1 Nenokkadine, a movie shoot

by chance had chance to see a movie shoot in mumbai.  it was shooting of a dance scene, in bandra, mumbai.  it happened at a place called royalty, .  the shoot involved about 15 to 20 people wearing hat and striped coat and dancing in the background.  the hero was mahesh babu (telugu film hero), and main actress/dancer was sophie chaudhary.  there were half a dozen english girls, who were part of the professional dancing crew as well.  and about 30 white foreigners as extras, standing around the scene - which was supposed to be a club in London!

the shoot went on from like 12 noon to 830pm in the evening.  it was intense work for the whole crew.  the dance director, from chennai (forgot his name), was giving instructions in 4 languages, telugu, tamil, hindi and english.  (sophie chaudhary was speaking in english, and i dont think she knows telugu or tamil, but she was the fastest to learn and often used to complete it her stuff in just couple of takes.  she was on heels the whole time, wearing a sequined dress, which would have made it tough to sit down, without crumpling it.  how she managed to express intense energy required for the shoot remains unknown.  i became a fan just on the basis of focus and energy she induced).  \

it was very time consuming work.  first they will play the song for 15 to 30 seconds.  then choreographers will show the moves and immediately the background dancers will pick it up and do it.  then, light and camera focus/angles will be set, with the same part of the song playing, and dancers dancing.  in the place of the main dancers (hero & heroine), 2 dance masters will occupy and show the moves.  then h & h will take their positions and rehearse with dance masters guiding them.  then actual shoot takes place.  all around people who are in the club also dance like anything - and energy explodes from everyone around.  the final take would be okayed after 3-4 attempts or even 10-12 attempts.

then, immediately now part of the song will be rehearsed in the same manner.  there is chaos everywhere and lots of people going in and out.  food is available at regular intervals and tea is kept in a corner most of the time.  i was barefoot, and nobody really noticed it.  maybe another barefoot first - being in a shoot.  but the whole place was pretty ok to walk barefoot.  i met lots of new people, and in between takes we will chat, about world peace to world cinema to card tricks.  a spanish guy showed amazing card tricks - he shows you a card and then in a minute guesses which card you saw.  then he keeps a card in his pocket and ask you to guess a card, and then takes out that same card from his pocket.  i just couldn't figure out how he did it, even though i saw 2 of his tricks, and i selected the card in 1 of them.

mahesh babu was the lead actor and he was focused and focused on work.  all the people were mostly polite and helping each other and giving suggestions to improve.  i am sure, its not easy to be calm in such an intense work schedule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1_(2014_film)

will write more about it later..  it was a huge experience and had lots of insights.  would say, must for once in your lifetime...

Being a barefooter…

Every time i put my foot down,

It reminds me, i am naked,

Vulnerable, human and rooted to this earth..

Every time, I see someone else

Stare at my bare feet, and say nothing

I feel conscious, of causing disturbance

In peaceful urban Mumbai life…

Second nature it has become,

To walk over broken stones,

In last 6 months, had no scratches on feet

But mind becomes turbulent, am I right?

Almost one in a million, the infamous way…

Had I declared affinity to an organized religion,

Or penance or asceticism as reasons,

Would things have been different?

As my replies to why barefoot, grow shorter

Along with enthusiasm, as others seem to feel

Forced to offer me excuses for not being barefoot,

But I am still rebelling, struggling & remaining human.

meaning...

what do you want
to do with your life,
which purpose to select
from a thousand wishes...

means are more important
than what you want
haunt they if you win,
securing insecurities...

but that's a distraction,
while pondering on about a goal,
and it also rhymes with a girl,
but, let's watch a cricket match...

untitled short story...

there is an international symposium on psychology.. . and people from different countries gather together.

an english guy gets into discussion and gets into a group of french group, and while chatting up with this french group, meets a group of students from india. he falls for one of them straight away.

infatuation, he defines it, as a nutty psycho will do to himself, he analyzes his emotions, and is unable to reach any conclusions.
her unknown culture scares him a bit too.

but, during the dinner outs, he finds out, its he, birthday (it was no secret, it was a talkative group). without much of a hope, he just checks with the restaurant manager, whether a birthday cake can be arranged. the manager agrees. the group members, all those possible, are informed in secret whispers!

its amazing, as even though there are people from some 12 countries, they all are excited about it. and all act their parts, without revealing any secret.

then, voila, comes the cake out!
(ok, it was not dramatic

anyway, there's not much to say
you all know what happened,
another night began in beach town!

somebody else, please write the girls part ;)

'jungle hostel', at vagator, goa

as a friend recommended, i decided to check out, a place in goa, near vagator beach.  this place is for tourists, like a motel, but its designed to feel like hostel.  which means, you live like a small community, and generally everyone interacts informally, and plan to do things together, in small or big groups.  that's the general idea, and jungle hostel i feel exceeds it all.  there is just one receptionist, and about 20 people can stay here.  there are bunk beds in the dorm area, and the charge for dorm bed is rs.350/- per day, including breakfast. there are couple of part time workers, who clean up and go every morning.

there is a small library, a big lounge to relax and chat up with everyone, wi-fi, hammocks, and mostly a self service system, which is perfect for a great stay with many like minded souls, who are backpacking through india.  of course, you can buy juice, snacks etc. here as well, but its again self service, as you take what you want, and write it down on the notebook nearby, and pay for it later.  everyone is honest and manage the place as if they own it, and no controls & supervision is required.  its amazing to live in that kind of liberated self regulation.  develops "psychological ownership', if you need jargon.

its about few minutes walk away from the vagator beach, but in a very silent area and with excellent surroundings, as its an independent bunglow type structure. you can get your clothes washed in a washing machine at a cost, and most things are very reasonbly prized.  but you will have to book through internet beforehand, search for goa jungle hostel, vagator.

well, so i got in here yesterday afternoon, and by evening and later at night met lots of people and had long discussions. i tried consciously to limit my talk time, and listen more to others...  there were people from germany, switzerland, japan, poland, england... and they all talked about things they've seen and future plans etc.  lively discussion groups seem to happen so organically as the place is designed in that way, and people pick up a cushion to sit on and place it near the group they want to join in..

the next day, relaxed in the morning and picked up a book from library at random, called 'how i braved anu aunty and found a million dollar company', by varun agarwal.  an unputdownable book for me, because its so much about middle class india, and 20 somethings living in cities. published in 2009, it still is pertinent to 2013's...  and later, travelling out to nearby beaches, and so it goes on...

canyoning

canyoning is a term to describe an adventure sport - basically you climb down a waterfall, using various means, like rappelling, jumping, and other such methods.  a waterfall is a downstream flow of water, generally through rocky surface.  mostly the waterfall travels through many georges, or steep inclines, and at times through flat surface.

where i did canyoning was, about 25 km away from palolem beach, goa.  somewhere south of goa, in a reserved forest area.  the 'goa jungle adventure' group, who take you through these canyoning is run by 2 french guys, lido and manu.  they have various programs, from half day to multiple day canyoning, from easy level to very difficult levels.  i went for 'bijoux', which is moderate difficulty canyoning, where you can jump from 16 meters (optional) to 5 meters (not optional).  you have to rappel down through many places as well, again ranging from few meters to maybe 20 meters or more. (i didnt measure).

so, the canyoning started at 9.30am, where we met at 'fiesta' a restaurant near palolem beach, where they provided the gear.  this cost around 2200 rupees, in nov-2013.  they provide wetsuit, helmet, harness, and rappling rope, a bag to carry all that, and there is a guide/instructor, who will take you through all this.  Lido was my group's guide on nov-1st.  there were 3 other people from england in this group.

then after initial instructions, and trying out the wetsuit for your size, and if you want shoes, they provide that too.  (pssst... i was barefeet ;).   also, for about 260 rupees, they will take your photos and give it to you on a pen drive.  then we took off in Lido's jeep/car, which is an open one, and great funto ride.  we rode about 25 km (again its a rough guess), through canacona, and then into reserved forest.  after couple of hours, we reached the spot and walked through jungle paths towards a waterfall.  there are leaches in that forest, and even though its not a big problem, they are an irritants.  but its all part of this tough adventure you have already begun...

within like 20 or so minutes of walking, we reached a waterfall, and wet rocks all around.  we started climbing it down, first walked a bit, then started with rappelling.  Lido hooked his special rope on to a hook, and told us how to do it, and down we went.  rappelling is bit tricky, but easy enough to learn and very thrilling.  you have control of your life, and there are ahrdy rocks all around you and you have to focus and be calm and climb down, literally holding on to your life.  once you reach down at the end of that waterfall, you swim few meters ahead on to a rock, which is a resting place.

then others rappel down, and finally Lido will rappel down, making it look very easy, and then take off the rope, round it up, put all that into his big bag, and join you to next level.  you walk and next could be another rappelling or jump.  for us, it was a jump next, and we jumped down about 5 meters down.  it looks scary, as there are rocks jutting all round the deep pool of water, and you have to jump right in the middle of it.

there are various types of jumps.  in some places, you jump ahead, with lots of push.  at some places, you just drop down, without pushing yourself... and at places, you aim at the center of the pool, as there are rocks all around, and jump at that target.  its a leap of faith, and at the point of jump, you have to let go and push yourself.  when you hit the water and you sink and then you come up, and when you realize that you are totally ok!!!... that's a great feling, indescribable.

in rappelling too, you have to let go.  basically, you put the rope through your harness (there are metal loops), and if you are right hander, then, you hold your left hand up, and control the rope, and with your right hand at your hip, you slowly release the rope bit by bit.  you have to try to keep your body at 90 degree angle, and balance yourself, on your hip, so that your body's weight is centered on your hip, and then you release the rope and move your feet down in synchronization.  its not easy, but its a skill to master.  as you keep doing it, you start improving, and its a great thrill to realize you are in better control of your life.

and so on, we went...  some rappelling, and distance downward was increasing.  it was not just going down a rock, but going through falling water as well, which made it more thrilling.  its scary, tough, but somehow you find an innerstrength, which surprises you in a pleasant way and you make it, and then off you swim into mountain clear & cold waters, onto next rock.  the 3 people, 2 girls and a guy, were very sporty and adventurous, so there were no problems at all.  of course, credit goes to Lido, the instructor, who was calm all the way, and inspired confidence.

even when i was standing at the height of 12 meters, and looking into a deep pool of water, surrounded by big black rocks, at his count of, 3, 2, 1... go..  we all used to jump.  a leap of faith everytime.  i wont' say i came unscathed, because, there were few cuts, where i rubbed on rocks, while climbing, but they were small scratches, and since i was so excited and thrilled at the things i was doing, there was no pain at all.  those small scars (tiny surface wounds), i carry with me, with lots of pride.  so, this way, we rappelled down, maybelike 7-8 times, and jumped 7-8 times, during this course of canyoning.  it was non-stop fun all the way.

at the end of the waterfall, i guess we might have came down about few hundred meters, and travelled some kilometers.  then we walked up, to the jeep, which was parked in the middle of the jungle.  there were leaches again, on the forest path, but became a minor irritants, as we had faced much greater danger and fear already.  whenever a leach jumped up at my feet, i just brushed it aside with my other leg.  (it was more often, as i am a barefooter, but no problem at all).

then we got on to the jeep, and travelled back, totally satisfied and feeling great about ourselves.  in some places where the leaches had bit me in my leg, the blood didn't stop, and kept oozing, but those wounds were now pride evoking than pain...

i reached back at palolem, at about 615pm, and straightaway went for a swim, and hoped the salty water of the sea will help, and then had a run in the beach and then for a long bath in the bathroom in non-salty water.  fresh as ever, then went for dinner and to get the photographs from Lido, which were ready as he had promised us at 8pm.  lots of chatting about the day's adventures along with a great dinner at 'fiesta', the night began to dawn!

i will add the facebook page link of 'goa jungle adventure' organizers.

already this blog is too long, for any sane person to read...  but then so is canyoning.  there are many psychological insights, i thought i got in this adventure. the need to break out comfort zone for one to go beyond yourself (previous programming, done on you by, instinct, society, family, friends and self ;)
letting go, and learning to calm yourself enough, to be at your best to deal with extreme difficulties is another insight.  in rappelling, you have to do something un-natural.  we have to suspend ourself in the air, with the help of harness.  its almost 90 degree posture in comparison to land.

we dont like to leave ourselves hanging like that! (actually no surprises there).  so, i see, many people, while rappelling down, lean up from their waist, and reduce their sense of balance and control.  it's a prime example of the philosophy of letting go.  here, if you can let go, then you reach next level of expertise.

anyway, enough of insights.  i am stopping here, but if you want to ask questions or comment, don't do that please... ;)  just kidding.  see ya...

oh, one more thing..  everyone has some fear/s in their life.  often we are afraid to face those fears, because we feel, if i uncover them from the depths of mind, they will take me over.  but, this canyoning teaches you to (maybe not teach, it has become such a dirty word due to methods of pressure education), but gives you the experience to face some of your worst fears.  as worst fears are of survival, and you are jumping or taking a rope and climbing down into some abyss, in this canyoning...  thus when you overcome them and rapple down, or jump down and come out breathing, its a great feeling... you have faced some of your worst fears and came up floating.

...this experience toughens you up to face other fears dwelling in your mind.  you realize, you can uncover them and face them, and take it up as a challenge and realize what life is all about.  facing challenges wholeheartedly till your last day..  so, every wanderer's dream of getting something out a journey gets fulfilled here.  in psycho-terms, its more like 'flooding' but i am a fan of it, and experiment on me many a times.  and i can definitely say, it has changed me.  its an epiphany moment!

Being rich=Successful...

Being shameless / guilt free at exploiting others to become rich..  has this become the mantra these days?

Would you agree that, all high power CEO’s have the common ability to NOT feel guilt or shame (in comparison to lower level achievers) about cheating / exploiting others out of their teeth and skin? (Maybe they can justify it with their ‘ends’… i.e. final goal, and take shortcuts in regard to values and means, as practical way).

Do sensitive people remain behind? Are these people called nice guys? (from nice guys finish last).  Doesn’t seem illogical that nice people don’t succeed, but not nice people do?

Of course, there are dozens of hero’s, who are pride of their nation in history, and they seem to be shining with goodness and honesty like gods themselves.  But if critically examined, how many of them practiced these values day in and day out in reality? What do you think?

Lets leave the above hypothetical question behind.  But have you ever felt that, crime does pay, and criminals and exploiters of other people get away with current legal system, whose motto is, let 1000 criminals escape, but one innocent should not be punished?

I am not asking for dictatorship or cruel punishments or an eye for an eye.  There is no proof that even death penalty reduces crime.  But, how to deal with this aspect of rise in shamelessness, a feeling that, I can get away with financial crimes and even atrocities? – the issue is, how to have a more human, cooperative society, rather than worship-rich-people-at-any-cost attitude?

One of the simple ways to find out how huge inequality is present in our world is by checking “if there are just 100 people in this whole world” (google it).  Maybe its time to think about another type of economy, which is not based on money as credit, status, or the only resource.

Should the past inheritance of a person be converted into money and be gifted to them as a hereditary lottery? Can we have an alternative economic system, which measures and gives credits/resources on the basis of contribution each person gives to the society?

It will have to be sustainable, this contribution or creation, that a person gives to society as a whole, that must be measured, to provide credit/resources/status to that person.  Money can buy everything will have to be changed, or the nature of money as sole resource be eliminated. 

This way, each individual will be encouraged to create/contribute in a meaningful way to make the world richer, wealthier – but not just in monetary terms. 

This evaluation and providing credit should be a continuous process, and they should have an expiry date, or period, to discourage piling up of huge credits at one go and live on it throughout for generations.  The past should not be a bed to lie down, but a spring to push forward. 

Of course, its another utopian dream concept, (half baked), but shouldn’t we all utilize little bit of our thinking time to find and encourage, a more equal, positive, cooperative soviduals? 

Sustainable development

It’s a term that’s becoming common.  It used to be just development (vikas) earlier…  whatever I read about post independence India during Nehru as prime minister as history, and later saw in publicity campaigns during Indira Gandhi (PM) era, i.e. till mid 1980’s;  and even till the beginning of 1990’s.  The last 20 years seem hazy as a single theme or person didn’t dominate in India’s eco-politico scenery much (or blame lack of clarity on ignorance).  Anyway… since its my blog, it will be my POV (point of view).   This lack of direction seems to be probable future trend for coming few years as well.

Obviously this macro haziness, about what direction to develop would impact micro levels.  So if you ask a single individual – what his/her goal is – majority of people might find it difficult to precisely state it.  Similarly what should be the priority of their nations development goal be? 

I’ve been trying to figure out – this direction – the development of SD=sustainable development, that each individual and society should have.  (Here I am limiting the scope to just India as a nation, which is a huge 100 crore plus population).

But thinking about 100 crore (1 crore is 10 million) plus people, it would be easier to take a smaller group, or my local community or local region.  Some understanding of direction to move ahead would seem a requirement for each sovidual (society as whole and each individual).

Lets start from just one individual, yourself.  Ask yourself – what is MY goal?

Where do see myself in 5 years or 10 years from now?

What all I want to achieve?

What all would consist as my personal development?

The same needs to be done for a group/community, or your local region as well as for nation & ultimately the whole world. 

But when you try to answer these questions as an individual, you will realize how big a challenge exists before us all. 

      Just as its important to have some ideas as where you want to be in near future and few years ahead (micro), its imp. To have group goals (macro) as well…  lack of direction in development of a nation, what will it lead to? I leave it to your imagination.  India or your nation may have some such directions, but are you aware of them?

How to resolve this lack of idea about direction, purposes, goals etc. ?

Lets start with yourself – what are your individual goals? What kind of developments you want to achieve?

Its not an easy question to answer.  Because, its easy to say, abstract things, such as happiness, peace etc.  what is happiness and how can it be achieved should be answered to make it concrete enough to go ahead.  Similarly breaking down a large goal into small steps to set plan/set deadlines also needs to be done.

Priorities will have to be set.  What can be eliminated should have to be deleted from such a list, and from remaining most wanted list, grading of priorities will have to be set.  How to achieve any one of these goals will now throw up multiple means/ways to achieve it.  Thus which way to go to achieve it also will have to be set.

For example, I want to eat a healthy meal next time as fitness/health is imp. Priority – will throw up multiple food options.  If you don’t eat meat/fish then, as mentioned earlier, you can eliminate non-vegetarian options straight away.  But even then, based on your taste, resources you will have to select a smaller list of options and select one at a time, and work towards preparing it (before your next meal time).

Similarly you will have to plan for your future goals, further away than just next meal.  Similarly group level goals too will have to be planned. 

These are not easy and previous plans would have ended up in smoke.  So what’s lacking?

The skill sets to achieve individual and social goals… which definitely needs to be improved. 

The aim of education should be to provide such skill set.  Rather than trying to develop rot-memory, as our education system does currently.

An imp. Aspect of childhood is, say from 6 to 16 years, the school time period, is lack of responsibility to be part of productive contributors of the society… thus these age group children should be able to use this time period like a laboratory.  Where experiments can be done – and they should be provided with time, resources and guidance to deal with failure.  Overall, they should be given training to practice setting sovidual goals, through small projects.

Then a future generation wouldn’t be trying to find few people to govern them.  They themselves would be actively involved in governance (as sovidual goal achievement is governance, right?)

This future generation would be thinking, how would I like to see my local region in 5 years from now? What all facilities should my neighborhood have? And work towards actualizing them.  

How to live a simpler, greener life?

A common cold put me down for few days from wandering.  And as my general practice, I didn’t take any medication, and let nature take its course.  At times sinus congestion creates difficulties, but it was overall a mild condition.  I am not averse to taking medicines if the situation requires it, i.e. if my health is in more severe problem. 

But that also made me think, what all life style changes that I have made since last few years. Its an attempt to document these positive changes and not brag in anyway.

In around 2009, I explored other treatment methods (other than Allopathy).  There are, Ayurved, Homeopathy, Unani and so on..  generally called as ‘alternative therapies’.  Regarding mental health, I had read current psychiatric/psychological concepts based on Allopathy, or western medicine system.  But I wanted to know about other health systems/schools of thought as well. 

Thus, since 2009, I have made conscious changes in my life style.  One focus always is, to reduce my carbon footprint, as I consider we are exploiting our environment to dangerous levels and our future generation will suffer most for such greedy consumption. 

Reduced use of electricity – been trying to figure out how to use as less electricity power as possible.  Not using many electric power consuming equipments, is my method.

Fan – most common way to deal with the ubiquitous hot climate of India, I try not to use it at all, and can say, reduced use of fan by about 90% from my earlier usage.

Washing machine – instead I hand wash and make sure I dry my clothes without machine.  In this aspect also, I have reduced mo than 90% of washing machine usage.  (I also reduced use of soap for washing and for bathing – and try not to increase adding more soap chemicals, as I have seen how soap water can affect the mud/earth which it flows through.  Generally the mud becomes stuck with a layer of soap foam and no vegetation grows in these affected patches.)

Stopped using hot water for bathing – most households use electric heater to make hot water, and it consumes large amounts of power.  I also stopped using hot water altogether since last 3 years, as even wood fuel used to heat water pollutes and adds to carbon footprint.  In winter time, I take bath during mid noon.  (though so far I have not lived in below 10 degree centigrade areas).

Reducing other consumption – started going barefeet 24/7 since 2011, and stopped owning any footwear at all – also, stopped buying clothes since last 3 years, and will buy only when my current clothes will wear out totally. 

Overall, reduced my possessions to just 2 bags full – which I can personally carry (thus setting limits to the weight of possessions as well).  This helps to reduce buying and consumption to a large extent. 

Stopped using all kinds of beauty products – this was very low, but things like, face-wash, shampoo, deo’s, and a lot of similar stuff.  I use economical bath soap and toothpaste and that’s about it.  I have found, bathing with a bucket full of water (15-20 liters) on alternate days is enough to provide hygiene, even though I might not smell like a soap factory ;)

Reduced buying products wrapped in plastic and throwing trash only in trash cans, and not litter on public places (its tempting to throw trash on public places in India, as many areas are already littered with lots of wrappers and stuff, but I try to control.  Even though at times, it happens unconsciously due to long years of conditioning).

Repairing things whenever possible and not replacing a thing like wallet etc, until it cannot be used.  Using bottle to carry water whenever possible, and avoid buying bottled water.  Reduced use of paper (try to do e-book reading, and reduce use of paper whenever possible), and avoid a/c cars and train carriages during travel as well, and use public transport as much as possible. 

Though I do binge once in a blue moon, but its getting less frequent.  Moderation in food consumption, controlling my weakness for sweats, and avoid being a victim to fashion fads is another aspect.  I have not abstained from anything totally, but try to moderate and remind myself about this everyday, as its an uphill task and not easy at all.

All these are conscious decisions, and try not to use the excuse that, I can afford it in terms of money.  At times it seems like an idiotic idea not to buy a bottle of drinking water for 10 rupees, but take out the trouble to carry a filled water bottle as extra luggage.  But I am trying it.

I have lots to improve.  I have not measured how much carbon footprint I have reduced, or how much money I save in this way.  But it does give me a sense of satisfaction that I am doing my bit for environment, through a more ecologically friendly life habits. 

What else can be done? I keep an open mind and welcome suggestions. 

An incidence from 2008 re-examined…

Could insecurity lead to reduced corruption?  I am trying to analyze it by comparing India and Singapore…  and one thing which I had read was that, level of corruption in Singapore is v.low and in India, its very high.  What all could be the reasons?

During the beginning of 2008, the share markets fell down steeply world over.  And during these days, another unrelated incident occurred – India announced it will stop export of rice.  Singapore imports lots of rice from India, and this announcement lead to an immediate rise in rice prices ;) – something like 15 to 20 rupees per KG rise. 

As a free market economy in Singapore, the prices of rice kept on increasing as a premonition of decreased supply and increased demand to stock up rice.  In supermarkets suddenly 20 kg rice sacks increased in display, and people were also trying to buy bigger packs, even though such a behavior will increase the feeling of shortage, and rice pack areas in supermarkets began to look empty.  This went on for some time, before panic subsided. 

Would such an event created similar levels of panic in India?  People might have expected the Govt. to step in at such an event, and provide low cost rice through public distribution system (of course of low-quality), and other measures etc.  Another difference is that, Singapore does not produce any rice, and overall imports most stuff from other countries (from water, electricity, to most food items).  But as India is a vast country, a sudden food shortage would not be expected and people would be complacent even when disaster occurs in one part of the country.

And in Singapore, as it’s a small country, the realization that corruption and other practices which weakens the country overall will affect me and my family as well – would be much higher than in India.  Thus, insecurity could be a factor, which changes the behavior of a Singaporean to be more national centric and less self centric. 

But, this argument will fail when behavior of citizens of most poor countries are considered.  What is the level of corruption in Somalia or such countries?  So, its not just feeling of insecurity that if our national economy falls down we will starve, but also already existing levels of comforts, that will have to be sacrificed. 

Maybe that sense of nationalism could have been engineered by Singapore govt. and due to its smaller size, there are more commonalities among the population and idea of oneness. 

Of course, the whole world is one, and ours.  The people who see the whole world as their own home, will be concerned about environment and be more broadly responsible and less greedy about ONLY their own self growth.

How to create more such people, in India & world over?

How to show that this larger connectedness & impact on future generations and their own children to more people?  I ponder on and on… ;)

T V - characters shown...

a cold put me down for few days, so stayed at home with a family i was with during this phase of travel and there was nothing else but watch lots of TV... whatever the kids, elders, everyone there watched. 

there were serials, movies, advertisements, chat shows, talent shows... everything you can imagine with TV...

everything had lousy stereotypical characterizations..  worst of all, the way women are shown in visual media..  as having low EQ...

in almost all TV visuals, they are clingy, caring to the level of suffocation, self-sacrificing, religious, with blind beliefs on one hand..  and

on other hand, negative women characters are shown as  - jealous, aggressive, cruel, self-centered, psycho-paths.  

the overdose of such images keep repeating in all the forms - movies, serials, adverts and so on..   its almost as if, they are self-sacrificing goody-goody person, or the other extreme, of morally corrupt, evil personas...


mythological serials among these stand out in terms of discrimination.  women gods (godesses) are shown as dependent, cry-babies or uncontrollably aggressive...  and every time need a sensible male god to guide them... if even women gods are shown like this, what can be expected from mere mortal woman?

'taming of the shrew' is another popular concept, which keeps repeating (especially in south indian movies), and at times shocking dialogues (against female equality) are mouthed by most popular hero's..  these hero's are worshiped and their posters adorn every nook and corner of big and small towns of these areas..  


i could not find even one single level headed, assertive, balanced female character... from small kids to grandmothers are spoon fed on these visuals day and night...

and i guess there is no end to this kind of cribbing against TV..  i had been away from TV for almost 3 years and i had to go through a few days to realize why its called 'idiot box'... 

i fear to imagine, a future generation, brought up in this idiotically low EQ personalities.. 

i have no idea what can be done.   but, if censorship is used, it will be argued as against creative freedom.  but what can be done about such trash? there must be some way.. ??

mental + physical health care...

which is the most imp. part of holistic health care?
even the above question can make some kind of sense as our brain & our learning systems train us to see both parts & whole - to understand things / concepts.
that is one of the reasons - we have multiple specialties in health care  - which one should be given priority?

reminded me of a joke - which is the most imp. body part? - there was a competition once.  and each body part tried to prove themself.  in the joke, the anus region shut down itself to prove its the most imp. part. 

but jokes apart, what care should each individual human being must be provided by the community to make him/her a valuable member?
a constructively contributing member, whose input is less and positive output is more?

this is a very simplistic way to look at a complex process, but lets take it as step one.

as step 2, lets bring the size of a community or the whole world down to 10 people (instead of say 10 billion in near future). 
there people will be of different age groups, and if all of them are healthy, then that community/group will be actively engaged in developmental activities.

health of the group is thus an imp. component... but what is 'health'?

its not mere absence of illness, and its well being of physical, mental & social aspects - so goes the popular definition.   Now, what is well being?

how is mental and social well being different? does a person in coma (brain dead state) where all other organs are working constitute as physically healthy?

now, we are back to which is the most imp. organ/ body part debate.  without mind, without being able to sense (or make sense of those sensations), there is no real self or person.

then is mental health (MH) most imp. aspect?  but, before answering that, what is MH?

mental / mind = functioning of brain.  thus, actually the term 'mental' is an outdated term/word - it originated when mental/mind were mystic concepts to humans.

so why not discard such terms?

there is another term, 'psychology' as well, which is obsolete in this same way. logy (study) of psyche - where psyche is greek word for soul... totally un-scientific.  but why do we keep using these terms which bring up false imagery?

instead of schizophrenia - why not make it - 'dopamine' imbalance or something literal?

that is how attitude towards this one very imp. aspect of "brain-health" will begin.

similarly, security, cooperation towards each other as human beings, respect towards environment and ability to see the world around us as an extension and preserving it etc all become part of this brain-health for all concept.

probably even thinking about how to implement this for just 10 people can be too complex..  lets start with one person then..  our self.  ;)

this blog in comparison...

how healthy am i? - we have to compare it with some state..  

how fat, tall, fair..  rich, successful.. am i ???

everything needs something to compare with...  and what do we compare it with? are we even aware of it?  

and, we can compare our reality with things/concepts/standards from a fantasy world our brain can create.  and reality often becomes 'mundane' if matched with the 'fantasy images' that we are capable of generating.  

and of course, everyday, movies, and other media creates such fantasy images and concepts by the dozen for us to consume.  its a competition, where the winner of the day / week, walks away with millions, as the most fantastic fantasy grabs headlines, gets people to buy products connected with it and provides another miracle cure.  

the funny thing is, 'association'.  our brain has this crazy capability of associating - diverse elements, to create a smooth flow of happenings...  associate to connect together.  

thus, when we see a video of someone buying a diamond ring and expressing job and hope for life-long happiness, without realizing our brain associates them together.  diamond ring and eternal happiness are associated, even though the video we saw depicts just one instance, just one story.   

and when each aspect of this happy ending is mostly pleasant, we forget to re-check that association.  

for example, if a video shows someone with a cold, getting punched on the face with a resultant bloody nose, but as completely recovered from that cold..  we don't assume that, yes.  yes...  you get it.   the unpleasantness pain part makes us check the association that may form - and thus helps us to discard an association that, getting punched in the nose cures cold.  

 am i mentally healthy? that's another question to ask self.  because these comparisons unknowingly can create chaos with how you perceive yourself, your life.  as often we remain unaware of the comparison standards we are checking ourselves against.  

so, beware - be more aware... ;)

barefoot in pune

selecting to walk 8 km rather than riding in a motor vehicle was one of the best decisions i took during my travel through pune.  this walk through busy roads of the city and cement paved path specifically for bicycles gave an unhurried exposure to varied people as well.  though for 1 hour on this path, i didnt come across even a single cyclist.  the footpath nearby was not clean enough and all the walkers had hijacked this cycle path.

there were manual laborers on the road side, who typically asked 'whats the time now'..  they must be thinking of their next break.

there were immigrant families who had set up their temporary shelter on roadsides with kids running around and baggages and few things to sell as well.

there were many ganpati mandals with their 10 day pendols - as the festival had just begun in full fervour a day before. there were couple of creeks / river, where people were washing clothes and taking bath - even though plastic bags and hoards of flowers floated lifelessly around, those people continued with their vibrant activities.

at the beginning of this walk, initially my legs, body and mind protested against this alien idea of such a long walk;  but once they got moving, didn't have any problems at all.

during this walk, whenever i reached cross roads, i asked people for direction towards my destination, but people would invariably point me towards bus stand or autoriksha stand.  some even told me, you will have to take a bus or auto to that place (and thus motivating me more to walk ;)
but i must admit, puneikars were all very helpful in giving directions and information.

also, during my stay at pune, met and chatted with lots of people and through their shared ideas, this 'snowball' of a trip gained momentum, even though the future plans are still vague..  but, lets go one step at a time..

why aimless wandering?

what's the purpose of such wandering?
why 2 months or so for aimless travel?
what do you want to achieve after all this?

these questions been posted by others as well as self...

there is the fun and relaxation part, which self timed, targetless activities can provide.  there are adventures to be had, as an unplanned approach throws up unknown challenges - thus putting yourself at mercy of multitude of elements is like getting the carpet pulled from under your feet, but a good way to shift self outside comfort zone.

its like an exam, you have not prepared for, don't know the pattern of the question paper, and have no idea what problems will appear before you, in an exam hall with stern supervisors and a ticking clock. 

organic development, non-mono culture, breaking the mould, call it what you want, as you can go beyond even your wildest imaginations..  beyond self's limitations, patterns and previous conditioning.

sometimes it can be wildly frustrating before giving glimpses of an elusive epiphany.  make you meet people with whom you'd like to stay, as well as those you'd rather have not met at all...

but to be honest, there are no certifiable benefits, no conclusive arguments against conventional questions. 

how to figure out, whether a person is passionate, or obsessed??

or whether a person is meditating, or being patient as against - being lazy or slacking or confused....

all these could be different ways to describe one behavior.. 

similarly realization that 'i am lost' also can mean that, you have found 'i'.. or yourself among unknown surroundings ;) 

book review, 'ambani & sons', by hamish mcdonald

It covers dhirubhai ambani and his dream company, reliance. It begins with dhirubhai’s life in Gujarat, where he availed scholarship as a poor student, and later in 1951 shifted to Aden, a british oil company area in desert gulf area.

After his return in 1958, it goes into details of his entrepreneurship and often grey methods to succeed in India. This book goes beyond the death of dhirubhai and gives details of the split between the brothers mukesh and anil.. and as they cool off towards each other at the end of 2010…

An India from 1960’s to the beginning of 21st century, marked by multiple social ideologies and govt. apathy to criminal enquiries towards his business empire. The author, constantly tried to portray how dhirubhai dealt with the govt. machinery to get what he wanted. And overall, what is indian govt. is a question which looms large, but is left for readers to find out.

What is a govt?
is it the constitution? Or the bureaucratic officials and the judiciary? Or the masses?

Or the corporates who seem to wield such huge resources? Rather than just accepting, govt. as one fixed entity, dhirubhai seemed to have moved ahead to define it on his own, as much as he can.
Whether its legal or not is like trying to figure out, which ‘ism’ is right one… As an analogy, indian govt. system seems like the hindu religion… with multiple views, rituals, philosophies – ranging from being in love with a god to complete atheism.

But each group thinks theirs is the right way, without realizing there are 100 other ways which are part of this concept known as ‘hinduism’. Thus in indian govt. system, there are socialism, communism, capitalism, individualism, collectivism and nepotism and so on. And in such a backdrop, the ambani story seems to have all the elements of a mega television serial. Foes turn friends, only to fight again, and at times dirty and at times compassionate.

The whirl wind of changes are ongoing in indian economical scenario even now, and no one ‘ism’ seems to be the lone winner. so the race & search goes on….

Now specifically for the book review… ;)

A young dhirubhai – after working in gulf coast (near yemen) for a british petroleum co. for 7 years, returns to india in 1958, and begins his business with a partner in Mumbai textile market, with reliance textile industries… He seems to take bigger risks with each step ahead, and deals with multiple obstacles which India provides to anyone who wants to create changes at high speed.

He deals with lack of financial resources through generating money through chaotic indian shares market with new methods. Connects with plethora of govt. babus, policy makers, political big-wigs, customs and other agencies notorious for their ability to slow down anything and also manages to work with foreign organizations wary of murky business systems.

There are 100’s of obstactles that happen in India on a regular basis – jealous business rivals, people who start personal vendetta on perceived insults – and such vendetta’s can go on for year, and power hungry politicians, quirky family members, ideologists who attack relentlessly on basis of value conflicts and try to demonize their enemies, and clueless masses…

The same India, where almost anything can be turned around, a sinner to saint and back again, Where papers can be lost, scams wiped clean and bitter enemies become business partners, and also where loyal employees and partners sacrifice themselves for their leaders and his family…

All these happenings which rival mega TV series occur at fast pace in Hamish Mcdonalds book on Ambani, and if you are old enough and were an avid newspaper reader from last few decades, then you will re-live those bold morning headlines you had read in the past decades.. as the author has based his accounts on these media expositions a lot.

The author tries to remain objective, but dhirubhai’s aura is evident from beginning to end – though there are enough information presented and the reader is encouraged to see between the lines.

If you have not already made up your mind as whether dhirubhai is a saint or a sinner – then you might get more out of this book, otherwise, you will end up seeing just the side you want to see (selective attention). Its like this, you either hate him or love him..

the middle neutrality is very tough, but worth it to get many epiphanies. Though there is a comparison in the end – Modh Baniya community from kathiyawar area of Gujarat gave 2 personalities to the world – gandhi and dhirubhai. Maybe as different as Khadi and polyster. If you look at india of today (in 2013), both have influenced in its making. Should they or could they be compared? (recently I did read a comparison analysis between lincoln and gandhi… again controversial material) Some might refuse such a comparison.

But, suppose objectively if an alien compares them, what would be its analysis? Probably such objectivity wont be possible for most Indians – or probably time will tell…

sovidual: Barefoot in Bombay (Mumbai)

past these hills of Mumbra, the train goes towards Mumbai.  Below the hills a crammed concrete jungle indicates an over flowing city

barefoot in a Mumbai local train.. at noon time, after the morning rush is over.   

sovidual: Barefoot in Bombay (Mumbai)

Thane, the last railway station before mumbai city limits, is packed with people even at noon time

a crowded street, a big contrast after my rural stint.  

hanging out from the local train, at a mid mumbai station... 

Barefoot in Bombay (Mumbai)

Last few days, travelled in Mumbai, mostly visiting friends and having long chats – to catch up with the last 3-4 years…  connecting back from where we had left off years ago, happened again & again with so many friends, that I began to take it for granted.

Got into the groove of travelling in local trains of Mumbai… those old instincts took  over automatically..  which entrance of railway station to go to, where in platform to stand  to get the best compartment, where the ticket windows are..  etc. 

But being barefoot broke through that cocoon of habituation – each surface was stimulating and providing new information.  Gravel or small stones used for making the tar roads were spilled everywhere.  I would never have felt them if I weren’t barefoot. 

How shoes/sandals have become ubiquitous was evident as I could not find any other bare footer (though I must admit that I was observing in a casual way only)… almost all places were designed for footwear wearers.  Its like the way a city gets designed for car owners.  The recent rainy season had brought out lots of dirt and plastic bags – which were not cleaned up, and thus one of the least friendly places for a barefooter… though that’s the challenge too!

The amount of eateries, people, things lying around in open shops and otherwise, and consummated consumption – to be seen around was 1000’s of times more than the rural-tribal forest area where I stayed for past 3 years.  So I guess there are jolts of cultural shocks to be had even within a short span of absence.

Another difference – I walked around as much as possible – even though 3-wheelers and taxi’s seem to be the usual way to travel even 1 kilometer distance in this city.  Maybe I wasn’t under the constant time-pressure the mumbaikar’s are subjected to. 

I caught a few stares at my barefeet, even though I wasn’t really looking for it, but nobody asked me even once in the last few days about it – i.e. none of the strangers…  I am bit disappointed at this even ;)

running with a dog

where i lived, there a doberman dog, 7 month old, lives..
black, sleek and athletic, she just loves outings in the jungle.  without any shoes, she runs and explores.

used to do 4-5 km runs with her, most of the time without any restraint..  and instead of regular jogging at a regular trot, this doggie would sprint and trot at different speeds - making these barefoot jog actually running with full of possibilities.

its not easy to get an opportunity to run flat out...
and when you run at your fastest, its then you realize your slowest-ness as well...  (i.e. the limits of your speed and strength as well).

there are some road parts (tar paved road) to reach this jungle (mild level), in where there are mud paths.  going that path with 100's of pot holes and levels of wetness, is an adventure in every step.

used to wonder, why other's dont do it.. there is no way i can describe the fun in such run.. thus tough to communicate it to others to encourage them to take it up as well...  so, i just relied on demonstrations of such runs...

and at times, this pup of of 7 months (almost fully grown) would run just a stride ahead of me, and would match my speed without looking back!  if i slowed down, she'd do it too, and pace up as well, effortlessly...

i used to try to figure out how she matches my speed..  is it through my footstep sound (thus judging the length of my stride)... anyway, never could really figure how she did it.

how can you not miss then..  RWAD...

say no to gold to save our national economy!

Was reading news about plans by RBI to make rupee stronger – and to stability indian economy – a new plan is being hatched..  RBI (reserve bank of india) will ask banks to buy back gold from citizens..

Rbi has about 550 tons of gold reserve.  Every year, indian citizens buy (import) almost 1000 tons of gold.  The official figure for year 2012 is 820 tons of gold.  That is the legal figure, which is never correct in indian setting.

Imagine, how much gold Indians would have imported since 1993? 20,000 tons?

What does gold do? Most of it remains in locked up safe/lockers etc.  it blocks all the money as well.  Lets say, 10 grams (1 tola as per indian usage) cost something like rs.30k.  here we are talking about 1000’s of tons!! Imagine, if all that money was spent on education…  since 1993!!

Thus, Govt. should not help to increase demand of gold.  It should sell whatever gold it has..  all the 550 tons of it, and then allow gold to be imported to india as much citizens want to.  Thus breaking its demand, and flood the supply..   along with that, should do campaigns to spread awareness about uselessness of this shiny metal.  Rejecting it as a status symbol and fashion accessory, just the way ‘fur’ clothing was pushed out in the west – as cruelty to animals. 

Warren buffet had quoted, that gold doesn't increase wealth.  (google for detailed article on it)  And in today’s difficult economic times,  Indians and world over people should focus on development, not hoarding.  We will have to learn to deal with our insecurities (which lead to this hoarding behavior in the first place). 

By being less worried about our future, we can make it better for ourselves and future generations!

Regarding suicide exclusion in life insurance

Regarding suicide exclusion in life insurance… the current clause in India is, if the insurance buyer commits suicide, then - Policy is terminated, death benefits is not paid

Who is getting the benefit of suicide here? The insurance company?

Why should a paying customer and their nominee / family be punished for this act? – isn’t suicide a mental HEALTH condition…  which should be viewed as any other HEALTH condition?

Of course, that brings in some questions…

What is the % of people – who commit suicide (in India and worldwide)

Suppose 100 people take insurance, how many die – due to suicide?

The people who committed suicide – how many were leading regular lives – for how many years?  - for example if people who commit suicide seem to have put in average of 10 years of regular life, - then it can be assumed that they didn’t buy insurance with intention of committing suicide…

And now the MOST IMP aspect…

Why is death by suicide is seen as controllable by individual will?  And other causes of death are not considered as out of control?

What about other health risk behaviors/habits not considered in the same light?

Depression or state of depression (heightened sense of helplessness & hopelessness) leads a person to suicidal behavior – it’s not something an individual can claim to have willful control over.

 It would be like claiming – I won’t die of stroke, or heart problems, or accident.  It can happen to anyone, and insurance risk should cover it.   (Some conditions can be set to block people about to commit suicide from buying insurance, i.e. set an immediate time period, and as it is, there are enough safeguards already).  What say?

Why should mental health conditions should be treated as a pariah ? 

Right to have own opinion...

Why we fight over or can have endless arguments over ‘god’ whether it exists or not (cant use he/she right?)

And another is ‘reservation’  - as its known in India – i.e. caste based quota for resources, usually education, job, age limit etc.

Equal rights for women is not as hotly debated – openly, as it seem to have become politically correct – not to discriminate against women.

So, back to god and reservations areguements in india…

The god argument – continues – because, the definition of god is different for everyone.

For example – it will be like arguing whether

Football or cricket is the better sport (for non-indians, volleyball v/s basketball etc can be taken up)

Actually, how is “better” defined is the key – without having objective standards as what makes either sport ‘better’ – it can become an enver-ending discussion.

Similarly, the question, whether reservation (caste based quota) should exist or not – becomes endless argument – because – it fails to addrss its end result…

What is reservation aiming to do? – that I the real question  -what is the goal of this policy?

To bring equality? To give everyone fair chance?

-          Everyone, as in – impact on this generation or future generations as well?

Let me digress here a bit –

If I remember correctly, in the book, “a Connecticut Yankee in king arthur’s court”, the hero gets into an argument with some people – when they discuss – whether increasing the salary and increasing the cost of products they consume at the same time is useful or not.  People / general public feel – increasing salary is good (regardless of cost increase).  Because they have a narrow vision and don’t look beyond.

Similarly, people are obsessed with policy / rules..  if its not being implemented by the machinery / system – which is supposed to do so, then there is no point in having that rule.

For example, banning sale of alcohol (prohibition) wouldn’t make sense, if illegally sale of alcohol is left completely unchecked. 

But, in india, and many other countries as well – there is huge amount of corruption existing in govt. machinery – so, rather than focusing efforts to get that machinery to work properly, newer rules / policies are made.. 

The politicians know, its basically it’s a good technique to fool the public.  So, it wouldn’t be wrong at times to question, whether is it enough to have -  “you can’t fool all the people all the time”..  even if there is a small % of honest people, its enough – mentality should change..  unless the majority practices it, active activism is needed to clean the govt. machinery and work on keeping it clean..  

2 favourite activities

Running and being barefeet are 2 of my favourites...

And since the 2^nd anniversary of my barefoot life is nearing (3 week ahead), I decided to combine these 2 activities, even though its raining regularly.  Of course, an added bonus was, a 7 month old Doberman dog, which is happy to accompany me on this run.  I will write about it later. 

I took a path, through the forest area nearby for this run and its about 2km long.  It’s a mud path, and there are streams of water running through various parts of this path.  Due to my barefeet, I could feel, soft mud, slippery mud, hard mud, grassy mud, watery mud and so on, as I run through them. 

This path, through which I run at a moderate speed, would be impossible to go through with almost any kind of footwear.  There are areas where water levels are ankle deep, and sticky mud filled areas and so on.  I won’t recommend this jogging path to a newbie barefooter, but then I have been almost barefoot 24/7 for last 2 years and toughened up considerably. 

During this run, there are so many unique experiences.  I haven’t met any person in ths forest path stretch so far.  But I never felt lonely… rather, these runs almost feel meditative.  Though I am not running blindly or without care, but with atmost observation of my jogging path and caution.  The dog takes its own route and goes away to explore but makes sure it doesn’t lose me at all… and helping me understand the phrase ‘follows like a dog’ in totality. 

While running barefoot, the forefoot strikes the ground first.  The outer edges of the forefoot (the area just below your 3 small toes) hits the ground and then cushions the fall of the rest of the foot.  When you run through muddy areas, your foot will sink in, and if the ground is wet and soft enough, then mud will push through your toes up… this is a wonderful feeling, which has to be experienced and cannot be described in mere words.  

There is a reason too – as our toes are curved, one part of them do not generally come in contact with any surface, unless our feet sinks in.  thus the bottom part of our toes which are connected to our feet is like a virgin and this mud stimulates that area (now I hope you can imagine the sensation).  

Anyway, even though I run through all kinds of surfaces, I have not gotten hurt so far.  Not surprising to me now, but if someone had told so couple of years ago, I wouldn’t have believed and would have totally argued against it just like you want to…  (and now, see ya later, barefooter).    

And the music never stopped...

A really great movie, ‘the music never stopped’ came out in 2011... i am totally surprised why no one insisted that i must see this movie.. 

The story is based on a neurologist’s case study of a patient with brain tumor.  It’s heavily into American culture of 1950’s and 1960’s... and music bands of that time – ‘grateful dead’ genre...  but even a person with no idea about it will be able to appreciate the emotions this movie generates...

Its basically about a family of 3, parents and a son... there is generation gap, patriotism v/s peace, husband and wife, father and son, and what all it takes to bring about change from a rigidity.  The role of the son is done by ‘Lou Taylor Pucci’, and is outstanding, even though all the actors have done a great job.  On rotten tomatoe reviews, as i suspected, there was accusation of overindulging in sentimentality, but one has to take in the time of that setting, almost 60 years ago... and one of the perspectives is through the emotions of a teenager, who also happens to be sensitive character as well. 

Generally i don’t feel this way, but this movie should be watched by all.  I am surprised why it isn’t a cult already. 

**spoiler alert**  from now on, I am going to write about the story of the movie, so, do not read ahead unless you’ve seen the movie already or don’t mind it. 

Since the story was so un-usual, and the base material was prominently shown as an essay by oliver sacks ‘last hippie’, I googled and read that essay.  It’s a case report by a neurologist, of ‘greg f’, who had a huge brain tumor and which got operated, but resulted in loss of many brain functions.  But when this patient is discussed about music from a certain period (his passionate interest as a youngster), he becomes animated and connected.  (I have observed this on self and in others – when they get into a topic they are passionate about – the person’s communication style changes, they just flow… our brain might be getting into a ‘zone’ as in athletics).

The case study of patient ‘Greg F’ is a dry report in comparison to the movie script. In the case study, the neurologist goes to a music concert with the patient, but in movie, it’s the father of the patient. It would be a good idea to read the case study ‘the last hippie’ and see the movie as well – to realize the vast difference in emotional screen play and academic report.  But many things are studiously taken up from the case study – and the lead actor wonderfully portrays them.  It makes more sense to remember the lead actor suffers from a neurological condition, thus his reactions and expressions would be different from a normal person.  The schism in relationships and how an unusual condition/situation brings out a different perspective of the son, in a father-son relationship of the late 1950’s in USA is brilliantly portrayed.

The mother and changes in her life, empowerment, the doctor’s technical focus, the canteen girl cilia and the lead character’s earlier girlfriend – all are wonderfully shown in detail.  The loss of permanent memory, and how it can lead to the shock of hearing a sad news again and again is another thing to watch out.  This movie, thus, is emotional drama, medial case study, about music, generation gap, peace, and so many things… the title is taken from a ‘greatful dead’ (music band) song, the music never stopped, but probably, the movie ‘magic never stops’ would be appropriate way to describe this movie experience… 

floating ideas...

Few ideas have been floating inside my head... what is the base cause of corruption and inequality in today’s world? Is it marriage? I.e. the institution of marriage...  illegalize it and everything changes.  Individual property would be fine, but there wont be a point in acquiring wealth for 7 genetations of your family...  or your own kid, as there will be now Own kid.. but is it possible? Isn’t it impossible to take out the idea of pair bonding for life from human mind?

Let’s say – make it a legal requirement to get friendship registration... like marriage registration...  How would it pan out? In a society where it happens, maybe it wouldn’t be seen as ridiculous to you as now.

Similarly, there is a story idea lurking here – a sci-fi culture, where every citizen is supposed to get married to an organization / work team / company ...  it wont be just till retirement, it will be life long..  There will be 100’s of movies about people who are absolutely blissful and ecstatic about being with an organization for life...  Hell, you can even add rituals where people tie thread to a special tree to be with that organization for 7 life times...  

(You can extend it by modernizing the new movies by youngsters going thru hell before they can decide which company to be married with..  Till like love, it just strikes them, and they find the PERFECT company... then its all hunky dory for the rest of your life)...

And in between writing all this, i was reading... and wanted to put a quote down here, for no reason... at first.

running was mankind’s first fine art... (chris mcdougall, in ‘born to run’)

After i put the above quote, i started worndering why i did that... it had absolutely no place in whatever i am trying to express... but, as i maybe was trying to connect both these streams of thoughts (trying to figure out the root cause of evil – or insecurity and hoarding and human inequality, along with ultra-long-distance running, i found a connection... just as much fun as you find a way while trekking..  anyways let me not digress.

The point is, is our life a fine art too, or is it a project? Of course, rabindranath tagore’s short story, ‘wrong man in the workers paradise’ kind of sums it up, but i don’t remember it providing any answers/solutions..  how should we live? Free and without measurements or based on rules of the president of obsessessive-compulsive society?

Putting it in such extremes as black & white creates a skewed vision, and the obvious answer would be ‘it should be a golden mean’... but i guess everyone will have a dominating side... control freak v/s liberal artist – just as the old personality divide between introvert v/s extrovert...  with a third dimension of ‘ambivert’ adding up along with it. So there could be a “control artist” as a fuzzy intelligence... 

(i see myself swinging between the 2 extremes without really figuring out how to find the middle path... as i see the precise documentation as useful and at the same time hippie way of no measurements as liberating too... and at times running through the middle path, but every new day it disappears and i have to runn all over to find that path each new day)... maybe i will find an equation or maybe there are no equations..  the argument continues!