Light the Lamp #9pm9minutes

Yesterday, over a billion people in India lit oil lamps, candles, flashlights and torches at 9pm IST for 9 minutes. A few days ago, these people clapped hands and rang bells. While most of my family and friends honoured, Honourable Prime Minister Modi’s request and lit lamps, some questioned the “logic” behind it (and got tagged as “liberals” “anti-nationals” and what not). When someone said that we clapped to thank the essential workers, doctors, police, defence, etc. others asked, “Why and how? None of the them are returning home at 5pm to hear your claps.” Others said, “We clapped because our PM said so,” and they were tagged as “Bhakts”. Some stayed home and did nothing at all, they didn’t clap or light lamps neither did they question those who did or didn’t, they just minded their own business. Some gave scientific reasons behind why clap for 5 minutes or light the lamp for 9 minutes, some reasons sounded logical some were absolutely absurd and others laughable.

Photos of celebrities and commoners —across faiths, religions, genders and political views— lighting lamps flooded the internet, some said the celebrities are doing for the “likes” and commoners because of “herd mentality”, at this point, honestly, no one knows the reality.

Sitting thousands of miles away, and reading all these debates online and in family groups, and honestly, missing the feeling of being with my people, I started thinking about “why I should or shouldn’t light the lamp”. The answer, was staring right in my face, “collective conscience”.

I don’t know if there is a science behind “collective conscience” or not but I do think there is logic and solace. During these testing times, one thing is clear, the virus doesn’t see your religion, your cast, gender, your age, your citizenship, your visa status, your economic status, your job, etc. the only thing the virus differentiates is whether or not you are a human. Then again, maybe it doesn’t, did you hear about the tiger at Bronx Zoo who is infected with the Coronavirus?

Novel Coronavirus might not have infected you, but it has most certainly affected you, in ways more than you can think of. Unless you are an essential service provider, you are locked down in your home, it doesn’t matter if you are a 9-5 employee, a homemaker, an important industrialist, a stunning movie star, an excellent cricketer, or a maid, you are stuck in your home. The most “outer world” you can experience is looking out of your own open window or sitting in a balcony. At this time, even the introverts and homebodies (such as myself) are longing to go out and meet people, have a face to face interaction with someone and I think lighting a lamp is a social interaction we all needed. Because you stepped out to your window or into your balcony at the same time as your neighbours did with the same purpose. Because this was the first time in days that you saw another human being and talked to them, thought about their well-being. Because you might have a problem more severe than your neighbour, but in fighting Novel Coronavirus you are at the same level, you are as vulnerable as anyone else.

Someone lost their job and is worried what will they feed their family, someone lost their parent but couldn’t see them for one last time. Someone had a baby and there was no one to celebrate their child’s birth and someone else went through a miscarriage and has no shoulder to cry on. Someone is tired for taking care of a family of 7 people all alone, someone else is bored because they are living alone, far away from their family, with no one to talk to at home. Someone gathers all their strength every morning, tie an (imaginary) cape around their neck and head out of their home to serve the people and someone is far too depressed to even roll out of the bed. Someone is working from home, helping the essential workers in a way and someone just died on the border, protecting the nation against terrorism. Someone just tested positive to the virus and is worried sick, someone else just fully recovered from it and is looking forward to going back home.

Here’s an example from my own home, that hit me hard. Many of you know, I lost my mother to cancer almost 4 years ago. Since then my father lives alone in Bhopal. Since the implementation of compulsory lock down in India, baba, my father, has barely had any real human interaction. Don’t get me wrong, his siblings, my brother and his family, my husband and I regularly call him or FaceTime him, but still, you all will agree that isn’t same as actually talking to another human being. Yesterday, he stepped out of the house to light the lamp and at the exact same moment his neighbours stepped out. Baba talked to them, asked about their well-being and this was the first time he talked to someone else in real life, after almost 15 days.

So here’s the reason why I lit the lamp, even when I’m far away from my motherland. Each person in the country is going through problems of their own. But for 9 minutes, everyone, despite their social or economic status, faith or belief came together, leaving their worries and joys behind and thought of and prayed for one thing that #together we will fight Novel Coronavirus and #together we will defeat it. In a very long time, everyone who lit a lamp thought they are a part of something, and they are in this together, everyone thought they belong. And in lonely times like these, I think the most important thing to feel is “You Belong” that someone else is facing the same problem as you and that you are not alone in this.

-Prajwala Ghate

#Together #lettherebelight #9pm9minutes #Coronavirus #Covid19 #CoronaGo #IndiaagainstCorona #UsagainstCorona #worldagainstcorona #YOUBelong

Bhag Milkha bhag: Movie review

Rating: ****1/2*

As we all know, this movie portrays the life of “The Flying Sikh”, Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete, beautifully enacted by Frahan Akhtar (adult) and Master Japtej Singh (young), on the screen. The movie opens with 1960 Rome Olympics, where we see Milkha Singh running, rather leading the race but he turns back, as if trying to see the thing that has been haunting him for a long long time and that’s when he starts losing. “Bhag Milkha bhag” his coach encourages him, but he could never recover and finishes fourth. Our then Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, wishes that Milkha Singh should lead the Indian team to Pakistan for friendly races, which Milkha Singh denies. Why everyone questions. Is it because he lost in Rome Olympics? Or is there some other deep dark secrete in his life? And here’s where the flash back, that narrates the story of how Milkha Singh became Milkha Singh begins.

“Suna ha bachpan mein Pakistan chhod ke bhage the. Tab se lekar aaj tak bhaag hi rahe hai.” the Pakistan team coach teases Milkha before one of the races, which, to some extent was true.  “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” is what Milkha had heard since his childhood, be it from his father to run for his life and reach India or from his friends, and that’s what he always did, he ran.  “Kudrat ka bana banaya tha. Heere ko bas tarashna tha.” is how his coach defines Milkha. He had everything that a sportsperson needs, the strength, the dedication, the willingness to put in efforts and do the hard work. Milkha Singh was very modest and had his own ways of showing gratitude. When he finally wins the “India” blazer, he gives it to his sister, for her love, care and support were the reasons for his well being. He gives his medals to his “guruji” as if guruji had won them.

Prasoon Joshi has done a mind blowing job with the script and the lyrics and Rakesh Omprakash Mehra has beautifully retold the story. This team keeps you glued to your seats for 188 minutes and there’s no time when you can even think of having a loo break or checking your texts. The team actually forces you to live the whole story. The music and background score by Shankar Ehsan and Loy is ecstatic, and the singers have done full justice to the songs. My personal favorites were “O rangreez” and “Slow motion agnrez”.
Farhan Akhtar has put his heart and soul to bring Milkha Singh live on screen. The innocence on Farhan’s face when he tries hard but does not understand a word that the Australian girls speak in English, or the pain when he runs to get selected for Olympics team, even when wounded badly, or the humour he creates on his first plane experience or the sorrow of missing his parents when he finally makes it to his childhood home is appreciable, and Master Japtej Singh did his job with equal dedication which can be observed in various scene like the fear on the face of young  Milkha Singh when he sees whole of his family dead, or the notoriety in his eyes while being punished at school. All these moments makes you laugh and cry with the character.

Sonam Kapoor and Divya Dutta, though barely have any dialogues in the movie and just a few minutes of screen presence, steal the show with their acting skills. Sonam blushes, gets scared, shows fake anger, all with natural ease and Divya Dutta beautifully portrays the helplessness of being a dependent woman in the beginning of the independent era, the shame she has to face for the wrong doings of her Milkhu, the pride she has in her eyes to see Milkhu in the “India” blazer, and the perfect combination of belief she has on her brother and still the worry if he will really make it, all of this and more, silently, only through her eyes and facial expressions. It would be wrong not to mention the very short role of Ustad, very effectively played by Prakash Raj.

Key take away: “Maaf kijiyega, main aapki beizzati nahi kar raha. Meri ladai apne aap se hai”

The training to beat the world record.
And how the mug that used to store Milkha Singh’s sweat from the tough training, is replaced by a fire extinguishing bucket, showing the amount of hard work he has put in to reach his goal.

Why not to watch: Honestly, I don’t see a reason for that.

Why watch: To appreciate the hard work of Milkha Singh, to admire the heart and soul the whole team has put in. Watch it to see and adore flawless work in Bollywood after a long time but more importantly, watch it if you need inspiration at the moment. As for my suggestion, it’s a must watch.

To Delhi, with love

Dear Delhi,

You make me proud. No no, wait... don't stop reading, I know there are many people who are criticizing you and calling you names right now and there is so much of sarcasm in each and every sentence one might hear containing the word Delhi, but believe me, there is no sarcasm or criticism in this letter, you really make me proud.

I know that you don't have the long, sunny beaches like Chennai, Bollywood and beautiful rain showers like Mumbai nor do you have the sweetness of Kolkata, things have always been harsh with you, be it the history or the climate, but you have something that none of these metros have... you are the capital of my country and thus you have power and with great power, comes great responsibility is what they say but you know what, I believe power is given only to those, who people think are responsible enough, are courageous enough to handle and won't misuse it.

Apart from power my dear Delhi, you have a heart, you have manners that none other city in this country has, there is a reason why people say "Dilli dil walon ki" because you do not discriminate people on the basis of language they speak, religion they follow, food they eat or the state they belong to. You always welcome people who ever they are and how ever they look, with open arms. You don't drag someone out because he is a Bihari nor do you beat someone till death because he is a Marathi. You just accept them the way they are and give them shelter and food.

In this chilly, foggy weather, even you must be feeling to lie back in a cozy blanket or sip a cup of hot coffee, but you can't... you cannot even dream about it, because if you start dreaming who will look after your people? Everyone is talking about the gang rape that took place last Sunday and everybody thinks that you are responsible for it, but they do not know that in a huge and powerful city like you, mishaps can take place even when you bat an eye lid and of course, you have to bat your eyelids, else how are you going to watch your people?

Delhi, I salute you for the courage that you have portrayed over the years. The protest that your people are showing all over the city, for past two days is commendable. What for thousands and thousands of students and professionals would spend a weekend in the spine chilling temperature of 8 degrees, bearing the lathi charge, tear gas and worst of all water showers of police and still not giving up? School girls from which city in this country will lie down in front of police jeeps and buses to stop them from driving thousands of people from India gate to far away places. Who on earth would like come back to India gate on the same day, wading through the dense fog all the way from UP and Haryana borders where the police has forcibly dragged them to? I saw people masking there faces with handkerchiefs and scarves to save themselves from the effect of tear gas, getting totally drenched with the water showers in the Dilli ki sardi, students from schools and colleges spending the night in front of Presidential House without worring about there per-board and final exams, senior citizens bearing the lathi charge, getting dragged away but still fighting there way back to India gate but not giving up, just not giving up. But what for are they doing all this? For a girl who meant nothing to anyone of them... for a girl whom they have never seen in there life and who they will never see again... for a girl, who has minute hopes of living... just because she is living in the city they live in, walking on the roads they walk on, eating in the restaurants they dine in? No, they are fighting for humanity. They do not know who the girl is and what cast or religion she belongs to, all they know is that she is a human being and since this monstrous act was done to her, they have to fight for her. You see Delhi, the people who reside in you are "responsible", responsible to know and understand their rights and duties, to fight for their rights and follow their duties.

People blame you because the girl was raped by a handful of men (I don't know if I should even call them men) who were residing in Delhi but people never appreciate you for the thousands of men who gathered together to fight for justice to that girl. How many cities in this country have you seen people protesting in thousands and lakhs against the misconduct done by a handful of people against someone. If you ask me, I have seen none. When bomb blasts shook Mumbai locals, or when the prestigious Taj Mahal hotel or the CST was attacked, Mumbaikars proudly said, "Life never stops in Mumbai... we moved on, on our own pace... we did not stop. Life in Mumbai was normal the very next day." Yes you moved on... nor did you bother to fight or protest against the ill effects of terrorism. You were so busy in your life that you never had enough time to stop and even light a candle or tie a black ribbon to show your protest. Selfish!

Delhi, I've seen you fight against the evils, fight against crime, fight against the corruption, be it when Team Anna that visited to fight against corruption or be it when Baba Ramdev visited the city to fight to bring back the black money. I don't know about the others but I appreciate you for your courage, your strength and your unity. I have been loving you since my childhood and I will continue loving you no matter what, because I know that you are watching, for I know that you are taking proper care. You Delhi, groom and treat each and every citizen the same way, it's their choice what they grow up to, a criminal or social worker, you are no where responsible for an individual's behaviour, all you are responsible for is the way you treat them and I'm sure that you treat them well, else each and every person residing in you would have been a rapist, which is not the case. So cheer up and continue fighting, if not for anyone else, for the people who reside in you, for those who trust you for their food and shelter, for those who love you and will always love you. It's a bit foggy right now, but I am sure that soon the fog will fade away and Sun will smile on you again, just like it happens at the end of winter, every year. I know it's very easy to ask you fight for the right sitting at home wrapped in a warm cozy blanket, but that's all I can do right now, motivate you. With a hope that you are feeling a little better now, I end this letter and pray to God to give you the strength and courage to fight for your rights.

With a warm hug,
Trioenx.

Random Thought #7

The problem with life is that it gives too many options when u need none and there's no fork in the road when u need a change!

Move on...

Just when I decided to put my past behind and move on... the people from my past suddenly started to reappear in my life, making me remember the things that happened then.

The only good thing is that, this time... we are on the same level.

Life indeed is crazy.