addiction-3

it was a overcast evening n i was walkin back home from work in a darkly lit alley.

i saw a shady person tryin to search somethin on the road, by the roadside light. i took a better look and realised this guy is known to me.

outta sheer curiosity, "hey, whatchya doing?"

him-"i 'm tryin to find something"

me- " what are you looking for?"

him- " i slipped and fell.. n lost my keys"

tryin to help, i started lookin too.

n then i asked, " where did you slip??"

he pointed to a place farther off, in the pitch dark part of the road.

so i said," then why are you lookin for it here?"

said he.." its easier to look for it down here."

people start looking for solution where they fell, instead of lookin where they slipped.

its looking for the solution in the wrong places.

stupid monkeys, and men

heres an experiment i read in ganong physiology.

surgically an electrode is implanted in the pleasure centre of the limbic system in monkeys brain. it is connected to a lever which the monkey can manipulate to generate pleasureable impulses. the monkey is then caged n observed.

initially, the monkey experiments with the lever tikk eventually, he discovers how to please himself.

as he learns, he begins to manipulate the lever more often, to get more pleasure.

once he's familiar with the technique, the lever takes over his activities.. and he gives up food, water and sleep, continually pressin the lever.. even if it ultimately leads to his death.

in common parlance, we call this phenomenon addiction

thought-soup

this weekend i heard a wise man say " one way to ensure being successful is to copy someone who is successful". frankly, to me, it sounds somewhat cheap.

but then, in retrospect, its a simple solution.. whenever faced with a situation of a difficult choice, guess this way i can look at the problem objectively.but then this is at the cost of orignality.. like me losing out a first hand version of myself while tryin to be a second hand version of someone else.

but then this doesnt make sense either, cuz..

1. life throws each of us in unique circumstances, which are never the same as anyone else's. and 2. we ourselves are so damn unique combination of various ingredients, that we are orignal in ourselves. projection can only alter my perception, n not my true self.

so,i figure, this probably is an advice to only steer away from the state of bein depraved. when focussed, your own momentum is enough to help you decide in life.

and then i had another brainwave, always think of two people instead..i.e. also think of what the man you hate/disapprove or despise would do. cuz sometimes, i myself might be doing things that i'd despise in third person.

new york

for anyone who cares for a free opinion- watch new york.

the first time i saw it in a good cinema hall, i loved the plot, the screenplay, the cast, acting and music.

and then i did a rare stunt, i saw the same movie for a second time, again in a theatre, in the same week.

i had done the same thing with sarfarosh.. the aamir movie. believe me, the only reason i sat through the whole movie second time was my date;)

but new york was an amazing experience when i saw it the second time. i appreciated the international look of the movie better. its made to cater to a global audience. the movie is incredibly well paced, so much so that i didnt have a momment of boredom throughout.

because i was no longer wonderin "what happens next?".. i relished finer points.. like irfans awesome dialogue delivery and voice modulation that makes casting him in a powerful role so effective. when you see it the first time, you almost ignore him. your too occupied with th lead actors and the story. he comes in, does his job well, n steps out. as you'd want a side-actor in important role to be. when you see it the second time.. you realise the skill and perfection he has put in to get his role done. kudos irfan.

another nice part about the movie is the story and direction, how small little pieces get threaded together into the plot that keep the movie going. eg. katrinas driver speeding, killin the white cop, commiting suicide- helps you see the protagonists point of view against the system. but incidentally irfan khan turnin at the crime scene and katrina noticing his presence and then seein neil mukesh with him.. leads to the story progress further, albiet at slightly slow pace.

i'm still not comfortable with th ending, but i cant point out why. i love tragedies per se. but the ending somehow didnt fit in. the director does his job by justifying the end.. the son of a terrorist living a normal life with no strings attached. but its paradoxical, considering what was done to his father..who was forced to deviate from his goals n ways of life.

with all said n done, my bottomline is even more tragic.when i finally finished watching th movie the second time.. a thought came to my mind and its been puzzling me ever since..

this movie is almost too good to be an orignal bollywood movie. i wonder which english flick they copied it from? no kidding.

art

on a rainy weekend afternoon, i was sittin by this coffee shop by the road, with a lazed thoughtless mind.. and i noticed a beggar havin his cuppa on the pavement.. and an artist havin his.. on the table next to me. n i wondered what their lives must be like.

a beggar, emotionlessly, egolessly pickin up everythin that comes his way.. crushed under the wheels of the commerce of this world.. makin ends meet bit by bit.. penny by penny.

an artist, driven only by passion of beauty, emotions, colors and expression, almost beyond the realm of give and take, beyond the shackles of commerce.

or so it seems.

to perceive and paint the beauty of, for instance, that unique sunset,

the candid play of vibrant colors in the sky,the unusual shapes of the clouds, the flurry of colorful birds returning to their nests, the play of light on mountains and tree tops, the silhouttes of his lovers hand entwined in his.. with wind blowin through their hair..experiencing the ecstacy of that 'perfect sunset'.

strong emotions, romantic memmories, observations, conviction, imagination, tedious labour and talent go into the making of that one single painting, scuplture or a work of art.

the masterpiece.

and then its time to sell it...the artist explaining to his buyer at what he saw, how he felt while he painted it; trying in vain to make the buyer see what he sees in the painting.

after a great deal of difficult conversation, haggling and bargaining, this painting is 'SOLD' and then

proudly adorns the living room of the prosperous industrailist.

it proves his ability to spend, and of knowing 'a wise investment' when he sees one.

and then suddenly, even the life of the beggar seems tolerable.

reservations

as usual,

my job is of corelation,not composition..

methinks th foll rhyme was made in relevance to reservations..

RAAM CHANDRA KEH GAYE SIYA SE..

AISA KALIYUG AAYEGAA..

HANS CHUGEGAA DAANA TINKA..

KAUWWA MOTI KHAYEGA!!

gandhi the visionary

gandhi mustta been a man of great learning and foresight, and i truly appreciate his vision.

in 1942, he said, quit india.

still holds true.

poverty, corruption, reservations, communalism and dirty politics.

hence the truth. quit india man.

satyameva jayete