Of Personal Space & Solitude

"There is a Voice which does not use words. Listen."

                                                                                                           -Rumi

Solitude is not the fate of men until chosen by men themselves. Men choose their own fate, the firm believers in existentialism say. Self-esteem is to men, what is beauty to women & for them, the disrespect of their personal space and the need to listen to their inner voice paves the way for solitude.

Great wars have been fought to preserve the self-respect of 'great men'. But every man need not be 'great' & every war need not kill bodies. The lazy ones prefer to burn the souls. Their war is not the 'great' war. Their war is not merely about the material existence. Theirs is the little war within themselves. The little war to create the fine line between what they want and what they don't at every stage of life, the little war to figure out who they are and who they aren't, the little war to have an ideological control over their emotions & the little war to always remember and follow the outcomes of their deep introspection and contemplation.

Milan Kundera, through his fictional work in the masterpiece "The unbearable Lightness of Being" introduces the rule of three. The Novel circles around a divorced libertine, Tomas who falls prey to the feeling of compassion for one of his preys or sensual partners as he prefers to call them. Tomas' rule of three dictates that you either see them (his mistresses) over a long period of time but must allow three weeks to pass between consecutive encounters, or you see them up to three times in quick succession but then never again. Such vast are the boundaries of his personal space that he came up with such an algorithm that his lust for the personal space appeared to overshadow his lust for women & left him in solitude in the eyes of the world but should men that strong, with such strong endeavor, with such firm resolution care if they appear weak in the eyes of others?

The story of Religion : After the creation of modern nation states

"I can not believe in god who wants to be praised all the time"

                                                                                                                                             -Friedrich Nietzsche

Throughout the History of mankind, philosophers and intellectuals have always hoped and tried for peace and prosperity through various means. The earlier ones discovered religions & god and called themselves messengers & prophets to further strengthen their claims to spread the fear of god and the fear of ending up in hell. It may not be true that they must have really wanted themselves to be called messengers but that is how common men have always been fooled to achieve the greater goals. Unfortunately, majority of mankind has always been stupid and this has been our way to deal with them.

Towards Nationalism 

After Renaissance, people started questioning the very basis of religion even if they had to suffer harsh atrocities at the hands of these institutions. By the start of 19th century, the concept of nationalism caused another revolution and people even started discussing if we even needed religion for the purpose was being served by nationalism. Various countries made idols to personify the nations and people started worshiping them. So, what was the logic behind nationalism? 

To start with, the societies had become so diverse, specially in the Americas, that the only uniting force was the concept of nationalism. When the thirteen colonies of America united in 1776 to form the USA and overthrow the British imperialists, nationalism was conceived in the modern era.

Towards Secularism

When democratic nations were being formed and constitutions were being framed, various threats to democracy were being analysed. And one the biggest threats was religion, of course. So, the term secularism was coined. Secularism, a belief system that rejects religion, or the belief that religion should not be part of the affairs of the state or part of public education. After all, modern states couldn't be and shouldn't be run based on religions which for centuries have said impractical things and narrated stories of men flying and beasts talking. 

Is secularism already dead?

The christian countries were all successful in eliminating religious extremism. Some Muslim countries like Turkey and Iran were doing fine too till Shah was overthrown in 1979. For others, they had communism. The communist North Korea went as far as to ban the Bible and even reject the much practiced concept of relating years with respect to Christ's birth. But the rising religious extremism around the world in recent years shows something is wrong with the implementation of secularism. If you look carefully, secularism died the very day UN decided to create a Jewish State in 1945. It was followed by the "Two nation theory" given by the British government in 1947 to divide India. UN has been unable to solve the India-Pakistan & Israel-Palestine conflicts till date. After the cold war ceased, the Islamic extremism in the Middle East & these two conflicts alone have accounted for the majority of the terrorist incidents throughout the world. 

Present Scenario

For centuries, the radical Islamists are chasing the mirage of creating an Islamic state and have always failed to do so only to kill their fellow Muslims. The absurd concepts of Jihad and Sharia have been used to whitewash the brains of millions just to gain political control. The situation has become so worse that the protesters have demanded Sharia even in countries like Germany, Britain & Canada where the same people sought refuge after they ran away from their countries when failed to keep up with the same absurd demands. What an irony!
In India too, the rise of Hindu extremist groups is a perilous situation. I won't be surprised if it takes the shape of Taliban in another 15-20 years. Again, the very thing they pretend to oppose. 

Conclusion

We need to do away with bigots and religious extremists seeking Sharia in western nations pretending to be victims of the western culture. If you really want sharia, why not go back to Saudi Arabia or Syria and live as their slaves. It should be understood that religion has nothing to do with politics or how people want to live. Religion is a personal choice and it can be a moral guide for the weaker ones who have lost the ability to think rationally but such bigots should stay away from exercising power. Further advocating rationality, I would say that for a better society, bigotry should be discouraged, be it any ideology. At the end of the day we should not be so religious or nationalist as to kill someone who speaks against religion or nation and at the same time so secular that we should kill someone who speaks in favor of it. Extremism is also the extreme end of humanity. 

A Solution to the Kashmir Problem : A Story

Logical Assumption :

With China, India and Pakistan possessing nuclear arms, it is close to impossible for any of the neighbors to occupy each others' territory in Kashmir without a nuclear war. 

Ingredients :

1.Securing the LOC (Army & BSF)

2.Securing the inner regions (RAW & State Police)

3.Zero tolerance to terrorism in the area

Key : 

Destroy the name of the state Jammu and Kashmir on the lines of Nizam's Hyderabad and by completely dividing the area into different states depending upon the ethnicity/language and create new states.

Eshtablishing this :

Jammu and Kashmir, as India calls it, has to be stopped being called Jammu and Kashmir. We will have to see the state handed over by Maharaja Hari Singh to India more closely. The state handed over had five major regions : 

1. Gilgit-Baltistan or the Northern region : At present occupied by Pakistan

2. Azad Kashmir : At present occupied by Pakistan

3. Kashmir Valley : At present occupied by India

4. Jammu : At present occupied by India

5. Aksai Chin : At present occupied by China

A Similar Story from the Past : 

The state "Hyderabad" was forcefully annexed into the Indian territory in 1948. The state of majority of Hindus was ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad, a Muslim. If Hyderabad were to be left as how it was in 1948, the problem of insurgency and independence movements would have continued to occur till this date but it was very tactfully handled by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Home Minister of India back then. He divided the state of Hyderabad into different regions and merged these with different states based on linguistic lines. 

1.Gulbarga and Bidar had Kannada speaking majority, so it was united with Mysore and other regions to create Karnataka. 

2.The Marathi speaking areas were merged with Maharastra 

3.The Telugu speaking areas were united to create Andhra Pradesh, leaving behind Hyderabad as a small city.

Procedure:

On similar lines if the currently Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is divided into three states:

1.Jammu : With Hindu Majority and most people speaking Hindi & Punjabi

2.Leh-Ladakh : With Buddhist influence and most people speaking Ladakhi, Tibetan.

3.Kashmir Valley : With Muslim Majority.

And removing article 370 and AFSPA from the first two states, then the current problem of Jammu and Kashmir reduces to just the Kashmir Valley. Further, Kashmir Valley can be announced as a special territory just like China gives a special status to HongKong. 

Result:

The worst that can happen would be the problem of Kashmir would still prevail but at least, that would just remain in the valley. 

The best that can happen is that India will powerfully control the other two areas having vast potentials in tourism and energy sectors. Looking at the development in the neighboring states, Kashmir Valley, over decades, may itself be willing to remove the article 370 and as a gesture of goodwill, AFSPA may be lifted in a few years. 

PS :

 I don't write political columns or draw political agendas. I am a story-teller and this is my version of one of my stories about the Kashmir problem.

An Open Letter to Anurag Kashyap

What's wrong with Bombay Velvet?

"A Period Crime drama set in 1960's: directed by Anurag Kashyap, starring Ranbir Kapoor, edited by Thelma Schoonmaker and music given by Amit Trivedi."
The marketing line should have been enough for any cinephile to get goosebumps. Atleast to me, it looked like Martin Scorcese and Robert-de-Niro are getting together for the first time. If this combination isn't enough , what more could a cinegoer want! Atleast, the day-1 would have been exploding at the Box-Office.
But No! Flop! Biggest flop of the year. This is what you get Mr. Kashyap. The problem with the indian audience is that the dumb people are all for Khans and Item songs and the intelligent ones are too obsessed with the content. They don't care about your 200 vintage cars, 25,000 kilos of costumes, antique trains, trams, fascinating sets, realism, live-recorded jazz music from Prague. They would have never noticed the extent to which you went into detailing. They never looked at the collars of the shirts your actors were wearing, Tommy guns from Germany! Who cares!

Mr. Kashyap,
In a country where Chetan Bhagat is the Best-Selling Author and Chennai Express and Kick are the biggest box-office hits, you can't expect them to appreciate a movie like that of yours! Even the intelligent ones here are no better than mediocre ones in other countries!
Mediocrity prevails here! I go to the book-stores, I leaf through the best-selling books, I get upset. I go for the movies, I am upset with the 95% of the movies which come out. I remember you talking about Paanch in one of your interviews, where you talked about how a producer talked to you about "Darkness" in the movie (To other people: He meant that the lights were not good!). And this is how, most of our people are!

The other thing Sir, is that your movies in general are dark. There is violence. Censorship is not the only thing you face . You face frustrated people who won't pay you to watch your content. Gangs of Wasseypur did well because you spent less. Fantom's Huterrr did well for the same reason. On one side when we say that the Indian audience is changing, you have to realize that not only a section of it is changing but the people who are changing are only giving chance to movies like Queen, Lunch-box & Piku. These movies have some sort of realism which people relate to, in terms of acting, dialogues and locations. The scripts are good. But the main thing is that these movies have emotional touch and soft comedy as key elements. So, people know these are good movies and at the same time, there is no violence or sex, so they can watch it with their families.
For Example: When I go to watch a movie like Piku, I can carry my whole family along with me and the children too. But when I go for Bombay Velvet I go alone or with someone outside the family. So, Piku earns 1200-1600 bucks from my family while Bombay Velvet just earns 200.

On top of that, the narrative in Bombay Velvet is very experimental. If you could have gone with Rosie Naronha or the Police Officer (played by Kay Kay Menon) narrating the story, as in Gangs of Wasseypur, the movie would have still done a better job. Mr. Kashyap, in India you can't be creative with 120 Crores on board. The creativity which the audience would appreciate and understand here would be only till your last low-budget movie.
I had expected a revolution in the industry with this movie. I guess it just got delayed. A great try!

बाप जी के चरण स्पर्श । 

The Third Cigarette

Sunday Afternoon, September

The message he received was "Thanks", an unnecessary headache, he thought. The issue is that not getting what they think is necessary offends people and getting what is unwanted becomes an unnecessary burden. That was the reply to the link he had sent her to read and review his work. She was supposed to read it, give a brief review and suggest edits. Also he felt that whatever he wrote last had to be crappy, so he just never enjoyed reading that again. So in that case she was also supposed to look for grammatical errors. An awful lot of work! She does it everytime, he never really thought about that but she did it well, every single time.

So, technically he should be the one thanking her and that too after his work was done but she says it anyway, just like that, no reason whatsoever. He has always been this kind, poor at digging for reasons, a burdened task for someone like him. He tried anyway. How can she be so illogical, he thought. She isn't, he knew. She must have been busy with something else and subconsciously typed the typo or overflowed with the feeling of affection or maybe out of conveying the feeling of respect or importance he gives to her, she must have done the illogical, he thought as he smoked two cigarettes sitting in front of his desktop still wondering what to reply or whether or not to reply!

An idea struck. Reply with a smiley, the usual one. Smileys can do a lot, mean a lot and still not offend one, still not express clearly, still sort out things and an easy scapegoat in weird situations as this one, said somebody sometime.

But is it necessary? Who does that? Certainly not him. People do, another voice inside his brain. He could only hear the two voices debating. He couldn't hear what each voice said like most of the debates. The third cigarette was useless. Its like you're just smoking it, its there but its just there, so it maybe necessary but its not as hitty as the first and the second ones, so it might not even be needed. So the same question arises again, Is there a fine line between the necessary and the unnecessary? 

The Sinner

Synopsis :

Set in Global Economic Crisis Era (2007-08), Victor, an unemployed man goes for an interview for a mysterious job. He faces Karen, a recruiting officer who is so dominating that his questions lead to an unexpected revelation of Victor's dark past.    

Legends:

Narrator (Victor (2015))

Victor (2008)

Karen

Scene 1:

EXT | Children’s Park

(A man is sitting over a bench.)

Narrator: To love is not a sin. Me, you, we don't choose our feelings.There are instances in your life which bring out the inner wild animal and then you're okay with it because that little wild animal becomes a part of you and it deserves to be sympathized with and you two can keep your little secrets. Until someone disturbs the inner decorum.They identify your animal, sympathize with it more than you do, nourish it, make it their pet and then show it what it is and show you what you are. And you are left shattered, lonely. But does the animal inside you really die?

Scene:2

INT | Victor's House

(Victor is drinking his coffee and reading the newspaper lying on the table next to him)

Narrator: 2008.Global Economic Crisis.I had graduated in April last year and I had been unemployed for one year and seven months.I had kept looking for jobs, Newspaper Ads. No success. It was 15th of February, 2008. I came across this ad in the newspaper.

Recruiter: Mystic Co.

"Looking for HONEST Employees. Excellent pay. Light Job."

Job Profile : ---

Time: 09:00 AM

Venue: B-32, Mystic Co. ,Victoria Street, Bangalore-47

Victor:

Holy Fuck!

(Cuts the newspaper ad)

Narrator: 2008. Handful of jobs and too many takers. The competition had grown so fierce that hiring itself was a task. That's where they came in, the recruiters. These companies acted as recruiters and guaranteed to pick up the best from the lot. Mystic Co. was one such firm. You wouldn't know who would actually hire you until you clear the recruiter firm's job interview. The more they grilled the aspirants the better was their market value and heftier the sum they collected from their clients, that is, the companies which actually hired us. Middlemen! Bastards! These sons of bitches were the only ones who were doing well even during the Crisis.

(Pauses)

And Mystic Co. was one the best recruiters in the market. There were too many rumors on the streets about their grilling methods. I knew this would be tough.

Scene:3

INT | Dark Room

(Victor looks nervous. A man walks and sits over next to him.)

Narrator: Next thing I remember I was sitting in this room with this heavy guy.Everything else, Dark. Pitch Black. This guy introduces himself as the Chief Recruiter. I don't recall his name though.

K:

Karen (inaudible) Chief Recruiter.

(shakes hands)

Honesty is the highest form of intimacy.

At this firm we accept anything but dishonesty. And you are?

Victor:

Victor Jose.

K:

Again?

Victor:

Victor Jose.

K:

Say again.

Victor:

Victor Jose.

K: (shouts)

Say it again Victor. At this firm we accept anything but dishonesty and you are?

Victor:

Victor Jose. I will be honest Sir.

K:

Well, Okay Victor.We will see. Welcome to Mystic Co. Now let me tell you one thing. You tell a lie, you're outta here. Do you get what I am saying?

Victor:

I do. Yes sir.

K:

Louder.

Victor:

Yes sir.

K:

Okay, Victor then we shall begin with the interview. Not a lie, Okay Victor?

Victor: (Thinks and nods)

K:

What is that?

Victor:

(Loud enough, laughs) Yes Sir.

K:

Is this funny to you? Am I funny Victor?

Victor:

(Nervous) No Sir.

K:

You're not supposed to laugh Victor. You're not supposed to laugh you pigfuck (louder). Say it again.

Victor:

I 'll be honest and I won't laugh.

K: (stares, crooked smile)

Narrator: By this point of time I had known it won't be easy to face the rest of the Interview. I had heard stories and I could see which way it was leading.

K:

Okay Victor.

(stops. Looks at the papers.)

So tell me Victor what is the most important thing for you right now?

Victor: This job.

K: You sure?

Victor: Very sure sir.

K: Say it again.

Victor: Yes sir.

K: Say it again.

Victor:

This job is the most important thing for me right now.

K:

So, you won't back out?

Victor:

Back out of what?

K: (shouts)

This job interview

Victor:

NO Sir.

K:

Okay Victor. Then we shall start with the series of questions we have here. Just answer honestly. You know how much we love honesty Victor. Don't you?

Victor:

Yes Sir.

(Pause)

K:

Are you a good listener?

Victor: (thinks, tilts his head)

Yes, Sir.

K:

Are you thoughtful of your remarks?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Do you consider yourself fit for the job?

Victor:

Yes Sir.

K:

Both mentally and physically?

Victor:

Yes Sir.

K:

Are you sick Victor?

Victor: (Laughs)

No Sir.

K:

You look like a physically fit person Victor. Are you S-I-C-K sick Victor, mentally?

Victor:

No, Sir. I wonder what makes you say that?

K:(Explodes)

You Pigfuck! It is my job to ask and yours to answer. Don't act smart.

Just answer what you're asked or get the fuck outta here. Understand?

Victor:

Yes Sir.

K:

Are you mentally fit?

Victor:

Yes Sir.

K:

Is your life a struggle?

Victor:

No.

K:

Is your life a struggle?

Victor:  

No.

K:

Is your life a struggle?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Do you find it easy to be fair?

Victor(Thinks, tilts his head):

Umm... No.

K:

Are you a good team-worker?

Victor:

Yes, Sir.

K:

How do you know?

Victor:  

Sir, I was a part of...

K: (Ignores, Interrupts midway)

Do you find interest in your co-workers?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Do you find interest in your co-workers?

Victor:  

Yes.

K:

Sexually?

Victor:(Strongly)

No.

K: Are you concerned with the impression you make?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Okay. Thanks. You may leave.

Victor:

What? That's it? I had heard stories. Do I have the job?

K:

No. That's it for you. You think too hard. You interrupt. You are ambivalent.You're concerned more about your image.More than honesty.

Victor:

No, No, No... I really  need this job. You gotta ask me more questions. I am ready. Come on, please.

K:

Okay. Could you answer the next series of questions without blinking your eyes? Without Fear?

Without reluctance?

Victor:

Yes.Yes.Yes..

K:

Answer as quickly as you can.

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Okay. Starting now, you're not to blink.If you blink we go back to start.

Victor: ( Blinks )

K:

Infringement. You blinked.

Victor: (Tries very hard to open both we eyes. Uses his hands to open the eyes wide.)

(Pause)

K:

Are you mentally fit?

Victor:

Yes

K:

Do you show interests in your co-workers?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Sexually?

Victor:

Depends.

K:

Depends on what?

Victor:

Man or woman.

K:

Do you like men?

Victor:

No.

K:

Do you like children?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Sexually?

Victor:

(Blinks, breathes heavily)

K:

Infringement. You blinked.

Victor: (shouts)

Fuck!

(Slaps himself three times)

K:

Back to the start. This is your last chance Victor.

Victor: (Breaths heavily. Then uses his hands again to keep his eyes wide open.)

K:

Are you mentally fit?

Victor:(looks numb and confident)

No.

K:

Do you like men?

Victor:(looks numb and confident)

No.

K:

Do you like children?

Victor:(looks numb and confident)

Yes.

K:

Sexually?

Victor:(looks numb and confident)

Yes.

K:

Are you lying?

Victor:

No.

K:

Have you had sex with anyone inside your family?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Who?

Victor:

My cousin Jasmine.

K:

Are you lying?

Victor:

No.

K:

Are you a liar?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

How old were you?

Victor:

19.

K:

How old was she?

Victor:

11.

K:

How many times have you had sex with Jasmine?

Victor:

Once.

K:

Where is your dad?

Victor:

I don't know.We don't talk.

K:

Is that because of that incident?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Where is your mother?

Victor: (Doesn't blink. Stares. Says nothing.)

K:

Where is your mother?

Victor:

Loony Bin.

K:

Is she a mental patient?

Victor:

Yes.

K:

Is she psychotic?

Victor:(shouts)

Yes.

K:

Do you still talk to Jasmine?

Victor:(shouts)

No.

K:

Why not?

Victor:(shouts)

Because my uncle won't let me.

K:

Have you tried to kidnap her?

Victor:(shouts)

No.

K:

Will you kidnap her?

Victor:

I may.

K:

How come you have had sex with her?

Victor:

I love her. She loves me too. I have seen her growing in front of my eyes. I took care of her. I will take care of her. I 'll marry her and we will elope. Somewhere far from this insane world. She is a my little flower. And I deserve to smell my flower. I fed her. I own her. She is so beautiful. I deserve her more than anyone does. She is my soul-mate. We belong to the same family, that's not our fault. I am not a pedophile. She'll be the same to me even if she is a two year old kid or a hundred year old woman. She will be my lover & I will be her lover.

K:(Reaches out to hold his hand.)

Do you really love her?

Victor:(Cries)

Yes.

K:

Do you think she loves you?

Victor:(Cries)

Yes

K:

Does she love you?

Victor:(Cries, blinks)

(Silence prevails for a couple of seconds.)

K:

You're hired. National Crime Bureau.

CUT TO

Scene 1:

EXT | Children’s Park

Narrator: As it turned out, the whole room was wired and the guy was an agent from the  National Crime Bureau, a secret Government Agency which worked under the name Mystic Co.

Jail-term. Seven years. I have served my time. I am free. I tried doing everything I could to find her. Found no trace of her. Jasmine, love of my life. No regrets. There is Ana. She visits this park every evening. It's about time.

(Looks at his watch)

What a beauty! Jasmine comes back to my life every time Ana sits on my lap. Ana! What a beauty!

THE END

SoundTrack