Jai Ho!!!! ?????

Everywhere today is the talk about Slumdog Millionaire. It is being said that it’s the triumph of Indian Film Industry (I personally do not believe in the word ‘Bollywood’ which looks like a copy of Hollywood). I fail to comprehend the hype and glitter given to it. Why is it that even after more than six decades of our ‘Swaraj’ or independence, we still look towards the west for our own accreditation? Why this west hysteria, the imported the better, “Angrezia” still not over? Didn’t we know even before as to how wonderful musician A R Rahman is? Will we love his music more now just because he is a foreign award winner??? I find his music compositions in Dilli 6 more beautiful than in Slumdog Millionaire. How many of us agree with me on this?? Were not songs from Bombay soulful enough?? I am sympathetic with western audience who miss on such wonderful and soulful music which blossoms from India. Why is that to be proven good we still crave for western stamp??? Where is our self consciousness??

Moreover, this film depicts India in a dark shade. And trust me it is not unique to India. Even the so called ‘developed’ nations have economically weaker sections of the society. Yes we have poverty in India, but then which nation does not. We knew this fact even before Slumdog Millionaire was released. Let’s not forget it’s a western movie meant for western audience. And why are we celebrating our shame??? How can we celebrate our naked run in front of the world’s eyes???? It is our problem and we shall come over it. Also as a matter of fact the book from which the movie’s script is adapted was originally written in a European set up. Yes, technically the movie is great but why don’t we understand that in its backdrop it ridicules our nation.

‘Smile Pinki’ which purely is an Indian film (short documentary) has also won Oscars. Why no hype for that??? It’s a story about a girl with Cleft lip. In my view India has bagged 4 Oscars, two for A R Rahman and one each for Mr PooKutty the sound technician in the movie and ‘Smile Pinki’ the short documentary. We should be glad for these Oscars that too purely because appreciation is always welcome. But in not even tiniest way it should be considered as a western approval to India’s fine art. I am not an anti-western philosopher. I appreciate and sometimes even admire few colors of the western world. Personally, I have nothing against the movie Slumdog Millionaire. It is indeed a remarkable piece of art. But I am also an India conscious patriot, a one amongst all of us. Tell me if any American would celebrate a filmfare award for a movie that depicts the less honorable lives of its citizens residing in ‘ghettos’ even after 200 years of its independence, that too after a reasonably short foreign rule???

When will we be confident enough, aware enough to be proud of what India consist of??? Yoga is now fashionable because Madonna and America are following it. Ayurveda is cool as Americans are now fascinated by it. McDonald is great since whole of America eats it!!! Where is our self evaluation and esteem??? Are we so poor in our enlightenment that we cannot even judge our own culture, art, music, our people, ourselves!!!!???? How is it possible that this land which has given humanity most enlightened men and women has to now look over to others to judge??

As I put it, four Indian Oscars should be welcomed as a mark of appreciation and not accreditation. It’s the western world which is re-discovering the essence of India. It’s their gain. They are now waking up to this fascinating land of art, culture and love. Let them have the celebrations. It’s like when Vasco Da Gama discovered India the world celebrated for they found a land which for thousand years to come enlightened the world with its eternal and interminable knowledge, science, spirituality, wisdom, light, love and principles of co-existence in harmony with nature and in sync with other human beings.
Jai Ho Bharat!!! Jai ho!!
Pranjal.

Coorg Through Lens - 3

From top left clockwise: Nisargadhama, Chikalhole, En-route to college, Sunset in Virajpet town.

Coorg Through Lens - 2

From top left clockwise: Virajpet, Nisargadhama, En-route to Kakkabe, View from my college.

Coorg Through Lens - 1

From top left clockwise: En-route to Kushalnagar,Golden temple at Kushalnagar,Abbey falls, Talcauvery.

Journey in a River

I was watching this clip today on Discovery channel, which was being filmed from a boat showing the Sun setting on the sacred banks of the river Ganga. The view was picturesque which later filmed the holy Ganga arti along the ghats.Thousands of lamps were offered to the ‘Ganga mata’ in a gesture of knowledge and enlightenment. They were floating ahead in their pendulous manner and after a while, disappeared. That’s when I was reminded of this analogy.Our life is very much like a journey in river. As the journey unfolds new scene (ghats) constantly appear before our eyes. The view around us is changing uninterrupted. Sometimes it’s bumpy rough waters and sometimes it’s pleasant. But once gone the view can never be lived again. It is like once we have seen the scene of our childhood we can never live that again.

Very often in this journey of ours we tend to forget that instead of us, it is the banks which are stationary. Banks are not passing by us; we are passing by these banks. But this does not mean that the views we just passed by now ceases to exist.
They are very much there somewhere upstream. Someday someone might see his childhood along the same banks and will wonder could there have been someone else; who experienced same.
Flow of the water is the time. We are moving ahead in time. Our destination is not in distance but it is in time.

So I guess, life is a journey in time. Generations before and after share the same land and horizon with us, only difference being, they belong to a different time. I do not know how precise this analogy is, but it certainly ran into me for a moment and made me share it with you………….

Luv n Luk

Pranjal.

The Foreign Hand

In a press conference in front of the world media, Pakistan’s PM’s advisor on interior affairs Mr. Rehman Malik admits that a “part of” Mumbai “conspiracy” was planned in Pakistani territory. This came as an unexpected turn in Pakistan’s stand on the issue. Starting from the denial mode of not recognizing Kasab as a Pakistani to this position, it is certainly a major achievement the Indian diplomacy has achieved. But is it truly a change of heart or just another ploy???

So is this change out of compulsion or conviction?? It is beyond doubt that it has happened under pressure from western powers specially President Obama’s administration. Pakistan has a history of giving some concessions initially and then it reverts back to same old band music. It gives away little to get huge economic and other aids, and then the Pakistani military gets back to what it knows best. Even in being a close ally to USA in war against terrorism so far Pakistan hasn’t yielded much. It hands over few non critical terrorists while the consequential ones are still elusive.

India should be further skeptical about its neighbor as elements in the Pakistan’s military and ISI still hold terrorism as a foreign policy tool against India. These sections are certainly silent for the moment but more certainly they still exist and with a substantial say in the power matrix of Pakistan. The terror architecture in Pakistan is still intact. There is further suspicion on the diplomatic game plan of Pakistan when Mr. Rehman asks India for further “tenable” and “credible” evidence for its investigation. Now India can provide more evidence to a certain extent but it cannot share its complete intelligence data with a hostile neighbor as Pakistan. Thus now, if investigation fails to bring “justice” to the perpetrators, Pakistan can conveniently point towards India saying that India did not co-operate and bring India in a bad faith.

The content and mention in list of 30 questions also raises some doubts on Pakistan’s true motives. The mention of “local hand”, arrests in Spain and calling it as a only “part” of conspiracy being related into Pakistan could well be its attempt to get a clean chit to its military and ISI involvement in the massacre and give it a “global terrorism” shade with non-state actors being responsible.

Nevertheless, as Pakistan’s media is putting it, it is a “seismic” shift in Pakistan’s position. New Delhi’s response calling it as a “positive development” was apt. It is a big success for Indian diplomacy for Pakistan’s establishment has accepted something which it hadn’t since the “tribal intruders” came to Kashmir in 1947. But the diplomatic game has just begun. In dealing with Pakistan India should be ready for any eventuality. India must keep up the international pressure but also at the same time dilute its dependency on western powers in dealing with Pakistan. For example, when India wants the terror infrastructure inside Pakistan to be dismantled, it is certainly not in the interest of western war on terror there because it will be as bad as opening a third front for the already burdened Pakistan’s military on its northern border.

Where do bi-lateral relations between these neighbors go from here? It is very early to even speculate. But certainly a new dimension has been added. A fragile nuclear neighborhood cannot be in interest of India. Thus, India needs to be very cautious and measured in its approach. We must strengthen the democratic forces in Pakistan and pressurize it to eliminate the complete terror framework operating from its soil, quit terrorism as a state policy, and withdraw financial, political and ideological support that it provides to terrorism against the Republic of India.

When You Can't Forget............. Forgive.

Have you ever being hurt or being disappointed by someone?? So much so that it still aches your heart?? Has it happened to you too that you want to forget one whole episode from your life, as if it has never occurred, and that’s when you have realized how sound your memory is??

Believe me; you have got a lot of company. I am sure many of us will have a positive response to these questions in some degree or the other, including me. The life cycle is a parabola. If there are ups there must be down curves too. And then, it becomes difficult to forget the people, the places, and the ‘time’ that lead us to those difficult phases of our lives.

We are very sensitive towards the ones we love and care. When someone with whom we don’t share a close relationship hurts us, it’s easy to forgive. But it's not so when we have been put down by a trusted one. So, it rots in our heart hurting ourselves the most.

‘WHEN YOU CAN’T FORGET………FORGIVE’ and welcome the new life because otherwise, such a feeling slowly turn into negativity inside us, which dampens our abilities and makes us bitter. How can we expect to be forgiven, when we can’t forgive?

Forgiving someone does not mean that whatever
they have done is justified. It just releases them into the God’s hand to do the justice.It relieves us from that baggage. Let’s forgive and live light. Let’s not carry a heavy heart. More so because it also hurts the ones who still care for us. Life has to empty our hands before it can offer us better. Let’s not be so tight fisted that we are unable to receive even love. As a rule the parabola has to rise again.

So now, let’s drive away all the negativity, melt our hearts in love again, and put back our gorgeous smile back to enjoy this journey, where we have met each other, called………… “The Life”. :)

Luv n Luk,

Pranjal.