The Unsaid Words

My day at office was the same. I understand that 10 to 6 office was getting monotonous and was not my cup of tea. But destiny took me here! I badly want something to scoop me off this predictability of weekdays and weekends. So as ritual I am heading for a walk at the beach. It sets me free, the waves and sound convey life isn't that bad.

While crossing the traffic signal leading to the beach I encountered him. I don't know if I ever wanted to see him or not, but there he was, calling my name, and waving at me to stop. I looked back at him and said a cold ‘Hi’. The expressions on his face said that he left no stone unturned to find me. He said, 'I want to talk to you, can you spare sometime’. We never had a formal break-up. I suddenly went into hiding and all he could do was to flood my mailbox with apology notes, expecting that I will reply.

I met him some five years ago, at a bungee jumping expedition organized by my college. The trip came as a dose for my craving of Adventure sports. I just cannot resist the thrill and excitement that comes with adventure. I was a few hundred foot above the ground. My friends were scared, but I was not. Adventure and thrill is in my blood. I love the intoxication of unpredictability, of the speed and the height. I was ready for it, the instructor briefed about the safety equipments, the posture I am suppose to maintain while jumping off and while hanging like a pendulum in between the sky and earth.

The instructor directed, there you go, 1… 2…. and 3…and I jumped with open arms to embrace the air and release myself to an infinite view. It is like diving deep into the air, and I could not stop to utter a loud Wow! The view was exhilarating and I felt like a bird, freely hanging in between the infinite sky and a never ending valley. I kept screaming of joy and excitement. The swings were tickling and got me goosebumps. The ecstasy of hanging got me laughing non stop!

Suddenly the knob tied to me slacked. I realized I was hanging on one knob and the other one broke! Everything came to a still, the excitement disappeared and I was shivering with fear. The thrill of speed at which I jumped was slowing as everything around was unhurried. I lost my balance and felt like a bird with an injured wing.

I shouted loud in the air, 'pull me up, the knob is broken'. I kept repeating the words, without caring if anyone is listening, or asking something, may be the instructor made an attempt to calm me down. But I was unfazed, I just wanted them to pull me up fast. I was restless and kept swinging across. Surely my restlessness was hindrance in the rescue attempt, but I was not willing to listen. Pull me up fast, I shouted back and realized someone’s saying with an effective voice, 'calm down everything will be fine.' The moment I heard it, I knew I was alright. Everything will be fine and I was calm. Within a matter of seconds I was pulled up.

My friends came to comfort me, but that was not required as I was alright, I was just okay, nothing happened to me. I looked up and I saw him standing right there, his voice kept echoing as he asked to me, are you alright? And offered me some water. I am Dhruv, the organizer of this trip. I looked up and I felt like slapping him and giving him a good lecture on importance of safety at such trips, as I just went through it, I had all the reasons to debate that adventure trip organizers should not be ignorant about safety.

What if the other knob broke? - which did not happen

I could have fallen into the infinite valley! - but nothing of that sort happen, I was pulled up safely

However I was fuming with anger, and the people around could make that out that. He politely said, I understand you must be angry, but such accidents can happen anytime, we took every precaution to ensure that you are pulled up safely. We have all the security equipments at place. My reply was, Ok! Well I am fine. Thank you! A blunt reply from my side and he made a move.

Later I forgot about the incident, and cherished the pendulum swing that I had at the bungee. Few weeks passed on smoothly with a rocking college life, and I went to celebrate my birthday at Eatopia. I was with my best of friends. As decorum, the Chocó Truffle cake was not meant to be eaten, but to provide a skin gloom therapy to my face. I just hated it, but friends will be friends! You can’t get angry at them. I made a move to the loo to clean up my face, while my friends were digging into the rest of the cake. I opened the door of the restaurant to head to the loo and here he is again, that guy that jerk, the organizer of that oh so awesome bungee trip!

And he said hi!

I replied hi, his gaze kept me hooked to him, and he smiled to say, it seems today is your birthday! Well yes, was my prompt reply!

Hey I just forgot your name, I said.

He replied with his distinct voice, I am Dhruv. And I hope you are no more angry with me, and I am sure that you enjoyed that jump?

Nice meeting you Dhruv, I am Vidushi. Am not at all angry, I cherish that day!

Nice meeting you too and happy birthday Vidushi, he replied.

I said, I have to rush to the loo, will be back in a while, why don’t you join us here? He seems to be in a rush and said, will catch up some other day. We shared our numbers, and we went our ways.

The moment I reached to the loo, an sms came on knocking, it was Dhruv, wishing happy birthday, and his treat is due! I replied, thanks sure, just tell me when you can spare time for the treat. We planned to meet the next day.

He got a big bouquet of white roses and a Chocó Truffle cake. I could make out that he was genuinely sorry for something that I don’t blame him for. That was just an accident and could have happened to anyone. We did not head for any restaurant and preferred staying in his car. That was a beautiful day, and it became a daily affair. We use to meet everyday after my college and spend time that use to run really fast. He as an entrepreneur was not answerable to anyone and had a perfect life. Besides he had all the time for himself and of course me! Everything he did just showed how much he cared and wanted to be with me, and I too wanted him to be around.

I will be passing out of college this year and I will certainly go for some entrepreneurial venture. I have many business plans in mind and I am sure Dhruv will be around. It’s been more than two years that we have been together, as friends, but we were meant to be more than friends. I loved him and knew that he loves me too, but its just that none of us have the courage to say this.

It’s his birthday and we were celebrating. He was upto something and my intuition said that he is going to say those golden words. But he was not that happy as he always was,. I could make out that he was scared of me saying no,! but for what he knows that I like being with him. I feel protected and cared for when he is around. We celebrated his birthday and while our way back, he said to me that he wanted to talk about something. I knew what that was about, and he pulled over the car.

See Vidushi, its not that easy to explain, as we both have enough understanding of each others feelings (I thought that he would pop in those words but he was still sad). Vidushi I have to go from Delhi and I may not contact you ever. This is the last day of our meeting, and our story ends here. While my mind kept saying he is lieing, please tell me that you are joking Dhruv, I was shouting from a non-vocal frequency.

I was numb, and kept looking at him till I realized that he was not bluffing. Dhruv I can come along with you, my college will be over, and we can be together. Please don’t say that as I cannot live without you!

He got restless and was rude while he said, I cannot explain you the entire story, and I have a big time opportunity to work across globe. I will be traveling and will live like nomads may be throughout my life and I do not wish to carry a burden of a long distance relationship with me.

The word 'burden' came as a big pain and I did not care to listen to him. I just stepped out, with a tough face, hired an auto and left. He did not stop me; I changed my number and did every possible thing to forget him. I knew that I can never love again. As his thoughts kept bugging me I took up a job in Mumbai.

Now back to present, we are sitting at a coffee shop. He started the chat; I tried contacting you, and dropped in many mails. I just wanted to convey that I am sorry. I did not go anywhere, but just tried finding you.

I kept quite, avoiding his presence.

He went ahead with his long apology speech, which I did not want to entertain. But still it feels good to learn that someone who did not respect your feelings, called being together a burden, is finally apologising.

He said, I know I did not value both of ours feelings. For the past three years I have been trying to find you, contacted your friends, but no one knew about your whereabouts. I love you Vidushi, I should have said this long back, but, I now realize my fault and we can be together. I am sorry for not saying those unsaid words.

Dhruv's speech went on for hours, but nothing seemingly convinced me, I kept numb. The day was different today; I was getting a cold heart, and could not take more of apologies. My only words were, I have to leave now.

He said he will not go unless I give him an answer – which implicitly should be to forgive him. But an answer to grief and sorrow of years can’t come instantly!

I know he was confused with unclear philosophies of life. But life is just simple and clear. No one should live life as a fable of confusions and philosophical lock-ups. Admit when in love and take it as a beautiful chapter to sort out issues. Living is no rocket science, its a simple biological mechanism, everything else is confusion!

Please comment!

Jab We Met

I just don't get tired of this one! Turn it on a trillion times and I will be happy to see it again. This is a cute movie. The movie is narrated as a travelogue between Mumbai - Bhatinda - Manali.

It gets you hooked with simple yet stunning views, though the camera work has been from two angles only. The acting is imbellically simple and direction has been an example of clear cut vision. Read Imtiaz Ali's take on JWM

Kareena's acting has visibly evolved and caught the genere of her first movie 'Refugee'. She plays the character of a typical sikh girl, Geet. She has a big family and she is planning to elope with her boy friend as the guy is not a sikh. The girl just don't stop talking and is crazy to marry her boy friend Anshuman. Shahid Kapoor plays Aditya Kashyap. A businessman whose girlfrined ditched him, dad expired and mom is married to someone else. He looks at life with a prism of hopelessness. The lead characters meet in the train and the travelogue beguns. 

The girl runs away from her house and her family is under the impression that Aditya is the one to trick her and leave the house. She goes to her boy friend but he refuses to accept her. She spends 9 months in Shimla expecting to convince Anshuman. It is when the family of Geet locates Aditya and ask him to call Geet. 

A must watch for those who dont know how to come out of thoughts of past love. This one teached how to just flush it off. 

Change the location of Kasab's trial

I apprehended this before... If at all any lawyer will come forth to defend Kasab, mob backed by the 'Thakreys and allied forces' will create nuisance.

'Anjali Waghmare, the lawyer appointed to represent lone terrorist arrested in 26/11 attack Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, on Tuesday told the special court that she needed a day to consider whether she would appear in the case following protests at her residence on Monday night'

The solution is to find a location out of Maharashtra to some unknown location, remember the trial of Best bakery case or via video conferencing, even better!

I really wish Anjali continues with handling the case, after all Kasab too deserves a fair deal.. Moreover Indian Judicial system with strides of unbiased trials will get a global applause.

Know your rights.. Against sexual harrasment

This is an attempt to speak out against women harassment. Below are a few blogs which address the cause:

http://www.blanknoiseactionheroes.blogspot.com/
http://hemanginigupta.blogspot.com/

Section 354: Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, under the Prevention of Harassment of Women Act, 1998 reads as:

Whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both.

Section 509, under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) reads as follows:

Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman. – Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine or with both.

Please forward this to as many people as possible, it will help in stopping crime against women!

Slumdog Millionnaire

Stereotyping of Indians come with exceptional camera and allied technical specifications in the Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire. The movie relates each question in the Indian version of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' to the life of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel) in his journey to find his lady love Latika (Frieda Pinto). The direction inputs are offered by Danny Boyle. It has perfect contrast in presentation of sky high buildings, the Hindu deity Lord Rama, angry mob killing mercilessly at Muslim dominated area, call centres and Jamal Malik - the Chaiwala. The movie is based on the debut Novel "Q & A" written by Vikas Swarup.

Finding her is not that easy, but the hero braves all odds. It begins with the last Rs 20 Million question and a flashback to his childhood.

The unfortunate part is Jamal's brother Salim, who stabs his trust by first leaving childhood love Latika while running from a centre meant to train kids to become experts in begging. They ran just before Jamal's eyes were to be spooned out! Second when Jamal found her again, his brother kept Latika in captivity.

SM has the Taj Mahal, to a kid whose eyes were spooned out pose them to fetch better Alms. From brothels, world of gangsters and of course a ray of hope, exactly its the show 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire'. The show host (played by Anil Kapoor) feds in wrong answer to a question Jamal did not know the answer to. Still Jamal chooses the right answer.

This gets the host to consider that Jamal might be a fraud, cheat, and hands him over to the Police. The contention behind his arrest was, you see Doctors, Engineers, Lawyers do not go beyond Rs. 16,000, what can a slumdog possibly know?? The slumdog was on Rs. 10 Million! Jamal manages to comes out clean based on the narration of explanation about how he knew answer to each of those questions. And he knew that a 100 dollar note has Benjamin Franklin, but did not know that a Rs. 1000 note has Mahatma Gandhi on it. During the night in police custody, he braved the electric shocks, and sticks while being tied to the roof.

Its not money but the belief that Latika would be watching, takes him on the show. She watched and managed to gain Salim's mercy and runs away from the clutches of the gangster. At last they meet, in a safer place. Salim is dead, and Javed Bhai (the gangster) too has been killed. The movie ends with a safe place for Latika and Jamal. With an optimism to be together forever.

Please share your opinion /comments on following :

1. Whether the movie would have won so many accolades had it been directed by an Indian?
2. Does the movie has an inherent advantage of being directed by a western, despite the fact that numerous bollywood movies associating with it?
3. The sheer fact for winning accolades was that it was genuinely a good movie.

Thought I agree to the third one, and would say that 'Movie is a piece of art and SM has an exceptional narration in the most creative fashion'. This is strengthened from the acclaimed received from Indian music maestro A R Rahman who brought home India's very first Oscars for his compositions in the film.

Before coming down to any criticism on depiction of India, I would urge to please stand corrected, numerous Indian films find close resemblance with it, like Sarak, Contract, etc. Besides movies, let us not forget that the nation is full of hate mongers, always ready to offer offensive comments on people from different identity, this ranges from road rage to religion etc.. you know all the drama right!

So let the world speak of our bad too and let us not be too autocratic on only India Shinning features. Lets try and be good, I mean genuinely good.

Don't condemn the language of creativity

Well we are criticising Mr. Ram Gopal Verma for his presence at the Taj, with the CM. He deserves this criticism. After all, India was shattered! Some 10 odd infiltrators taking refuge at the top-end locales, bombing us mercilessly. Mr. Verma was wrong to explicitely hold his commercial interests over the phase which the nation went through. The 60 hour long seige got the entire nation to a stand-still.

Is there any harm in filming the recent Mumbai Seige, or call it 26/11, 2008?
I dont see any!

Movies, theatre, and other forms of art, are ointments for social healing. They reflect the sensibilities of mankind, mirror social - remember the chatter bug that seem to have hit our unsensitive politicians.

As a medium, they reiterate that out intelligence is not upto the mark. It highlight the need for better security. They reflect the diplomacy going around.
We will keep condemning the attacks sitting at some high end eatery, or at the closed walls of our rooms. But the power of cinema will take it to theatre at the interiors of nation.

Movies reflection of society, a historical documentation, reflecting the society and the civilization. The gen next will bank on media archives collected at the virtual world, let them know, let them understand, let us give them the art to better find their way out, rather than messing up the facts.

Let us mature, please dont condemn the art. Bollywood has been credited with maximum film productions in the world reaching out to the tune of 9,000, in various langauges.

Please dont condemn the prospects of reeling up the seige, as these fictional accounts speaks volume about the gravity of the crisis, and bring the unsaid to the forefront.
For more pics, log on to

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/talkingpictures/TalkingPic-Mumbai-Attack.aspx

Permeable routes, irresponsible cues

Sunday the 30th November 2008, saw mass protests, condemning the series of 60 hour long attacks in the financial capital of India. Indiscriminate firing and binding hostages at the gun point by terrorists allegedly linked to Indian neighbour. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families. I salute those martyred during the rescue operations....

...........

.......

..

I am confident this will happen again, as such instances are not new to India. Terrorists were equipped to blow off 5,000 people and planted bombs at the two landmark hotels. They were waiting for the bombs to blow, so that they can escape the security cover. Thankfully the bombs did not blow at the Taj, and the one which blew at Oberio did not cause any causalities. Sadly only one terrorist was arrested, remaining were killed.

The government officials are already officially declaring their bid of resignations - seemingly this is what they think they can do at max, after exhibiting uncaring attitude for running a state.

Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, took his actor son Ritesh Deshmukh and renowned director Ram Gopal Verma for a stroll in Mumbai’s upscale Taj Heritage posts the attacks. This is seen as a gravely irresponsible act on his part. He had to resign amid stubborn circumstances.

RR Patil, Deputy CM, commented, such instances happen in big cities. This was understood as an irresponsible remark. He has quit from his official designation.

Shivraj Patil, Indian Home Minister has always been feeling the heat whenever terror strikes India. He has quit. Reason being repeated failure in the intelligence network.

Intelligence from Israel and US have come down to Mumbai, to track the 3 days long turf. We need an efficient intelligence, better vigilance, and responsible handling of crisis doing away with casual remarks by the official dignitaries. Our permeable borders and coastlines are paving ways for infiltrators. Bombings could have been averted with sleep inducing chemicals, which could have helped in catching the terrorists alive. Apparently India does not have access to these kinds of tools, which might have put India - now responsible nuclear power, on a better crisis management or to put it as terrorism management denominator.

Terror is not new to India, we are the second worst hit nation with terror in the world after Israel. This calls for assigning greater importance towards measures curbing terrorism and after attack policies. We have to holistically deal with development in economic front and supplement it with better and respectful human resource management. Such setbacks have been reported repeatedly. But no breakthrough in this regard has been achieved so far.

Politicians will propose setting up federal agencies, redrafting laws, and imparting training etc. But this practice is available more on papers than on practice. Socialists and media often catch flaws on the part administration's mishandling of such crisis. Catching the innocents in lieu of getting a pat on their backs is a commonplace for administrators during such times.

How do we mend it?

Do we see our policemen able enough to stand tall when a 20 something is firing indiscrimately?

Do we see out terror squads not letting innocents die, and handle the situation as responsible national representatives?

Can the government handle the situation anymore or should we start off with an NGO initiative aimed at imparting training to common man towards better management of terror crisis?

I am sure the government is working towards documenting the aforementioned points.

Awaiting detailed policy guidelines - on papers!