Life on a flat line

It was almost day in, day out that I was finding the things blanch, I went to office came back in the evening, flipped channels, ate my foot, washed the dishes and mechanically went to bed to wake up the next day to repeat again. And the weekends I don’t know, went into something or the other. My life was going through the normal life sequences of a flat line, I remember reading one of my fellow bloggers mentioning that the life was almost too boring ; and I remarking back, its better then the one compared to many, where they wait for the changes to rest!!

Anyhow my alarm clock rang when I was just hoping to warm up my palms for a blog entry sometime soon, when somebody reminded me; that it was Time "already".

I am not a great fan of classics but now and then I like to read those, and this time I just pulled a blue cover out "Picture of Dorian Gray", I don’t know how many of you have chanced it, but believe me its got some pretty slick one liners that have made me think in unison with myself and seeing my head go up and down in affirmation to its crude yet simple ways.

"The body sins once, and has done with its sin, for action is a mode of purification. Nothing remains then but the recollection of a pleasure, or a luxury of a regret."

"What a fuss people make about fidelity!.. Young men want to be faithful, and are not; old men want to be faithless, and cannot.."

"To get back one's youth, one has merely to repeat one follies"

"The terror of society, which is the basis of morals, the terror of God, which is the secret of religion.."

"Real tragedy of the poor is that they can afford nothing but self-denial. Beautiful sins, like beautiful things, are the privilege of the rich"

“It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution.”

Well its one of those books you should chew and swallow, the first time I read it, I simply gulped it down, more so for passing time, but now I truly am relishing it bit by bite :)

Coming back its not so, that my life was really a flat line, ofcourse life throws some hoops now and then. Hmmmmph. Events are such when one relates it and we are the listener its always something happening to someone else, we nod, we console, but somewhere we deep down we console ourselves as well; that it would never happen to us or never can. That I say is the farce of life. But we shouldn’t take life too seriously, and those little hoops now and then should be taken in a right frame of mind, afterall, with so many variables inter-playing, it’s not too much that once in a while some things do go wrong.

Just few days back I saw Parzania, an art movie about the Gujrat riots, and believe me, it made me shiver down the bones seeing the things out; and like I said in this information age we get to see/ read so many things happening out there we cannot do anything but detach ourselves and listen it out, like a spectator. But there watching the movie, the terror, sobbing, the groveling made me realise that I am better off, with, my life on a flat line.

And those dips in between are simply dips, somehow I am happy; afterall; those were just small ones!!!

(PS: I would be traveling to Germany on a business trip and then Switzerland visiting a friend, so most probably, be ready for some travel logs)

Diksha

The cover translated "The initiation", after a long stinch I was able to enjoy a hindi movie in all its entirety. It was an art genre movie, set up in a classical era of south india, when brahmin and sudr part of society was still segregated by a chasm as big as the grand canyon (if not less). The story revolves around the acharya which is the highest post in a village overseeing religous matters. The turmoil of everyday life and how inspite of being different could not survive the ultimate transformation. Picture features some well known faces, of only whom I could recall Nana Patekar playing the low class sudr.

I will try to brief about the story line itself because its not just the story line that makes a film or story but its shift from one chapter to another, the lines said in between and the whole atmosphere which it recreates; is what makes a feature powerful.

The story starts with a father handing over his only son under the guardianship of acharya of another village for his education and ascension to brahminhood. Nani as the boy is lovingly called is a small boy of around eight who retains his childhood curiosity and candidness at looking at the world, he is contrasted against the older disciples who although learning from long have somehow been deviated from their true calling. His studies start and he is attracted to Nana Patekar (Goga) who works in his home. The life proceeds with Acharya's education and other day to day happenings, meanwhile Goga's aunt expires and he pleads Acharya for her last rights (which in brahmin society was restricted in those times). But he still does it and there is a big hoo haa in the village over the issue his older son also comes disconcerted, to which Acharya replies that what he did was not about right or wrong but to keep Goga's faith alive and not letting him fall apart.

In Acharya's home is also his daughter Yamuna who although a widow lives there with him, which too was a digression in that age. We see Acharya as a righteous man who knows the limits and context of religion and society in the right terms. Goga also respects his Acharya for this righteous nature. Later in the movie Yamuna gets entangled with another village brahmin and gets pregnant while Acharya had been away on his yearly pilgrimage. The truth is known and she had to get it aborted. On returning Goga regretfully announces "I could save your daughter from snakes and fire but not a brahmin".

The movie tactfully deals with many aspects in sync society/ religion/ morals/ women and caste system all intervowen creating a complex miasma to which many fall a victim while others live it through to know the difference and choose. It also pits the society into the context, that very few humans live a self righteous life themselves but are always ready to point a finger on the first sign of human folly. Makes me always remind of a quote

"Public scandal is what constitutes an offence, sins sinned in secret are no sins at all"; after all we all have a past!

The double contrast the movie offers is that although Acharya holds the infinite wisdom of knowing religion from society but his burden of responsibility hinders him to evolve from the rest in the ultimate test, while his son who had earlier questioned him on performing last rights at the sudr's house forsakes his teaching to uphold the truth and so does Goga although an ignorant worker spits his teaching as mere empty words.

Makes us somehow wonder how far does the religion extend in our life, what obligations do we have, and inspite knowing so much do we still fall its victim or brake free. And Although no religion restricts human from right ways, its our society interpretations moulded to suit, which have made these moralistic distinctions of right from wrong. But the ultimate decision lies with you; alone!

Daily humdrumm ---------

Life's progressing, got a promotion; cheers. (Another of those life moments to remember by). After a long time visited Lal Bagh, felt good strolling carefree through this man-made closest facscimile of nature. Yesterday picked up three magazines to while my time; Man, Interiors and Sanctuary. Last one a definate recommendations to any of the nature lovers, superb photography.