Stories We Need To Live

I am saddened by the way Media, Bollywood paid tribute on 26/11. The day which will go down in history of India as a tragic day when there was barbaric assault on a civilization; a day which will always remind us of the failings our security system. However I am more troubled because this particular day was chosen to remember. There were lives lost but this is not the only occasion when we lost innocent lives to terror. It has been happening from quite some time. There is guerilla war going on in the jungles of Central and South India where hundreds of lives get lost every month. In North-east terrorists blast bombs as if it’s Diwali (as much as 19 bombs go off in one single day in Assam). The big cities are not spared either. The blasts in Sarojini Nagar, Jama Masjid, Mecca Masjid, Bangalore, Mumbai local trains… the list is endless. But why don’t we remember those dates as well? The number of deaths is more sometimes? Were their lives any less important?

The reason is we live in our own stories. The protagonists in those stories are not the common men who die in the endless list I mentioned. Rather the protagonists are the ones who can afford The Taj Hotel. Suddenly when our protagonist become vulnerable, we sit up and take note of the direction the story is taking. If the rich and powerful is not safe, how can we be? We think. But we don’t realize that we were never safe. We have been dying these unknown deaths like the background scene of an epic battle in a film. Just that no one cares to know our names because we are not important to the narratives.

My contention is if we don’t want to forget 26/11, we must not forget other dates as well. And attack on Mumbai by a bunch of hooligans sent by some maniacs from Pakistan was total security failure. As common man we can’t fight terrorists. That’s why chose a government to give us security. We pay taxes to maintain an Army, Police, and Intelligence. But we are still not safe. We are as much vulnerable to a terrorist attack as we were prior to 26/11. Instead of writing a date on our twitter page, should we not be changing the system which has been failing us constantly?

Girl-friends

I was a cute kid and was a favourite with women – my father’s students or my mum’s friends, my cousin’s classmates etc. Over the years I have had wonderful women in my life. But the surprising thing is that apart from my family, they all have been strictly my friends. I am just wondering about that. I have closest of friends who are women and are indispensable part of my life. Also I have always famously got along with women of all class and creed. Still how come I have always miserably failed with the girls I loved! Not once but many times. It’s the biggest paradox in my life perhaps.

If you fail once, you can put the blame on other side. But if it always repeats eerily the same way, not the highest optimism can save you. Say you believe that every time you choose the wrong girl (By ‘wrong’ I don’t mean bad), the fault is still yours that you choose them or rather fall for them. I have finally realized this fact. Now I am not being able to figure out the point where the problem lies. Do I transform when I fall in love? Do I no longer remain myself? But the truest form of love is when you cease to be yourself. Does it mean true love is never appreciated?

I am not troubled. I am just wondering. I guess I do fine with my girl-friends.

Remaining 'The Other'

Growing up in the Muslim part of Assam, I was like any other Muslim child not doing things that was forbidden. The two things which were prohibited and most emphasized were Pork and Alcohol. These two things were not even available in my part. After I went to school, I started to live in a cosmopolitan atmosphere. By 11^th standard my non Muslim friends started drinking. Since it was done secretly I never really came across alcohol. My first encounter with alcohol happened in Delhi University. Then I would refer to it as wine not knowing there were so many types of alcohol. During my college days, despite my unwillingness to attend those drinking parties, my friends would insist that I accompany them. Though I showed that I didn’t like it, secretly I loved the gesture. It meant I was important in their lives. But no matter how much they made me feel home, the feeling of ‘the other’ was still there. The culture I was acquainted with in Assam was poles apart from what I met in Delhi. It was like the other end of the spectrum. During my stay, the gap was definitely narrowed but some still remained intact. Not drinking alcohol is one of them.

Calcutta is much more conservative than Delhi, so I don’t meet people who give me does-this-kind-of-species-still-live-on-this-planet kind of look when I say I don’t drink. My MBA friends never insisted me on accompanying them to clubs. Even if they did I guess I managed to escape. Recently a close friend wanted to celebrate her birthday and it turned out quite an adventure. We went out to dine but it stopped with wine only. Then we moved to another part of the city to dine. The drama that happened in between was hilarious to say the least. A different self came out in everyone. After dining we went to lounge bar and danced till they closed shop. In college, though I saw friends getting drunk I didn’t see much of drama which I saw here. Though I was having all the fun, I could not deny that I was still the other. I have almost forgotten to live in a culture that I completely belong. Even back home I don’t fit in completely because of my ‘urban-ness’ and here because of my conservatism. Also people back in Assam don’t exactly believe that I have remained as I was.

But I never felt the urge to be like ‘them’. At times it is a bit lonely to be the ‘other’. But most of the times it feels special to be unique.

Sibling Revelry

My siblings are much younger to me. Rocky is five and years younger while Rasna is eight years. Both were very young when I left home 13 years ago. Rocky being closer to my age did spend some time with me but I could hardly spend any time with Rasna. Over the years we stayed together only during my vacations with maximum 2 months at stretch. Being the youngest child Rasna would accompany our parents during my parents’ days. But she ended up spending more time with my girlfriends than with me. She is all grown up now and studies in the same school. Though I make friends easily, she is one person I am yet not been able to be friendly with. May be in time to come we will become friends. Rocky on other hand has always been very pally with me though he is least like me.

In our separate lives, there were hardly any moment we lived ‘together’. However the time is soon coming. Rasna will appear for her class X exam; Rocky for class XII and I will appear for my Masters Degree, all early next year. With our separate lives, hundreds of miles apart, we will finally live the same life. For a little time may be; but we will live our moments together.

Another Year Goes By

I am at a very interesting phase of my life. In less than a month I will complete my 25 years on this planet (Not a day less ‘cos I have never been out of this planet). Twenty five years is seen as the official age of adult though general theories would say by 20 you are no longer a teenager. Whatever, but you become an adult by 25 even if you grow at a slower rate.

Changes are all around me. The way I look at life, my priorities, my goals everything is changing…rather rapidly. I have mixed feelings about it though. I am sad that a great phase of life is going to end and I am happy that a new life is about to begin. Over the years I have realized that whenever you compare your lives at different stages nostalgia always wins. So I would rather not compare. Life has been wonderful till now.

When I look back into the 25 years, the thing I miss the most is the time I lost to spend with my father. The time that I most cherish is also the times I spent with him. The person, whom I have always looked up to and loved the most, is also the one who guides my way at every crossroad. Today (11 November) will be 13 years since I came away from him. But it was an inevitable aspect of the life. He has become more precious for that, perhaps. Other things come to my mind from my childhood are the wonderful seasons of Assam (may be another post for that), my trysts with different aspect nature that I came to discover.

Coming back to the changes I feel today. The most important one would be the feeling of love. The meanings change with age. At one point or rather most of life, love meant stealing a glance of her. Now it’s no longer like that. Companionship is so important to be in love. Earlier I could never believe why people break after going to different places. May at this juncture I would understand better.

Of the last 25 years, I spent almost half with my family and half with my friends. Who would I chose? Family. Over the years friends whoever I loved have substituted my family by becoming an alternate family to me. Today, they are no less important than family to me.

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani

Director: Rajkumar Santoshi

Star Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Darshan Zariwala, Smita Jaykar, Zakir, Upen Patel and a Superstar in a very special appearance.

Till couple of years ago Rajkumar Santoshi claimed that he never repeated a genre in the films he made. But he can no longer do that as he goes back to comedy after 15 years of making the cult classic “Andaaz Apna Apna”. Well, comparing APKGK with the Salman-Aamir starrer would be blasphemous, but the present film is hilarious and will make you roll with laughter.

The film is about Prem (Ranbir Kapoor) a happy go lucky guy in a hill-town who runs a Happy Club with a bunch of funny morons. He has an adorable family. Jenny (Katrina Kaif) is a simple girl who shifts to the town and Prem falls in love at the first sight. However, the man who helps lovers unite is quite unable to express his own feelings and soon discovers that his lady love already belongs to someone else. However, Jenny does not have a hunky dory love story either because of dushman-zamana. The rest of the film is about Prem’s efforts to put Jenny’s life in order and see her happily married to her beloved.

The film is a welcome change from the crude comedies that have been served in recent times. APKGK is a clean comedy and in our times making a comedy without any innuendo is almost unimaginable for which the director should be applauded. It is a mix of both situational as well as slapstick which results in non-stop laughter. The villains den, kidnapping the heroine – it has everything with super hilarious climax. The film also takes the Bollywood setting to a small town, which is very rare in this multiplex-era. The town has a lot of innocence and purity which makes a great backdrop to the unrequited love story of Prem. All praise to the director. Though he has been making great films, box office success has often eluded him. Perhaps APKGK will end that.

Ranbir Kapoor has pitched in a great performance. He is funny and adorable at the same time. Till now I thought of him as an overrated star but he is the big star material. Katrina Kaif is superb. Finally the girl has ‘learned’ acting. In couple of scenes she will move you to tears. She is convincing as the de-glam girl. But when Prem wants to transform Jenny into ‘Katrina Kaif’, she actually turns super hot in a song sequence. She is in her best form. The rest of the cast has ably supported them.

Music by Pritam is terrific as it is already climbing the charts. Cinematography finely captures the beautiful location.

Overall, APKGK is a hilariously funny film with a sweet romantic track. The film is an ode to a superstar. If you can’t figure out who I am talking about from the title of the film then Go watch it and have a great time. At the box office, the film is gonna rock. Another hit on store.