Cinema and the Art of Suicidal Adulation

A businessman named Vishnuvardhan, who worked in the Kannada film industry, passed away today. He worked as a lead actor and made money, name and fame in the process. However, he must not have been too popular, as his death has resulted in only one fan-suicide, and only a few buses got burnt to cinders.

As an intelligent nation, we would hope for a similar aftermath when someone like Kiran Bedi or Medha Patkar dies. I mean, how else do you explain adulation, especially given that the Bedis and Patkars have genuinely contributed to social change. But then, they can't act, do rain dances with starlets half their age, or or promote hedonism. I don't want to own property in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad or Bombay. You never know...

Sarcasm aside, Vishnuvardhan was (strange for the cinematic world, though) a genuinely good man.

Now here to nowhere

In an air-conditioned car in Egmore, Chennai.

Just passed by two naked urchins (who were eating something that someone had probably tossed to the bin), while thinking about another Youth conference that is looming over my conscience. Where do we go from here? Between the speech and the report, where lies our duty to God? In the deliverance for the collective cause, introspection of our personal responsibility seems irrelevant.

Incidentally, I discovered through a past-life regression session years back, that, I was an English orphaned girl in Chennai in my previous life. True? Don't know. Relevant? Absolutely. Between his street and my seat, there is a lifetime of unrequited Grace.

Invalid Introduction

I always begin a speech with these words. Ironical.

Christmas 2009

Barring a few sporadic incidents of excited-filled aggression by the children, Xmas bhajan was a largely peaceful demonstration of the children's love for Santa Claus, and especially his gifts. Since I am very scared of people getting touchy when touched, I will use fictitious names, going forward.

Although Sadeep is a bachelor, he did a remarkably good job at being Santa. And since I had advised him to be inside the Mandir only with pure thoughts (which he lacks considerably), he made sure he didnt stay inside too long, and jogged in and out very quickly. His outfit also fitted him well. Sadeep also had two plastic bells slung over his Santa belt that symbolizes his bacherlor status. Although he was petrified about making no mistakes, he still managed to make it a flawful act by forgetting the gift at the altar. Well done to our very own Santa, although he is a bachelor. It takes more than grey plastic bells to get married, it takes bells of steel, which he will figure out soon. In his own words, and misquoting him verbatim: "Although I am a bachelor, I think I did an excellent job. In fact, I am sure I did an excellent job because I am GSB. Also, I broke my personal record for the maximum photographs of myself in one day, though I will need to explain to everyone that it's me behind that fake moustache which I am still chewing on."

On the whole, it was a great effort. Everyone was jolly, generally, and specifically. Memorable incidents include:

1. Jeeet's propensity to photograph anything that moved (or didnt)

2. Sadeep's magnum opus pillar decoration which took three hours to be done so that Nowneet and I could undo it and finish it off in twenty minutes

3. Alti's wonderful Santa on a reindeer montage (although Santa's cheeks were puffed pink, not necessarily due to beer, could have been due to cognac, champagne, or even vodka)

4. Rojesh's standard operating procedure as soon as he reaches anywhere,- grab some food

5. Sateysh's regular dashing entry at 8.45 PM

6. Geresh's tension that he generously distributed to everyone else

7. Santa's complaint of his false moustache being unconscioulsy eaten away by his mouth

8. Nowneet's exclusive head that rains sweat when he dons that shapely cap with that funny thing at the tip

9. Akshitha at her usual graceful best; always unconsciously reconfirming that she is indeed, my daughter

10. The highlight of the day was when one of the children exposed our man, and reconfirmed to all and sundry that he was not actually Santa, because, if you noticed very, very carefully, he was not wearing red socks

Apart from the pejorative and the Telugu film-style suggestions, there is a Christian saying, which Christians are not really used to saying: The Last Christian died on the cross. We should endeavour to change that to: The first Christian died on the cross. 120 children would have died from hunger during the time I took to pen this post. Let us live as if every moment is Christmas, every moment is an opportunity to thank God for all that He has blessed us with, which we always forget to remember.

Unipolar syndrome

Once you are in a spiritual path, you find something negative in everybody and everything. To stay positive does not remain an option, it becomes a necessity.

Hunger for fast

Andhra should be the birth-place of creativity. Taking a cue from the Telangana trick, I am planning a fast unto publicity to carve out a separate state for my house-plot in Trichur.

God is in the details

God is perfection. Approximation is not human. 89 degrees is not right-angle.

The bridge between approximation and perfection may take two lifetimes to cross, but it is undoubtedly one that all spiritual aspirants must step on.

Within the fold of Swami's robe lies the grace of God.

Graceful gorilla

One of us mentioned the other day about me being really arrogant. Although I appreciate the genuine consideration behind the candour, I doubt I have changed from the Tercel to the 7 series.

Arrogant. Don't think so. Blunt. Yes. Bluntness is often confused with arrogance, the same as misconstruing everything sweet as diabetic.

You might end up being a self-made PR disaster, but then, PR is for the real world society. When your head is in the forest, that shouldn't be your primary concern.

Blind realism

Optimism is essential to success; realism, more so. Realism is optimism tempered with experience.

Coincidental Health and Global Harming

Spent the weekend in Rotana Al Ain. Nothing extraordinarily interesting about the hotel or the place. But something about the menu struck me. Maybe I haven't noticed before, but, this was the first time any menu in any star hotel had notes on the state of the food as well. In addition to the standard V for vegetarian, it also had H for healthy (hotels usually qualify by saying low-calorie or something to this effect).

On quick count, around half of the V marked dishes were also marked H, while, not one of the Non-vegetarian dishes was marked H, and with the menu being nearly 90% non-vegetarian, ninety percent of the dishes served by this hotel were not considered healthy by its own admission. This should be the first instance of a business enterprise denouncing its own products.

Of course, coincidentally, and with Copenhagen in the news, livestock account for 15-20% of global methane emissions--about 3 percent of global warming from all gases. Every second, one football field of rainforest is destroyed to produce 257 hamburgers, while each burger consumes only from 600-1,300 gallons of water to reach your tray; the same serving of rice takes a mighty 35 gallons.

I don't know if there is any clumsy connection in this whole post.

Counting others' blessings

In Mookambika, we were witness to the Arangetram of a Bharatanatyam student. She must have been around 18 and danced like a butterfly, arms caressing the holy air, eyes singing songs of devotion. It was just another Arangetram, but for the fact that she had only one leg.

If we don't learn to count our blessings, we won't have much left to count very soon.

Stretching the Mile

To modify Mile's Law based on individuals in our organization:

How you stand depends on where you sit, and where you sit depends on how you stood.

Living life by the kilometre

Going by experience, I have figured out that the answer to the following question will give you a fair idea of the pace of life in a city: How long will it take to get there?

If the taxi guy replies in kilometers, it's got to be a laid-back life where you are; if he responds in minutes, you must be in Dubai or New York.

Coming Home

Had Darshan of the Avatar around 5 hours back. Interesting that He did not use the car, so it was a close encounter of the third spiritual kind. As He was moving towards us, I could not help but reflect that He is so serious nowadays. Perhaps to respond, in just a few seconds after my thought, He suddenly broke out into a smile that evolved into a wide grin and it continued till I could see His face no more! Such is He!

Also, for my psychological satisfaction, the eyes met momentarily, eye to I, I to Eye, I to I. Will leave the Abode after morning Darshan (if there will be one).