Equilibrium

A quick translation (in meaning, not verbatim) of an important lesson in the movie-

This world is divided in two types of people ONLY- Winners and Losers; If you ARE NOT winning, you ARE losing; it is never the other way round.

If you belong to losers, and want to make it to the winners, you HAVE TO turn your life topsitervy.

Q. Who is your enemy?

A: Everybody other than you.

—

A couple of things that I have learned in my student life, which will be more than true for the life to come.

Don’t make too many mistakes, be quick, be vigilant. Others around you are there to NAIL you. Beware. At a new place (job, lab, etc), work doubly hard (at least, more the better) for first six months to KNOW the system (from a friend’s advice). And, TURN IT AROUND, when you feel you are not among the  winners. Dont miss opportunity. Grab it!! Others are there to NAIL you. Others are there to NAIL you. Others are there to NAIL you. Others are there to NAIL you. The sentence is repeated for a purpose.

Following 12 attributes/ sentences were wrote about Mr. Bachchan on his 66th b’day:

1. Amitabh Bachchan is an insomniac. He sleeps just 2 hours every night from 3 am to 5 am. Don’t you wonder where he gets all the energy from?

2. He loves Indian junk food and can treat himself to Kachoris and Bhajias at any given time. He was even hospitalized once due to an overdose of his favourite Kachoris!

3. When it comes to dressing up, it is Kurta Pyjama that works for the star.

4. On his birthday, Big B always wears white, a colour associated with purity and peace.

5. The megastar is a good boss and his servants, be it his makeup man Deepak Sawant or his Man Friday or his driver, have been with him for 30 long years.

6. It is Indian food that excites Bahchcan’s taste-buds. And whichever city in whichever country he is visiting, the superstar is always cued in about the local restaurants serving Indian food. So don’t be surprised if you are in Bangkok and still find Roti, Sabzi and Dal-Rice on his plate.

7. Whenever out of home, Bachchan always stays in Presidential suites in a hotel. Be it then the Raj Vilas in Rajasthan or a seven star hotel in Toronto.

8. Unlike the many late lateef Bollywood celebs, Amitabh Bachchan is a punctual man. He knows how to keep time and the story goes that many a times he used to open the gates of Filmistan Studios himself for he used to reach the place before the watchman or gatekeeper.

9. With being a foodie, the star is also a fitness freak and sweats it out for 2 hours daily in the gym. His regime starts from 6 am to 8 am and has been trained by Vrinda Mehta.

10. Big B has a watch fixation. He is into collecting watches big time and till date no one knows how many watches he has.

11. Bachchan is passionate about driving and he babies his cars. Whenever going out, the father and son Amitabh and Abhishek always get into a disagreement on who will drive the White Bentley. One saw the glimpse of Bachchan’s this side in the movies Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Baabul . In KANK , Abhishek was always finding ways to trick his dad Amitabh to hand over the red car keys to him. Amitabh’s passion for cars was quite evident. Also, in Baabul , Amitabh and Salman were seen having a car chase competition.

12. For Bachchan, the driver takes a back seat for the star loves to take charge of the steering wheel. Big B used to drive from Jalsa to Prateeksha everyday in one of his favourite cars to visit his mother. And there would be fans waiting to get the glimpse of the actor driving down the lane to his house at 8.30 in the morning.

I have tried to classify them in three catagories. A, B, C can illustrate it. I was wondering that why we get awed by what megastars do in their life. The “analytical” me could not stop myself from analyzing this one too. Only 1/3rd of the things in Mr. Bachchan’s life are “special”, but more importantly, those 33% make him the man he is. The ability and desire to go an extra mile is rarity.

A. The reason why he is BigB (These things qualify for being the reasons for him achieving great heights; I am not talking about how tall he is.) - (12, 8, 5, 1)

B. The things he can do because he is BigB. (10, 7)

C. Random things or hobbies that may be found in any person. (11, 9, 6, 3, 4, 2)

Well, this one is funny. I was fuming with anger and yet had to control myself to get things done. An year back, I got a new tooth-bridge done since the doctor had mentioned that the made in India had some problems. I was ok with it and I paid about USD 800 for it (w/o insurance, it would have been 3400). This month, I had a feeling that the bridge was a bit ‘rocky’, just like a tiny bit of rocking tendency. Ideally it be ok for 10 years, once done. So, when I went to the doctor, he said, he will have to redo it and they wont charge me a penny. I was ok with it. He said, since it will be done free, there will have to be some bean-counting to be done and that I should hear back from them within a couple of days (Once he said this week and then he said next week.)

Now the fun starts - I was waiting for a call from the dental office. I waied the last two days of that week. No response. I waited the next whole week till friday and still no response. I then called the office and I was told that the concerned person was on leave for friday. I left a voice message and expected herto call back on Monday. No response. I called back and left a voice message and still after a day, again no response. I was fuming. Finally I called up on Wednesday morning and when no one ready to answer my question, I raised my voice quite a bit. I left a “quite” stern voice message on her phone and fumed at the secretary with a controlled agression. The next minute, the concerned person took my phone (I was told that she was just walking by - A complete lie, but I did not say anything since I need to get the job done.) Then I was “quite” adamant to know the reason of them ignoring my calls and not providing any concrete answers. Within minutes, she had got hold of people and the concerned doctor and gave me an appoinment (appointment after 20 days, which is ridiculous, but had no option.)

All the time I was trying to polite - Things did not work.

The minute I raised my voice - Things worked.

Not every time, raising one’s voice is good, but sometimes, one just has to do that bit to get things through the bureaucracy. This sucks big time, but that is how things are supposed to work.

Well, there is an “essay-writing competition” coming up. I will avoid mentioning the name of the competition, since I do not want to attract too much attention to the name of it from my blog space. But, once I send my entry off to them, I will mention it here.

More about the competition - It needs essays in any language (preferred in Marathi since they will be translated, if accepted), from NRIs and ex-NRIs. The theme of the essay is pretty unique in its own sense and pretty general, in another vein. The theme is “Passion of Marathi Manus” and that passion according to the organizers of the competition can be about - reservation policy, infighting between “Marathi Mandal”, Dating, Bollywood, Indian TV serials, Impact of cricket, hypocrisy of USA, Corruption in India, Religion and its relevance, India as superpower in 2020, professionalism in the West, Indian classical music, Sachin Tendulkar, Sandeep Khare, enterpreneurial spirit of the West, a life changing event that happened in your own life or in your family or a friend, an idea or a custom that you have seen/ experienced in your life abroad or in India that you feel passionately about and an idea that you think is relevant to making difference in people’s lives or the way things are done now.

Well, here are my takes on each of the topic, while I am deciding to write mine. The underlined do have some scope. Others are a no go.

Reservation policy: A dead and beaten horse - but still a good one by writing it from “make it 100% reservation” perspective.

Infighting between “Marathi Mandal”: “Fuska” topic.

Dating: I thought about it, especially from the “matrimony” viewpoint.

Bollywood: Nothing great.

Indian TV serials: A trite topic.

Impact of cricket: A dead and beaten horse.

Hypocrisy of USA: Well, I love United States and I love India - I don’t think either is doing anything wrong purposely and a lot of it has to do something with capturing space - political, physiological and every other kind.

Corruption in India: I don’t have to write about it.

Religion and its relevance: I could write about Hindu religion, but then I am no expert.

India as superpower in 2020: This is a myth.

Professionalism in the West: Well, I have some reservations about it - since I doubt its truthfulness.

Indian classical music: What is “taka tak” about it?

Sachin Tendulkar: I think only Don Bradman should write this one.

Sandeep Khare: No comments.

Enterpreneurial spirit of the West: This can be very interesting, but again my knowledge is not good enough to comment on it.

A life changing event that happened in your own life or in your family or a friend: There is one at least, but I do not like to put it in the public domain. I definitely thought about it, but I do not want to market an experience.

An idea or a custom that you have seen/ experienced in your life abroad or in India that you feel passionately about: Well “host family in Clemson” is a topic. I am thinking about, but I am not sure, if it has enough tequila in it. There is another one “water not being served in US restaurants”

An idea that you think is relevant to making difference in people’s lives or the way things are done now: Not a great ‘tequila’ topic

The more I think about a possible good topic, I am getting more confused about it. It is tough to think about a good topic. It is like choosing a good project. If someone gives you a topic, you can start researching immediately, but to find one good topic and then follow it up with a good plan is tough.

Let me think critically..

Neena Kulkarni produced and acted in a movie named Shevri (meaning - insignificant). Well, actingwise - not doubt, it was a movie with powerpacked performances - from all three - Neena Kulkarni (Mrs. Barve), Dileep Prabhavalkar (Shindhe, as it is pronounced in the movie) and Ravindra Mankani (albeit in a small role as Mr. Barve). Well, Mankani gives a perfect act of husband who does not care a damn about anything. Mrs. Barve’s act as a helpless “left-alone” wife sharing a room and trying to make both ends meet is superb. Her wanderings through red light area, conversations with her mother and son and her quest for peace is brilliant. Dileep Prabhavalkar - Has he ever given a performance less than a 100%? This actor is ‘inside’ a role, once he gets it. I cannot imagine anyone else in that role and it is the shear brilliance of the man.

Only one question and one comment -

Question: If this happened to a man, how would the story unfurl? (this: meaning if a wife thinks that she is bored of family life and wants to leave her man alone on the streets.)

Comment: Too many expressions where I exclaimed ‘Hyperbole!’. I found many instances in the film which are hard to imagine to be happening in real life. It is possible, but very very rare.

below excerpt from rediff -

Of all the multitudes of deities and gods that constitute the Hindu religion, Lord Ganesha is probably one of the most loved and revered of all, regardless of individual beliefs and customs. Considered the god of good beginnings and wisdom, it is in his name that new ventures are undertaken and important life decisions made. While there are many spiritual lessons to be learned from the stories of Lord Ganesha, there are some lessons that find a place in our every-day professional and personal lives as well. We take a look at some of them.

Act in good faith
Whatever Lord Ganesha undertook, he undertook with conviction and self-belief. It was the belief that his actions were in his and his mother Parvati’s best interests is what governed his thoughts and translated into challenging acts, feats that improved his abilities and honed his skills.
It is this that we need to inculcate in ourselves, in the way we work. Any job, if it is worth doing, is worth doing well. Whatever the task you are faced with, face it with courage and conviction and do it to the best of your ability. At the end of the day, even if your effort goes unrecognised, you have the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it your best shot.

Depend on yourself
One of the other names Ganesha is known as is Vinayak, meaning master of oneself. This signifies independence in thought and action. Whether in one’s professional or personal life, one must act on one’s beliefs after due consideration of relevant factors. Take ownership and responsibility for your actions and their outcome. Just knowing that you alone are responsible will make you take the decision that much more seriously.

Every obstacle can be overcome
Lord Ganesha is also known as Vigneshwara, one who removes obstacles. It is for this reason that he is invoked in times of crisis by believers and also why business ventures are started with a puja (prayer ceremony) in his name. Removing obstacles is his religion.
To take this a step further, one must believe that every obstacle can be overcome. One must also make removing obstacles a dharma in one’s own life. Whether in your professional or personal life, with the right attitude — a never-say-die attitude — even what seems like the most insurmountable difficulty can be handled without your world falling to pieces. All you need is faith in yourself.

Modesty
Lord Ganesha is considered one of the most powerful gods in Hinduism, unlike the other gods who choose bejeweled chariots, his vehicle is the modest mouse. The mouse is seen to signify darkness and, as the Lord’s vehicle, is believed to signify the journey from darkness (or ignorance) to light or enlightenment.
Another interpretation is that Ganesha wins hearts through simple methods, and this too holds a lesson. A shiny car or extravagant lifestyle might impress, but to win hearts, the simplest way is through one’s actions — through simple gestures of affection and respect.

Seek knowledge
While Lord Ganesha has been attributed with many of the qualities proverbially credited to elephants, the most well-known are the ears and trunk — which suggest curiosity, the quest for wisdom and knowledge. His large head and ears are said to indicate an open-minded attitude that helps him accrue wisdom.
These are qualities that we could do well to adopt to improve and grow as a person. Read, explore, listen and learn — nothing is irrelevant and nothing insignificant. Only when one educates oneself and listens to all sides of an argument can one judge what one truly believes in, what one wants and how it can be achieved. that every obstacle can be overcome. One must also make removing obstacles a dharma in one’s own life. Whether in your professional or personal life, with the right attitude — a never-say-die attitude — even what seems like the most insurmountable difficulty can be handled without your world falling to pieces. All you need is faith in yourself.

A son goes from India’s village to London, to find his father. His interaction with his driver friend (his father in disguise) was excellent. Bharat Jadhav (son) and Mohan Joshi (dad) perform their roles with perfection. The only thing that I did not like was the end of the movie. The end was not wrong, but it came so abruptly that a long story of three hours came to an end in a minute. It could have been a nice 10 minutes scene. I would have liked if Mohan Joshi’s 2nd British wife had a few lines to say. But, a very nice movie made out of a simple story of a son finding his father.