The Ship - filled with meaning!

"Sugababes, one of the most successful all-female British bands of the 21st century, were formed in 1998. But one by one they left, till by September 2009 none of the founders remained in the band; each had been replaced by another member, just like the planks of Theseus’s boat."
- Sam Jacob, Writing for ArtReview [source-Wikipedia]

This film, with 3 protagonists going about their lives in search of meaning, starts of on a idea which is a philosophical question version of the above paragraph. Filmed in a languid pace, sometimes focusing on blank landscapes, the imagery itself evokes a sense of peace, and of purpose.
Sample this:
-"A group of jain monks are seen walking through a landscape filled with windmills, the turning fans and their shadows reminding us of how time flies by. There are no sentences spoken here. We know one of the monks is ailing, maybe walking towards his own death. And the shadows of the Kal-chakra pass over his head."
-"The sound of wind, a birds-eye view of a grassland, ruffled by the blowing wind. No characters in sight"
-"A valley. somewhere in the himalayas, a mountain stream gurgling through, a wooden bridge"

The actors perform their parts marvelously. The monk, transforming from a lean, yet healthy man - to a man on his deathbed, fasting, ridden with bedsores, and yet a steely determination in his eyes. The young stock-market player, with his empathizing selflessness. A admirable bewilderment and joy from the photographer who regains her vision. A supporting cast who fit into the puzzle marvelously. The banter between the monk and the lawyer, in the second story, bewildering, logical, funny. The daily laborer, once shell-shocked from the loss of his Kidney, and at the other time, joyous from a future filled with hope. The lovely fight in the kitchen about creativity, and our own vision of it.

The circumstances under which the paths of the protagonists cross is believable, and seems like an organic growth of the complete film.
Life of Pi left me with a lot of questions. Even now it creates discussions in our group of friends. It was splendidly made. This film, maybe doesn't spellbind you with magical effect. But it does so with its completeness of though.
Slow, and yet crisp, a must watch "Ship of Theseus".

Glad I watched in on the big screen.

My first Girlfriend

She sat there, next to the window, admiring her shiny red nail.

I looked on.

She gazed outside, at the passing headlights.

I stared.

She started searching for something in her handbag.

I was inquisitive.

There was a small click.

And I heard the sound. Faint, only in my left ear.  But still it was clear, over the din of the bus, rumbling through the state highways of North Bengal.

SP Balasubramanyam sang “Tum Se Milne Ki Tamanna Hai” in my left ear, and I thought ‘I have met her already’.

She looked at me and smiled. “Enjoying?”

“Yes”, I said. “I will ask dad to get me one too”.

“Yes, you should buy a Walkman, and also buy some nice cassettes. Buy Saajan, its superhit. That guy, Sanjay Dutt, he limps in the film, but he is the real hero. And Madhuri can dance so well….” She went on telling me the virtues of the superhit film from last year, and I dozed off. (Well, this habit of dozing off mid conversation will come back to hound me throughout my grownup days)

I dreamt of telling my classmates not to tease me anymore, or I’ll call my girlfriend, who had promised me to use her long nails to help me in my fight. “For Justice, For Honor, For the last starfruit/guava on the tree”…

I found out from an acquaintance almost a decade later that she had passed on to a better world, after a bout of a strange fever, at the early age of 20. That’s around the time I was close to 7-8 years old. 

My first girlfriend.

Bestes-est birthday

As I drove through the quickly emptying streets of Hyderabad, close to midnight, I wondered if this was going to be my loneliest birthday midnight.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not a sucker for midnight celebrations. And it's not like I have never been alone at midnight on my birthday. But there is that subtle difference between being alone & being lonely.
Anyway, as the clock pushed It's way past 11, I entered Subway to get a bite. Some friends started calling, wishing advance birthdays, as it was well past their bedtime. They candidly asked where I was, urged me to go home soon. After all, it was birthday, you ought to be home.
I ordered my sub, sat down & leisurely finished my midnight dinner. In the meantime, the.clock struck 12, and wishes poured in. By the time I left, it was close to 12.30.
I came out, and was abducted, by aliens. Yes aliens, this specific specie called "friends", who drive all over town with your birthday cake, at midnight, looking for you, just to play a birthday prank, and wish you health and wealth.
Keeping with time-tested rituals, I was picked up, hung in mid-air, kicked in the bums, and then an amazingly tasty cake was cut, half of which ended up on my face. All of this, in a parking lot. :)
Without a doubt, the best birthday ever. Doesn't matter how the rest of the day goes, this was the best one ever.
Oh and yes, now I'm just 4 short of hitting 3 decades. Wish all future ones are as amazing and surprising.

And for all of you who couldn't get a bite of the cake,