One day, I sat down to relax. With my eyes closed, I started recollecting the events of my life. I wanted to know how my life has progressed so far. I was feeling tired of struggling- struggling for food, struggling for home, struggling for peace, struggling for my life. The tensions around me started building up the pressure and I decided to quit- my job, my relationship, my spirituality everything. I wanted to quit my life! I went to the woods to have one last talk with GOD.
"O mighty one!" I said.” Can you give me one good reason not to quit?" The blue sky got covered with clouds. And a white, pure light straightway came from the clouds and covered me. It was so relaxing. As if a father has embraced his child to protect him from all the worldly evils. I kept on staring the light until I heard a baritone voice addressing me. His answer surprised me. "My child, look around", GOD said. "Do you see the fern and the bamboo?" "Yes", I replied. "When I planted the fern and the bamboo seeds, I took very good care of them. I gave them light. I gave them water. The fern quickly grew from the earth. Its brilliant green covered the floor. Yet nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo. In the second year the Fern grew more vibrant and plentiful. And again, nothing came from the bamboo seed. But I did not quit on the bamboo." GOD said.
"In year three there was still nothing from the bamboo seed. But I would not quit. In year four, again, there was nothing from the bamboo see. I would not quit." GOD said. "Then, in the fifth year a tiny sprout emerged from the earth. Compared to the fern it was seemingly small and insignificant. But just 6 months later the bamboo rose to over 100 feet tall. It had spent the five years growing roots. Those roots made it strong and gave it what it needed to survive. I would not give any of my creations a challenge it could not handle." GOD said to me.
"Did you know that all this time you have been struggling, you have actually been growing roots?" "I would not quit on the bamboo. I will never quit on you." "Don't compare yourself to others." GOD said. "The bamboo had a different purpose than the fern. Yet they both make the forest beautiful." "Your time will come", GOD said to me. "You will rise high"
"How high should I rise?" I asked."How high will the bamboo rise?" GOD asked in return."As high as it can?" I questioned"Yes.” GOD said, "Give me glory by rising as high as you can."
Suddenly, the door bell rang, bringing me out of my slumber. I never realized when I fell asleep. It was hard to believe that I was actually dreaming. But, this dream was the most refreshing experience I ever had. It was me actually talking to GOD! O man!! I could not believe this. The experience can’t be explained in words. I am sharing this experience with you. I hope these words can help you realize that GOD will never give up on you. Remember, “A Diamond Is Just Another Coal Which Did Well Under Pressure.”
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
Baadshah vs Shehenshah
22 January 2007. 9 PM. KBC tritiya hit the screens of the television with Shahrukh khan as the quizmaster. And since then, one question has boggled the minds of almost every viewer- Who is a better host- SRK or Amitabh Bachchan? Both have a huge fan following. And it has become a challenge for Shahrukh to perform in Amitabh’s shoes. Supporters of Big B believe that SRK can never match the charisma and elegance of Mr. Bachchan who became the identity of the show and set the path which the show is still following.
But, Shahrukh has not lost the ground completely. He has changed the genre of the show through a music video, his cheeky humour, dimples and smile. He has also tried to give his own colour to the various popular phrases like Freeze in place of Lock, Kachcha kachcha pakka pakka instead of Confident and so on. Though these innovative ideas did not appeal to the psyche of the people at first but slowly, it is gaining popularity. Shahrukh has left all his stardom behind and is trying to connect to the masses. The hugs and kisses, gifting his Tag Heuer watch to a contestant because he cannot see anyone sad, prove the point. He has not completely followed the legacy of Mr. Bachchan but has given the show his own unique style unlike the earlier seasons of KBC which were sober and serious. The focus was on questions and the contestants instead of the trivial issues of their lives.
It certainly cannot have been a cakewalk for SRK. Beside the looming shadow of Big B and the viewer’s unshakeable reverence for him, he had had other hurdles to deal with. The format of the show for instance. The performance has to be within a given set of parameters like certain lines, certain kinds of formal suits. And all that got identified with the pioneer, Big B. So, Shahrukh had to do something different. So he is not trying too hard and just using himself as a performer and a crowd puller. He has introduced informality in the show. His formula is simple- talk more, rock the youngsters and entertain the viewers with jokes. He is acting like a friend rather than a father figure you are expected to respect. Shahrukh’s core constituency is youth and he has catered them well by choosing the music video as his entry.
But when it comes to choosing the winner among the two, I will certainly vote for Amitabh Bachchan. Not because he is an icon or he has been serving the film industry for 35 years but because he is the one who took the initiative and at the age of 55 years, made the show a super hit. He is the person who gave the programme a direction and status. Though the programme is an adaptation of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?’ but it is only due to Mr. Bachchan that the show was able to gain some ground among the Indian masses. Shahrukh still has a long way to go before he dethrones the Shahanshah. Till then, it’s an ongoing battle between the Badshah and the Shehenshah.
But, Shahrukh has not lost the ground completely. He has changed the genre of the show through a music video, his cheeky humour, dimples and smile. He has also tried to give his own colour to the various popular phrases like Freeze in place of Lock, Kachcha kachcha pakka pakka instead of Confident and so on. Though these innovative ideas did not appeal to the psyche of the people at first but slowly, it is gaining popularity. Shahrukh has left all his stardom behind and is trying to connect to the masses. The hugs and kisses, gifting his Tag Heuer watch to a contestant because he cannot see anyone sad, prove the point. He has not completely followed the legacy of Mr. Bachchan but has given the show his own unique style unlike the earlier seasons of KBC which were sober and serious. The focus was on questions and the contestants instead of the trivial issues of their lives.
It certainly cannot have been a cakewalk for SRK. Beside the looming shadow of Big B and the viewer’s unshakeable reverence for him, he had had other hurdles to deal with. The format of the show for instance. The performance has to be within a given set of parameters like certain lines, certain kinds of formal suits. And all that got identified with the pioneer, Big B. So, Shahrukh had to do something different. So he is not trying too hard and just using himself as a performer and a crowd puller. He has introduced informality in the show. His formula is simple- talk more, rock the youngsters and entertain the viewers with jokes. He is acting like a friend rather than a father figure you are expected to respect. Shahrukh’s core constituency is youth and he has catered them well by choosing the music video as his entry.
But when it comes to choosing the winner among the two, I will certainly vote for Amitabh Bachchan. Not because he is an icon or he has been serving the film industry for 35 years but because he is the one who took the initiative and at the age of 55 years, made the show a super hit. He is the person who gave the programme a direction and status. Though the programme is an adaptation of ‘Who wants to be a Millionaire?’ but it is only due to Mr. Bachchan that the show was able to gain some ground among the Indian masses. Shahrukh still has a long way to go before he dethrones the Shahanshah. Till then, it’s an ongoing battle between the Badshah and the Shehenshah.
Monday, February 5, 2007
INDIA…BEHIND THE SCENES
Society is a group of people who live and work together in harmony. The main aim is peace and growth. To ensure this, people have created a system that makes policies and programmes for the same. This system or body is known as Government. It is the primary role and function of the government to ensure proper resource allocation and to maintain egalitarianism. When this governing body does not perform the required functions properly and sincerely, there grows an unrest among people which affects the overall growth of the country. It becomes the duty for a group of people to act as pressure groups and make the govt. perform its duties through mass participation. Such groups are Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
It was this backdrop that was explained by an NGO- Centre for Civil Society (CCS) in our institute Pioneer Media School, New Delhi, where I am pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism (PGDJ). They have taken up such issues for making the govt. sensitive towards the requirements of the people and the various malpractices active in different govt. departments which affect their job status. CCS screened a few commendable documentaries for us filmed by some individuals highlighting the plight of different people involved in different professions.
The evening began with a documentary that highlighted the lives of various people involved in pre- Multiplex-era cinemas earning bread and butter on the meager share they receive by selling movie tickets at low prices. These people represented different age groups and social strata. If the growth of the multiplexes continues with the contemporary pace, the day would come when these cinema halls will have shutter down their business and resolve to begging alms. There is a need on the govt.’s part to adopt a balanced approach so that everyone could be benefited. This was followed by a documentary on the life of the rag pickers in the goldsmith’s area. Their tactics to extract gold through the cleansing and dusting of the ash is amazing. This was a new experience for us to come across an industry growing in this fashion. These people are dependent on the gold that they extract which fetches them around Rs.300-400/ day.
In the next documentary we saw the story of a courtesan named Zarina. This movie cleared all our doubts between Mujra and prostitution which of late have been made synonymous. It also traced the history of Zarina whose voice resembled with the legendary Beghum Akhtar. The story that followed suit was of the Elephants of Assam who are unemployed. Their primary work was loading and unloading the logs of wood and since Assam govt. has put a ban on timber trading, these elephants have become jobless. So, in order to save themselves from starving they have come to begging for exisence. Lastly, we saw the story of a man who left his village and agriculture and came to the city to earn his livelihood. But, again, due to govt. rules and regulations, he had to wash hands of his shop followed by his rickshaw. He again comes to his village only to realize that his father had passed away. So, this confers on him the total responsibility of his family. He takes a turn back to the city but the consequences of abject poverty and unemployment makes a beggar out of him. This situation is a result of the strict govt. regulations levied on its people.
After the documentaries, we understood the functioning of the NGO (CCS). They asked us to volunteer for them and made us aware about the various loopholes which the system has. They emphasized on the fact that if we come together and fight for our cause, we can make a difference. In the end, they distributed some fliers and pamphlets which talked about an internship programme with the NGO. These documentaries were really nice and helped us in finding our own perspectives towards seeing things differently. They gave us many things to think about and highlight so that we can make a difference and serve the people in a better manner.
It was this backdrop that was explained by an NGO- Centre for Civil Society (CCS) in our institute Pioneer Media School, New Delhi, where I am pursuing Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism (PGDJ). They have taken up such issues for making the govt. sensitive towards the requirements of the people and the various malpractices active in different govt. departments which affect their job status. CCS screened a few commendable documentaries for us filmed by some individuals highlighting the plight of different people involved in different professions.
The evening began with a documentary that highlighted the lives of various people involved in pre- Multiplex-era cinemas earning bread and butter on the meager share they receive by selling movie tickets at low prices. These people represented different age groups and social strata. If the growth of the multiplexes continues with the contemporary pace, the day would come when these cinema halls will have shutter down their business and resolve to begging alms. There is a need on the govt.’s part to adopt a balanced approach so that everyone could be benefited. This was followed by a documentary on the life of the rag pickers in the goldsmith’s area. Their tactics to extract gold through the cleansing and dusting of the ash is amazing. This was a new experience for us to come across an industry growing in this fashion. These people are dependent on the gold that they extract which fetches them around Rs.300-400/ day.
In the next documentary we saw the story of a courtesan named Zarina. This movie cleared all our doubts between Mujra and prostitution which of late have been made synonymous. It also traced the history of Zarina whose voice resembled with the legendary Beghum Akhtar. The story that followed suit was of the Elephants of Assam who are unemployed. Their primary work was loading and unloading the logs of wood and since Assam govt. has put a ban on timber trading, these elephants have become jobless. So, in order to save themselves from starving they have come to begging for exisence. Lastly, we saw the story of a man who left his village and agriculture and came to the city to earn his livelihood. But, again, due to govt. rules and regulations, he had to wash hands of his shop followed by his rickshaw. He again comes to his village only to realize that his father had passed away. So, this confers on him the total responsibility of his family. He takes a turn back to the city but the consequences of abject poverty and unemployment makes a beggar out of him. This situation is a result of the strict govt. regulations levied on its people.
After the documentaries, we understood the functioning of the NGO (CCS). They asked us to volunteer for them and made us aware about the various loopholes which the system has. They emphasized on the fact that if we come together and fight for our cause, we can make a difference. In the end, they distributed some fliers and pamphlets which talked about an internship programme with the NGO. These documentaries were really nice and helped us in finding our own perspectives towards seeing things differently. They gave us many things to think about and highlight so that we can make a difference and serve the people in a better manner.
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