Cinema

People think becoming an is the end of it. I would say everything starts afterward, says Ira. It was another humid day during pre-monsoon in Mumbai and, I was sitting inside a crowded CCD, sipping my cold coffee in one corner.
Ira is in her early 20’s, round face with cute dimples and an athletic build. It felt like she returned from the gym or some dance class. The multiple piercing of ears and tattoos in her hands made her cast of some Hollywood movie already.

The person sitting in my next chair had left and, Ira had appeared with her broad smile. She asked if I am reading some ghost story, I said almost. I think it was cinema and stories of Satyajit Ray which started our conversation. Ira is from Ranchi and is in Mumbai now to make wings to her dream. Like many others in her age, she also thinks of making her name in Bollywood. It all started after her participation in the local beauty contest. It won her a few modeling assignments.

She mentioned how her first break as a cast in Bollywood put his family in shock. Her mother celebrated, her father was furious, and her brother was in rage and still not with her in talking terms. All because reel life portrayed her as an escort in that cast.

She mentioned the life of an actress is till the ’30s and, she has another decade ahead of hers. Life on-screen is different than reality. Acceptance, expectation, pressure, and morality are a few things one has to keep questioning daily. She starts her day on Instagram connecting with her fans and rest on running door to door at one or the other production house. Life has been a mixed bag for her, but she is not a quitter. She has been saving from her work, living frugally with three other friends who like her trying luck in Bollywood.

I had a meeting in another hour, so I exchanged pleasantries and left. I could have exchanged our numbers, but kind of Dork I am, I did not.

Fast forward seven years, I found her name trending on Twitter. She is making it big with a star kid in an upcoming romantic movie. Ira arrived with a big bang in her early 30’s. Her hometown and mother must be very happy and proud of him.

end

The challenging part of writing any story for me is its end. I feel so stuck at it. It is like a tunnel with no end. I have over a dozen stories lined without the endings.

I was told to drink some coffee, take walks. It helps at some times. But mostly it makes me an insomniac. Is this every writer has to go through? I don’t know.

Bewra

They would call him Bewra (a drunkard). He looked athletic with a broad chest and around 6 ft in height. He would wear the same torn jeans and a cap written “Attitude” on it. His eyes were brown and, his unshaven mustache, hair made him look like a hippie of the ’80s.

He looked like someone from a wealthy family, not a homeless begging for money to quench his thirst for alcohol. Sometimes he would address himself as Ajit Chaudhary while another Salman Khan or Sunny Deol, depending on what Bollywood actors are hot or in the news.

I would see him in the afternoon while going for my maths tutions. Some days he would dance break free or another sing in loud, mostly romantic broken heart songs. I would wonder if he is some detective or police informer in disguise of his looks. Other times seeing him crying, singing made me feel as if it was broken love. Sometimes we friends would joke if he is playing a character from some Bollywood movie or preparing for a big break in cinema.

Last year December, my hometown visit, I asked shopkeepers about bewra. They told me he moved to Vrindavan with the visiting Sadhus. The government banned alcohol in Bihar and, Bewra liked drinking quality alcohol.

Last week I saw the news about a stampede at a temple in Vrindavan. Among the death victims, he was also there. He had not aged at all, same mischievous smile with eyes closed. To my utter surprise, what was he doing at a temple? Many questions kept on hitting my head. Did Ajit Chaudhary turn into a Sadhu, offering devotion to Lord Krishna? What Corona or Alcoholism did not do, stampede did to him. Will they cremate, put it in fire, or throw him in the river for fish?

RIP Ajit.

the catch

Chinamma is a stout lady in her early 60’s. She had a few chickenpox marks on her face. She was wearing a red sari, jewelry in her ear, nose, and a gold chain on her neck. She was not an ordinary fish seller. Her basket had a fresh catch of Pomfret, Bhetki, Rawas apart from Crab and Prawns.

I met her during the Monsoon season when the sea behaves unevenly because of rain and wind. But fishermen venture into the sea to kill their hunger, feed the family. The risk is worth taking.

She would wake up early morning to escort her husband, son, and grandson to the nearby beach. They would have a meal and pray before venturing to the sea for a good catch.

A devout of Lord Vishnu, she did monthly fasts and avoided eating meat, fish on those rare days. On the other days, she could not avoid eating fish. She mentioned that both her daughters are happily married and lives in Bangalore. In 2012 July month, her husband bought a catch of a Pomfret. One of the fish looked unusual in size. Chinamma cut the fish in half and noticed small glittery stones apart from the intestine and river of blood. It appeared like some miracle. She prayed to her Lord Vishnu, washed those stones, and took it to the village priest. The pious man returned half of the stone to her and kept half as a donation.

If you are driving on the national highway 66 between Karwar and Kundapur, you will find a big temple of Lord Vishu. People across the state visit it.

I asked Chinamma, why after all the money, she continues in this business. She replied this is the only thing she is good at and enjoys doing. She does not want to retire at home watching TV but, she likes talking, meeting locals. That is her way of life.

hold

We hold on to our past. We compare our present to it. In some instances, we celebrate while suffer in rest. I have known some people constantly living and dying in the past. They gave up their purpose after losing money or loved ones. I have also seen some moving break free, fearless from their past, and making the best of their present.

Our life is a gift. We are better than the cattle: artificially born for consumption or a larva born to die in few days. How much do we have to hold on to our past and live miserably?

Importance

Our sufferings are interlinked with externalities. In short, on things or circumstances which are not in our control.

Our human mind and our ego seek validation, holds grudges and unmet desires. In most of the occasion, it puts importance on externalities.

How many days and hours; we have wasted on what others would think about us. How many days and hours; we wasted in mending a broken relationship. How much we have suffered because of others cheating with us in life, business.

Some would say: we could have been more aware, true. But still, does it guarantee the avoidance of pain and suffering?

disconnect

Masterpiece requires sincerity, dedication, and a lot of focus. It requires a complete disconnect from the noisy world or society which thrives on making news.

Most geniuses spent time most with themselves; they enjoyed being with themselves, their idleness and solitude. They avoided distraction at all costs. They had a few close aides they spent their time.

It is easy to get lost, lose focus and get into the rabbit hole of social media or socializing. We end up forgetting our purpose in life.

Carl Jung built a separate home where he dedicated most of his time reading, researching. He would chop woods, heat water, and spent the most productive part of his time.

Creativity

In the previous post, I wrote about the routine, schedule of famous writers, painters. Now I am playing a devil’s advocate: Do we need a timetable for creativity? Doesn’t creativity come in a burst at any random intervals via various events? Is it not like throwing the challenge to our mind and subconscious part of us doing the rest? 

One of the examples that come to my mind is Issac Newton’s relativity theory after apple falling on him. Another one is Archimedes in a bathtub finding the principle of the buoyant force. There could be numerous others. 

I feel creativity requires hard work, but it is beyond the boundaries of a timetable or schedule. It is free-flowing like air or river. 

position

Some of us start living our life, carry our actions because of our allocated position at work or an organization. Do we not know these are temporary?

A colonel serving an Army enjoys his luxury and authority till he is on duty.

After retirement, they become an ordinary citizen. The same goes for a lawmaker or parliamentarian.

The sooner we realize it, the easier it will be to stay detached and live rationally. We will not be part of the bubble and live our life instead of living the temporary position.

routine

Procrastination is a reason for the existence of many industries. It is an accepted human vice.

I am reading this book: daily rituals. It cites how the best in art started their day. What powered them to create their masterpiece. Everything comes down to their successful daily routine and sticking to it.

In the book: the power of habits, the author talks about relators/associators. What it means is associating tasks together. Like wake up, make a coffee and get to writing. Or pick your headphone, blast some music and run. Or listen to some instrumentals and read. I found this inciteful.

It could vary from person to person. So pick a few relators, make a routine and kill procrastination