Jai Hind

Today, for the third time, I watched the movie 'Swades,' and I must say it is as inspiring as ever. May we contribute all that we can, small or big, to this beautiful country of ours. May this sleeping giant break free from the shackles of jaat-paat, from evils of corruption and rise as a nation where love, freedom and justice can reign. Couldn't help remembering the famous 'Gitanjali' by Rabindranath Tagore.

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high;

Where knowledge is free;

Where the world has not been broken up

into fragments by narrow domestic walls;

Where words come out from the depth of truth;

Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection;

Where the clear stream of reason

has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit;

Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action---

Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.

Jai Hind.

The Idiot

Fyodor Dostoevsky has influenced many a great thinkers and writers of the Western world through his quality works of literature. “The Idiot” is a masterpiece that he wrote during 1868-1869.

Prince Myshkin, the hero of the novel, though considered an ‘idiot’ by everyone and who rightly was so in his childhood, has not only charming persona, but also such an amicability that even his enemies would, perhaps unconsciously or otherwise, develop an irresistible fondness for him. On his journey from Switzerland to Petersburg, Russia, he meets Rogozhin. Rogozhin speaks to him of his passionate love for Nastasya Filippovna, a notoriously infamous woman and mistress of Totsky. The second chapter introduces several other characters, one of them being General Epanchin, whose wife, Madame Epanchin, actually Myshkin had come to meet. Then, there is a brief introduction of Adelaida, Alexandra and Aglaia, General’s three daughters. Myshkin also happens to meet Ganya, who works as a secretary of General Epanchin. Also, for the first time here Myshkin sees a portrait of Nastasya Filippovna, and instantly proclaims her to be ‘wonderfully beautiful.’ Myshkin soon discovers of Ganya’s plans to marry Nastasya Filippovna, but for a different reason, that of the huge amount (75000 roubles) of dowry he would receive from Totsky. Ganya awaits Nastasya Filippovna’s answer. Myshkin, in some way, ends up in a party thrown by Nastasya Filippovna (in fact, her swayamvar), where she intends to pronounce her final decision as to whom she would marry. To everyone’s surprise, Nastasya asks Myshkin if she should marry Ganya or not. Myshkin struggles to answer but finally asks Nastasya not to marry Ganya. Suddenly, Rogozhin, a thorough drunkard and another strong contender, arrives with his violent bunch of friends from nowhere. Rogozhin offers a hundred thousand roubles for marrying Nastasya. While everyone awaits the beautiful Nastasya’s final answer, in yet another strange gesture of his, Myshkin proposes the lady for marriage. He also declares of a letter that suggested Myshkin to very soon inherit an immense fortune. Despite the best of his efforts, Nastasya decides to go with Rogozhin. Myshkin goes back to Moscow to receive his fortune. During next six months, Nastasya Filippovna comes to Myshkin, but while they decide to marry, she runs away with Rogozhin. Strange as it may seem, soon she runs away from Rogozhin too. Myshkin comes back to Petersburg, looking for Nastasya, but meets Rogozhin instead. Here Myshkin discloses his true feelings for Nastasya Filippovna before Rogozhin, saying that he loves the lady, ‘not with love, but with pity.’ At Pavlovsk, Myshkin gets in touch with the Epanchins once again, and eventually falls in love with Aglaia Epanchin. Myshkin proposes to marry her, but Aglaia, very timely, reveals three letters written to her by Nastasya Filippovna. In each letter Nastasya had asked Aglaia to marry Myshkin, since he too loved Aglaia. However, Aglaia finds these letters confusing and wanting to clear every doubt that surround the strange relationship between Myshkin and Nastasya, she takes the risk of calling the notorious lady for a face-to-face meeting. Their meeting turns out to be full of blames and accusations and even violent after Nastasya, once again, goes wild. In her anger, she challenges that given an option Myshkin would, any day, choose her over young Aglaia. Aglaia runs out of the building, and quite contrary to our expectations, Myshkin stays with Nastasya, or at least stays back to catch her fainting flesh. Aglaia is broken. Myshkin wants to talk about ‘everything’ to Aglaia, but is allowed no opportunity to do so. Myshkin and Nastasya Filippovna prepare for their marriage. And yet again, perhaps as expected at least by now, on their wedding day, Nastasya elopes with Rogozhin. Myshkin is shocked but remains disturbingly quiet. Looking for Nastasya Filippovna, Myshkin comes to Rogozhin’s house. In that dark, gloomy and graveyard like house, Rogozhin takes Myshkin to Nastasya Filippovna, lying in front of them, quiet and pale, no more wild. All the efforts of Myshkin to save that beautiful and infamous lady seem to have reached a dead-end as he stands in front of her murdered body. Rogozhin confesses his crime and is arrested, while prince Myshkin returns to his former state, that of being an ‘idiot’.

Having finished the novel at about 11:30 pm, I threw it on my sofa, greatly disappointed with the conclusion and perhaps quite angry with Myshkin for his decision to stick with Nastasya Filippovna. My resentment continued till I realized that Myshkin does not love Nastasya Filippovna as a passionate lover like Rogozhin does. He does not love her the way he loves Aglaia either. His love for her is beyond the confines of passion and romance. It is love out of ‘pity,’ or perhaps I should say ‘compassion.’ In this, Myshkin is presented as an idealistic figure, just like Jesus. It is strange that figures like Myskin and Jesus are often appreciated by everyone around them and yet they remain isolated beings and mere ideals because of the very idealism they are appreciated for. For some others, they are fools. Myshkin’s is a story of a struggle that an ideal person passes through when he lives in this perfectly imperfect world, the valley of the shadow of death. What happened to Myskin, they did to Jesus. As the novel ends, one just waits for Myshkin to rise again, just as Jesus did, but Myshkin is no God.

“The Idiot” is neither a mere love-story, nor just a thriller. It is both of it together. Yet more than anything else, it is about Dostoevsky’s efforts to search through human heart, to explore the intentions of it. He does explain mundane things, and yet goes beyond them to gauging motivations that lead them. Dostoevsky's courage to generously convey his Christian convictions, especially against atheism and nihilism, is also praiseworthy. One of the statement that I could remember is: "Friend of humanity with shaky moral principles is the devourer of humanity" -

One of the most fascinating passages in the book is Ippolit’s explanation of the picture of Jesus that he saw at Rogozhin’s house. It is certainly very well put. Well, at the end of it, I have become great fan of Dostoevsky and have started reading his famous ‘The Brothers Karamazov.’

Thus saith Albert Einstein:

"A Ship is always safe at the shore – but that is NOT what it is built for.”

Beginning New Year with Hansi

Finally, 2009 has begun. A lot has been happennng here in Gujarat, and in my life as well.

I began my year with Hansi. Ok, before we go further, a small clarification: Hansi is the name of a novel written by Maria Anne Hirschmann, that I completed recently. Its a story of a German girl brought up under the influence of Nazism in 1940s. Hansi becomes a blind devotee of Nazism, and thinks that it has got solution to all the problems in the world. Then she meets people who have walked on similar path dicouraged and full of grievances. She does not want to give up. For her, Hitler and his ideals are everything. She does not understand why Hitler has to suicide, but does not waver an inch from her convictions. Finally, she falls in the hands of Russian soldiers and flees for her life. For quite some time, she plays hide and seek with death, but each time escaping it. She manages somehow to flee to West Germany which is a safer side, and begins her life again. One fine day, when she meets Jesus she realizes that her life held a purpose. A purposeless life suddenly finds a reason to live. By the time the book ends, Hansi has discovered God's purpose for her life, as she surrenders herself into His hands and God starts using her for drawing others near Him.

What was interesting about it? - an innocent girl with a desire to change the world, her failures to realize her ideals, struggles to find the love of her life in the middle of war, her simple questions and difficulties to understand God.

A good book to begin my year with. I normally don't begin my year with resolution, but I wish I spend a little more time in reading this year.

Tryst with Movies

In last two months, I have watched more than ten movies. Does than make one movie buff? If it does, then a small revelation: I think I was lying when I said in the last blog that I am not a movie buff.

Three Hindi movies: Bachna Ae Haseeno and Rock On. I must confess that I have never watched a movie worse than BAH. We thought it would be a good stress-buster, after a long day. But, sadly, I could not reach even 'time-pass' category. Thank God, we reached a little late to theater. The jokes in the movie hardly made us laugh. Absolute boring. '1920' a horror movie was 'comparatively' better, which I watched later.

Our dissatisfaction led us to a new business of 'movie-hunting' for next few weeks.

A week later, "The Quest" reached its destination, with "Rock On" in theaters. I must say after BAH's complete disappointment, 'Rock On' was complete 'Paisa Vasool.' Unlike Bipasha's latka-jhatka, in BAH 'Rock On' had no 'masaledar' songs or scenes. And yet, it appealed more. Perhaps, because it has a simple story-line, less artificiality and great application. Music is just superb. It was a job well-executed. So thumbs up to these guys.

And now, some movies from Hollywood section. Two Chinese movies: Fearless and The Forbidded Kingdom. Both has Jet Li as the lead actor, and in the later Jackie Chan is an added attraction. Both movies are ok. 'Fearless' speaks much about the use and misuse of Kung Fu, and so a moral lesson as well. 'The Forbidden Kingdom' has jaadui fights and mysterious story-line. So, 'Fearless' is a better option.

Two other movies from Hollywood section are: The Bank Job and The Dark Knight. The former is based on true story and is quite interesting. The Dark Knight is a successful effort to resurrect Batman. Mind-blowing stunts and character steal the show. Hats off again.

Conclusion?- May be I should start another blog about my tryst with movies. Just a thought.

Namastey London

I am not a movie buff, nor do I indulge in writing movie reviews. In fact, this is the first time, I am pushed to do it.

The movie is Namastey London. I had the opportunity to watch it almost five times, but I could not complete it even once. But this time I did use the opportunity. Apart from beautiful London and Katrina Kaif, movie offers nothing interesting. But what really disturbed me was the subject of the movie. The director of the movie did try to touch an important subject of our desi bretheren brought up abroad. I thought the director's portrayal of the desis living abroad and the westerners itself was very much biased. I am not sure if he studied the subject well before coming to his conclusions.

It is yet another movie that tries to picture Indian culture as the all good-good and the most 'sanskari' culture in the world. Ironically, it is so fragile that it has fallen prey to the demon of western culture. And Akshay Kumar arrives as the savior of this pitiable, dying culture. He proves that ours is a superior culture. The worst part is that to prove his thesis he has to take support of the "immoral and consumerist" West. He has to prove that the West, its culture and its people are inferior to us. I wonder if we need to demonise other to prove our worth.

I am an Indian. I love my country, I love my culture. I have confidence in the strength of my culture; and do not feel the need to demonise the West to show me the worth of it.

Gosh... What a day!

I don't deny that I am lazy. Laziness does not hinder me when I initiate a thing, but it gradually creeps in. And then slowly it becomes a matter of 'mood.' My blog is the proof of it, where I wrote almost 125 days back. But I had to write today, or rather I was pushed to.

My day began with that usual difficulty to come out of bed. Eventually I did come out, reminding myself of an excitement to visit my hometown. Though the visit was for office-work, I wanted to take out couple of days to spend with my family.

I settled my pending account in the office as early as possible and felt quite relieved. Around 12, I left for the railway station. I found no trace of train on the station and began to wonder as to what could have happened. I went to the inquiry-window to find out whereabouts of the train. I was shocked to hear that the train was canceled. I became numb and did not know what to do. In response to my further inquiry, I was informed that all the trains going to Ahmedabad were canceled. Dejected, I decided to return to office (my home at the moment). I got an auto there, and sitting inside, started skimming what my next step should be. The auto had moved barely five feet, when the driver realized that one of the wheels of the auto was punctured. Still confused, he helped me find another auto. Finally, I settled there and took a sigh of relief. We had moved another two kilometers, and the clutch-wire of the auto broke. The auto-driver asked my ten minutes to repair it. Feeling pity for having a 'manhoos' passenger in his auto, I reluctantly told him to take 15 minutes if needed. He completed his work, and finally we reached back home after an hour.

I went to the office, and started looking at the other options to reach home as early as possible. But all my efforts were futile, since this time the internet gave up. The speed of internet was much the same as my own frequency in writing blogs. I washed my hands off and decided to spend time listening to music the rest of the evening. I was glad that the day was finally about to be over. There was still one surprise pending. This time, it was one of my old kurta that I tore while trying to change. But then, thankfully, the day ended.

One thing I enjoyed in the midst of all these misfortunes: it was the joy that I found in laughing at myself, at the thought that a day can be so bad.