लो  चुन  चुन  करती  रहती  थी,
सीट  उसकी  चंदू के पिछवाड़े  जैसी  चौड़ी  थी,
carrier उसका  चंदू  के  career जैसा ही छोटा था ।




सौजन्य 'उड़ान' (हिंदी फिल्म) २०१० 
लेखक: विक्रमादित्य मोटवाने, अनुराग कष्यप, कुमार देवांशु, सत्यांशु सिंह