More opportunity, less faith !!

It is five years, since the last time WE put in place a bunch of people to make our nation look better. I have never exercised my choice and ditto for this time.

However, I did someting with season's flavour and went in search of the MAN. Yes, he is the MAN. The man, whose name was used in temple rhetoric by a certain political outfit; the political outfit that got catapulted to the dizzying heights of political fame and power riding high on this MAN.

He is none other than R&M, or R&MA for the convent bred and anglophiles. The epitome of manhood, the righteous, the spiritual, the one and all. The man whose heroic tales have been a part of each one's growing up. The man, whose bow, arrow, wife, demonic opponent and brother have been parts of our everyday life.
After spending 2 days in the meandering courses of my cerebral neverland, I found him.

Simple and low was he, sitting in a corner.

I said, 'Hi sir'.

No response and I repeated my greeting.

This time the silence was even harder.

I didn't like it, but spent some time observing him.

It seemed as if he was feeling cast away, left out or rather subdued.
He was upset, if not angry and quite pensive.

I couldn't resist and asked, 'What's the matter with you?'

Suddenly he got up and spoke aloud, 'What's the matter? Why don't you go and ask this to those manipulators?'
'I am nothing for them now?', he continued.

I could make some sense of the sudden angst showing up.

And, before I could speak further, he walked off.

Those strong words left a deep impression on me and made me ponder for some time.
I decided to log on to a popular news portal to read the book of promises published by this political outfit.I was taken aback to see the top priorities being anything but the MAN or the long promised shelter for him. However, the MAN and his promised shelter did have a place in the book of promises. A fleeting mention here, a vague remark there.

I was deeply saddened and dismayed by this political outfit's change of colour. For me, it is an unabashed display of opportunity politics; in some sense, quite abominable.

The one issue which bestowed this outfit with a national status has been dropped off like a pack of cards. Dropping this has a different meaning altogether.

It is a reflection of the values and ethos of the modern day politicos.

My deep sadness does not stem from the fact that the promised shelter or its beneficiary does not find any favour with this political outfit; not because, I am one from the same clan.

Then it struck me that why would R&M want his shelter and a certain status. I rushed back to the cerebral neverland to get my answer.

I met him again and pounced on him with my questions. I was slightly angry and raring to have a go at our MAN.

'Why do you want a temple in your name? Don't you realise the stigma around it; the riot, the bloodshed, the polarisation!'

He smiled at me and said, 'Revisit carefully, what I then said and then ask me these silly questions.'

‘I will do that, but why did you say that – I am nothing for them now. This means you want a certain special status?’ I asked.

‘How did you come to that conclusion? I was feeling left out; that is true, but me wanting a status is a figment of your imagination. ‘, R&M replied.

He continued, ‘Now listen carefully. I am but a mere mode, say a pipe, to keep a steady flow values and ethos to you. I do not have a desire for a temple; the whole world, the universe, the skies are my shelter. I am just like you. You make me sound big and then complain in trying times. I was feeling low because these politicos have tried to squeeze this pipe, if not cutting it. I never asked them for a temple; nor was I on cloud nine when they ran riot for it. I was happy with everyone, but sad with them, because they do not value anything, but power. Under the garb of alliances, they play with sentiments.’

I kept looking at him speechless, cursing myself for jumping to conclusions.

He smiled again and said, ‘The reason behind saying – I mean nothing for them, was my worry for those naïve people under their influence. For years, these innocent people believed in the glib talk of these politicos. My name was used to win over people, so I need to keep the faith alive. Now, the name has dropped down, which means people are being taken for granted. They will realise it soon and hit back, but with a lot of pain and lost years behind them. These people like me as a god, so be it. Some like me as a mythological hero, and some for values associated with my tales. I need to respect and continue their faith. It pained me when people were led to ransack others’ belief and monuments. I had to give them time to realise their own follies.’

I got the message and came back to reality waving good-bye to him. An atheist had got some meaningful discourse on faith.

It is right to keep faith alive, definitely not by building temples. It is quite ironical that the faith and perseverance of R&M is totally absent in his so called advocates. R& M spent 13 years in exile, and these hawks could not test their perseverance in sticking to their ideology for even 6 years. The lust for power made them change radically, putting the faith of millions on the backseat.

To sum it up, a temple or a god is not the issue, it is the faith in values and ethos associated with the godly icons that matter. To change one’s ideology like handkerchiefs, is not respecting these icons. To mobilise forces by raking up silly issues is also not faith. I am sure people will realise, how each one has been misled and their faith was never given the right direction. WE will also realise that the political chefs have more of opportunity and less of faith in their kitchens.

Give me red .....

Gulaal made it 3 in a month for me from the Anurag Kashyap drama factory.
Needless to mention that, it added to my delight of watching creatvely crafted cinematic work.

However, one common thread of his movies has stuck with me.

His fascination for the colour RED !!
In his latest flick, characters have red gulaal on their faces.
In DEV D, RED fills the background in the movie, the posters, the trailers, et al.
Ditto for Black Friday and No Smoking.

What does this bright RED signify? What does he want to convey?

Probably, the angst of the central charcters, or their violent pangs.
Quite a logical conclusion, given the background of the movies.

I feel it is more than the angst or the pangs and extends beyond the background.
I feel it is the reflection of one's mind. A divided, disturbed mind or a revolutionary, bright mind. I am quite confused with the right choice.

The confusion stems from the multiple connotations that this bright RED has.

It can mean fire, or revolution, or passion, or sin, or a warning and the list continues.

His movies are a bit of everything RED means or can mean.
His characters are a bit sinful, given to vices like ganjaa. They are passioante and bright. They are different from the usual, making them in essence revolutionary.
Most of them are a warning beacuse, in a way they convey the human fallacies.
More often than not, one would also attribute a morbid aspect to this colour, failing to realise nothing more than this signifies LIFE.

What intrigues me most is they are unsettling by nature and yet very appealing.
They leave a lasting impression on you and make you think.

In fact, the ubiquitous RED of Mr. Kashyap, is a leading indicator of the versatile and varied nature of his movie making. This choice of this multidimensional colour speaks volumes of the efficacy and the implicit meaning of this brilliant movie-making style, a tuly intellectual one.

After constant mulling over this colour and its choice, I have only one thing to tell this brilliant movie master, 'Give me more, give me RED'.

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p.s. Comments invited.

Show me your colour.

Big B not to celebrate HOLI this year!
Read a news item in a portal, I visit regularly.
Why did my eye catch this? Coz it had a certain BIG name, or there was a NO to colours.

I like reading about this BIG name, but it was the NOT that popped a question.
Well, the obvious one, i.e., WHY??

I delved deep in finding out why someone known for a BIG YES to colours every year has given a BIG NO to it.
I got my answer. The NO to colours comes as a mark of respect to the victims of the horrific 26/11 event. Awesome, I said and continued with my preparation to leave for work.

While driving to work, a debate sparked off in a remote corner of my head.
A debate of the 'to be or not to be' variety.

The reason for keeping it 'black and white' on Holi day was well understood.

However, I pushed myself into finding out the reasons for celebrating Holi as a mark of respect to the lives lost, the heroes and the bereaved families left behind.

To give colours a skip, adds to the despondant and the morose imprints left behind.
In fact, we should stand up together and paint the town red, and ensure we get the affected to have a colourful day.
Our collective human spirit should propel us to show our true colours as a mark of respect to the spirit of our nation.
A nation that has brushed off the wounds and taken the deep scars in her stride. A nation that will show its true colour by defying attempts to curtail our celebration of life.
We should say a BIG YES to colurs for Mumbai.
The magical city, still recuperating from the illness inflicted on 26/11, did not change to black and white. It has returned to the resplendent colours post the horror.

I do not intend to negate someone's stance. I just want to advocate that giving colours a miss this Holi, is not our true colour.
The resilient human spirit should send out a message to the perpetrators of any violence by showing its true colour.
Saying YES to colours depsite 26/11 makes the celebration of life grandiose.

We should get up today and ask the one another, 'Show me your colour'.