Quo Vadis, Domine?

My bags are packed.

I am ready to set sail,

not to furrow my brow

or to burden my weary eyes watching the water fly off the stern.

Not to be moving around

but to just be going…

As I cross the threshold,

I ask you one last time – have you seen me, old friend?

I know, that doesn’t sound right, right?

But I ask you nevertheless.

I see that its a difficult question.

No, not to answer, but to be asked.

Of course, you say?

No, not from those distant winter evenings

when we ran out of breath, reminiscing

Or those dusty summer afternoons

when we stomped on the heart of the parched lake

and laughed like children.

Not from those moments.

Of course they live on,

in their own little world of hearts.

But, I ask you now,

Have you seen me lately, old friend?

Perhaps on the other side, you say?

No, not in the pathless lands,

where everything is pregnant with muted awe

or behind the beyond

where everything goes to come again.

Not from those spaces.

Of course they exist,

in their own little world of love.

But, I ask you here,

Have you seen me anywhere near-by, old friend?

Perhaps I shouldn’t go looking, you say?

Oh yes! I see your point.

It almost appears self-fulfilling,

this search or for that matter, the question.

You bet!

But it still begs an answer, doesn’t it?

And to go looking for me,

seems like a good place to start.

And so…

My bags are packed.

I am ready to set sail,

not to furrow my brow

or to burden my weary eyes watching the water fly off the stern.

Not to be moving around

but to just be going…

Movie Review: Rock Star

A bold musical from the same Imtiaz Ali who gave entertainers like Jab we met and Love aaj kal. The man usually has a knack for creating tender moments that linger with you long after you are done watching the movie. In attempting to create a musical that chronicles the struggles of an obsessed, head-over-heels-over-everything-in-love musician, I think he has had to tone down his way of telling a story and let ARR do the talking, or in this case, the singing & composing. The problem is, it works in places and there are times when it doesn’t. The lengthy, non-linear narration of a paper thin story punctuated with a lot of songs tends to bore you at times. And it works in places where ARR manages to convey the most powerful or the subtlest of emotions through a strum here or a beat there and a chord there.

ARR is easily the hero of the movie – looks like he has been given full freedom to express himself. I do not remember any other Indian movie where he has been given so much liberty or has played such a major role in telling a story. There are a couple of 10-15 minute phases in the movie, where there are no dialogues – just music. And at times, he actually uses music to convey emotions and the “feel” of a scene so much better than dialogues or expressions. The percussion that leads up to “Nadaan parindey” and the sheer power of the heavy guitar in “Saadda haq” are cases in point. “Jo bhi main” and “Katiya Karun” have a haunting quality and their repetition serves superbly to reinforce the moods. Irshad Kamil writes like a seasoned pro – loved “Kun faya kun” for its spiritual depth.

Ranbir is getting better and better at playing serious roles – he sort of gets one dimensional after a point in the movie, but maybe that’s how Imtiaz penned his character. It is interesting to note how the paths chosen by Imran Khan and Ranbir are starting to diverge – Ranbir has been willing to move away quite a bit from his “Bachna ae haseeno” trajectory (Raajneeti, Rock star), while Imran has stayed the “Jaane tu ya jaane na” course for the most part.

Nargis Fakhri – such a pretty thing! If only she had not tried to emote, she would have been SO MUCH more ogle-able. Seriously, what’s with those eyebrows? They keep going up and down at the most inopportune moments, completely distorting the spirit of the expression. To be fair, you can’t really blame her too much – body language and expressions are deeply tied to the culture you grow up in and her Yankee roots are acting up big time. Remember Giselli Monteiro’s chiseled Brazilian features vainly trying to reproduce Indian expressions in Punjabi dance moves? I laughed my guts out, but hey, I am not complaining. Welcome of bollywood Nargis – may you become more and more ogle-worthy!

Worth a watch once if you are a rahmaniac or musically inclined. Others, wait for the DVD.

Life is Such

One question that continues to fascinate me endlessly is the contradiction/compatibility between pre-destination and free will. The stuff we call “fate” or “destiny” and the power that has been given to us to take decisions in our life, at first look seem like they cannot co-exist together. But the more I think of it, the more I start believing my hypothesis of limits. This is how it goes…

For starters, this hypothesis agrees that pre-destination exists. You have to agree that there are many things in life beyond our control – of course they can be attributed to random events resulting from the interaction of multiple entities. But purely based on the wisdom of the ancient ones, Karma seems to be a good way to explain why whatever happens, happens. – and that forms the foundation of predestination. You will reap what you sow, what goes around comes around and so on.

But, the hypothesis says that, destiny determines only those factors that lie beyond your control. Say for example, your skin color, that random guy who honked at you for no reason at all, your company’s sudden decision to downsize, etc. The other half of the story lies in your control and freewill steps in there.

In other words, you cannot always decide the circumstances you will end up in life, but you can, most of the time, decide how you will react to what life throws at you. Anyone, who chooses not to react to anything ever, goes along with the flow.  Anyone who decides to react to everything, ends up making his/her life a struggle. Possessing the wisdom to identify the circumstances that could be changed and ones that couldn’t be, seems to be the secret of success in life. This constant interaction of circumstances, decisions and results is what is called life and are essentially the terms that make up the pact you made with the creator when you signed up for planet earth.

Your intelligence, habits, faith, intuition, strength, clarity, tenacity, fears and weaknesses – they all play a role in how you react and hence, live your life. A well-disciplined routine of exercise (for the body), wellness efforts like Yoga and Tai Chi (for the mind) and Meditation (for the soul) along with moderation in everyday life (of food, sleep, sex, enjoyment, duty, etc) seems like good preparation for better reactions and better life in general.

Hence the prayer, “Oh Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.