Movies - the novellas of our times..

I truly feel that movies have replaced novels in our times. Many movies, go beyond being lame entertainment. They cast the same spells of intrigue and involvement that books entrap you in. Often, they provide startling insights that can light up your day. As examples, I'd like to quote two movies that made an impression on me in recent times.

1. Kungfu Panda - This is a light, funny movie about how a hopeless, hapless, overweight Panda gets a chance to follow his dreams and becomes a Kungfu master. It has layers of satire built into the script to keep the adult audience happy. But what clinched the deal for me was the beautiful message at the end. It's been two months since I watched the movie, but the message still rings lound and clear in my head. Towards the end of the movie, after overcoming many trials and tribulations, Mr. Panda gets to read the Dragon Scroll which contains the secret to limitless power and Kungfu glory. When he unscrolls the parchment paper, he stares in disbelief, the page is absolutely clean, there is nothing written in it. Neither he, nor his master can make head or tail of this. How can the Dragon Scroll be empty? Where is the secret to limitless power? How can one become the best fighter without divine instructions?

In the mean time, the Panda's nemesis, the evil Kungfu Tiger lays seige on the city and people start fleeing in panic. Devoid of the divine secret, the Panda feels there is simply no way he can defeat the Tiger and so, puzzled and disappointed, he returns to his father's noodle shop. Resigned to the fact that he's going to make noodles all his life, the Panda asks his father about the family heirloom, the secret of the secret recipe in his dad's famous "Special Secret Noodle Soup." His dad smiles and says, the secret ingredient in the soup is well...."nothing". He explains, "it is ordinary noodle soup, it's just that I put a special effort to make it good and then call it the Special Secret Noodle Soup with the secret ingredient". Kungfu Panda's eyes light up, his dad's secret ingredient had just decoded the message of the Dragon Scroll! The secret to becoming the best fighter was "nothing". There was no shortcut, there was no magic code, the only way to become the best was to believe that you are the best and put in the extra effort. Needless to say, equipped with this divine knowledge, Kungfu Panda kicks the butt of the Evil Tiger and becomes the hero that he always dreamt of becoming. Cheers! What an entertaining way to dish out a simple yet deep thought.

2. Goodwill Hunting: This movie is about coming to terms with your complexes, your realities, dealing with your shortcomings and facing your fears. However, the part that left a deep impression on me was the one where the movie ponders on what is truly important in life. What should one prioritize over the other - professional achievement or personal happiness? The math prof. in one sequence derides the psychologist Robin Williams for being a loser because he didn't achieve as much professional success as he promised during his early years. Robin Williams's character, Sean Maguire, was supposedly brighter than the math prof's during their MIT student days, but later Sean chose a life of quiet teaching and hospital work. He loved his wife and was content in his small world and didn't chase after professional glory, unlike our math prof. who was a Field's Medal winner - the Nobel Prize's equivalent, for mathematicians. In that scene Sean flares up and says, that his life was not a waste. He did not consider himself to be a loser. On the contrary, he felt he had done quite well for himself. He had found a wife whom he loved dearly, he practised his profession with dignity and he shared his knowledge with his students and gained immense satisfaction out of it. He points out that he never sought to win any Medals or honours. He chose his path to happiness and was content with his life. Our Field Medalist math prof. is at a loss for words, now looking back at his own life, he realizes that he's become a ruin living in the reflected glory of the Fields Medal. He has nothing else to lean on - no family, no friends, just a pompous reputation and a bloated ego. I kind of loved this idea about figuring out what is truly important in life...it helps you to define your anchoring points and remain grounded...

Terror Attacks, why are they viewed only as a security problem?

Every time there is a terror attack one is attuned to hearing the same set of concerns around security, policing, intelligence agencies and the Home Ministry's inaction. Even during the recent blasts the proposals that came forth from the two major political parties were related to security - while the Congress talked of setting up a central inter-governmental Anti-Terrorist Cell, the BJP called for a strong Anti-Terrorist Law like the POTA. Now, why don't we take a more holistic view of the problem? Ignoring the socio-religious angle of Jihadi terrorism and treating it as a mere security problem makes the issue intractable because honestly, how do you effectively police a country of a billion people? Is it practically plausible? How can you prevent a person from dropping a bag full of bombs into a dustbin in a crowded place like Gaffaar market? I get the feeling that involving the Islamic community in seeking a solution to the terrorism problem will yield faster results. Merely beefing up security agencies and improving policing will take you only so far, engaging with the Muslim community will strike the problem at its roots and weaken the terrorists' support system. Every time a Jihadi attack against innocents happens, we should have Maulana's and Maulvi's coming on TV and condemning these acts in harshest terms. Islam is one religion that yields its influence beyond the realms of spirituality and rituals, it actually permeates and dictates the social and political behavior of its followers (the conservative kind). When terrorists claim legitimacy for their acts by pointing to religion, why don't we have religious leaders coming forward and denouncing these claims? This way at least the average Muslim on the streets would get a clear message about where to place his sympathies. The other day, when there was a shootout in Delhi's Jammia Islamia area, the locals came out and protested against police harrassment. The average Mulsim doesn't know whose side he is on? In such times of insecurity the community tends to get closer and rally around its symbols of identity, namely the mosque and the Maulvi. Now if the Maulvi is able to replace this feeling of victimization and hatred with that of nationhood and cooperation, it would be a huge help towards eliminating the scourge of Jihadi terrorism.

You know, how different people respond differently to the same thing...

This is something that many people, including me, fail to notice. What you feel is deep within you. You are so encompassed in it that you believe that everyone else must be intepreting the experience in the same way. Our responses to movies are an example...my mom gets deeply emotionally engaged with whatever she's watching, I wear a critic's cap and analyze technique, dad enjoys melodrama.....if we are so different in responding to movies, one can only imagine how diverse our reactions would be to people and situations....this insight can change the way you perceive other people....the way you code and decode their actions and words...

Work junkie scrawl...

I've been working insane hours coz I've nothing else to do....sort of a work junkie...am struggling to get my bearings right...nothing grips me passionately enough (apart from work) to dedicate myself fully to....I'm that sort of a person, not too good at multi-tasking, do the few things I do with all seriousness and blah....so am wary to make a commitment to a cause/activity/itty-bitty hobby, lest I don't feel strongly enough for it (it's happened before, and it wasn't good...it doesn't feel great to slog ur butt off for smtg jus coz u've made a commitment and can't escape)...lol...commitment phobia strikes again....am losing the plot a bit....got to cling on to something soon...