Memoria

Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria starts with a sonic sensation, a “bang” that wakes up Tilda Swinton’s Jessica Holland. The noise propels her body and thus the narrative, inasmuch as it sets the viewer’s trajectory onto the realms of sound. In other words, the film becomes all about sound; about hearing, listening and feeling; about the whole notions of the smallest details the sound can produce, which we, the viewers-listeners, microdose along with the screening.

In Memoria - the story is driven by a memory of a sound and Jessica’s search to find the source of this sound. The thump which only she can hear while walking, or having a meal with her family - can you imagine how it would feel the disquiet of a weird sound which only you can hear. The first thought would be that it is a dream but that we don’t dream while eating. 

She tries to recreate the sound in a sound studio & then that person disappears (no answer given in the movie) & exasperated she tells her friend - she is going mad. Not able to sleep, she wanders on the outskirts of the city where she meets someone who is like a shaman (in jeans & shirt) who can help her see the dream / go back in time and connect with the sound. And there is a spacecraft which flies off - Was that the source of sound? Maybe. Left to interpretation. It got the Cannes Critics award.

The movie has an extremely slow pace and shots are almost like still shots so the camera will focus on a particular person for 3 minutes while a jazz ensemble is playing in the background. Similarly on sound it is all real sound of forest & birds & trees - for this reason the movie was shot in Columbia. 

I came out feeling lost and only after hearing the interviews & podcasts could make some sense of it. I could then empathize with what Jessica was going through. I have gone through this phase of carrying something on my head or in my dream or suddenly awakened but not able to describe the sensation. For me it was disturbing and the sensation it created could not be described in words for anybody else - so you stay quiet & pass it off as insomnia. Which is what she does. 

You have to be in the character's mind to really appreciate such movies. Many of the movies in MUBI which have world movies (in all possible languages) I come out wondering what it’s all about. You will have to  

Postscript: Next on my list.

In the recent Fahadh Faasil-starrer Malayankunju, set against the calamitous landslides across Kerala in 2019, the full force of the natural disaster is felt like a violent jolt. We hear nothing for a few seconds before and after Faasil’s house comes crashing down. Sound, both the presence and absence of it, plays one of the key role in the movie.

In one of our movie discussions Jai Arjun Singh who conducts these sessions said “If you are seeing Malaykunju, see it when the room is dark, don’t see it on phone, see it on a large screen with a good sound system or with headphones otherwise don’t see it. He was emphatic about it as always”

Floods - 3

Some time back I wrote about the floods and as a cue - On Monday 5th September most parts of Bengaluru was flooded including our basement. Even today there were videos of apartments in Yamlur. The water levels inside the apartment complex was so high that only a tractor could go in. Each villa here costs 8 cr. In the video you could see Lexus, Mercedes and other high end cars completely submerged. 

The rumour is that these apartments were built on top of a storm water drain which blocked the passage of water. There are only 2 kinds of people who can afford a 8 Cr villa - either a business man or a C-Suite professional. I can pardon the businessman for not being knowledgeable or he may have bought for investment. But the other category - did they not know about the possibility of rain water - I doubt because most of them would have pre-booked the apartment when the builder would have just shown the drawings & created a model flat.

In Faridabad Omaxe made us wait for 3 years from the expected date of possession & after that there was no water as the ground water had receded so all water was supplied only through tankers. There are multiple other cases where the builders are primarily responsible but in all the tweets & news nobody is complaining about them. Of course the govt - builder nexus is well known, since they are the final authority they should audit and question these builders even before they start construction.

Tomorrow or the day after, a huge mass of people will rise and start going back to the office, will they remember the experience, and how will they bring in change? I have been asking that question to myself - having decided to be in sustainability space, as I start reading about the Pakistan Floods, Bangalore Floods & earthquake in China & there may be smaller incidents which go undocumented like bleaching of corals or the disappearing antarctic ice - news which appear in one corner of a website and since we are not affected by it, many of us will ignore. 

The more you read you get daunted by the challenge we face. But there are people with twinkle in their eyes & deep knowledge: 

The below article is written by an water expert on what can be done:

https://scroll.in/article/1032209/bengalurus-flood-devastation-is-the-tyranny-of-small-decisions-water-expert-vishwanath-s 

Meet the water warriors. These people I salute. 

https://campaign.thebetterindia.com/indiaswaterwarrior/ 

In sandman when dream fights hell, it’s an imaginary game which is played out and in the last round dream is covered by darkness something like black hole and for a moment hell thinks she will win, but dream breaks the spell by a 4 letter word HOPE - which is what keeps the humanity going after the floods, after the rains, earthquake or wars.  

See it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ya-wSF-8w-E - probably one of the best sequences in Sandman.

News - Circa September 22

Reading news in a newspaper form has been a habit for the last 30 years. I am so obsessed that the newspaper guys at times get thoroughly confused. On Saturday & Sunday I take weekend editions of Mint - Mint Lounge & The Hindu magazine  and weekdays ET or TOI. The experience of holding the paper and reading the newspaper is something till now could not be replaced by reading the same on a mobile or an app. 

The same is true for books - Books have now encroached my wardrobe and they lie their forlorn between by dwindling formal shirts and t’s and jackets. The wife has switched to a kindle I just could not. So I end up carrying huge - fat books through airports, fortunately this will be a thing of the past as I move to train & bus as my primary transport and get out of my corporate travel.

But as they say - change is in the air. Here’s the new outlook, circa September 22. 

When I looked objectively at reading the newspaper I realized it was a real waste of valuable time trying to read things which I did not want to. I would just scan the paper to understand what’s happening in India & around the world but many of it I would detest like the politics or the killings and murders etc. Most news spread despair and were witch hunts. 

So I unsubscribed from the daily newspaper and kept only the weekend which had interesting articles and reviews of books / movies or events etc - more in the culture zone. Which is what I like - especially Mint Lounge & Hindu magazine whose quality of articles I loved

I subscribed to In Shorts for quick updates on mobile, and bookmarked a few independent websites like Scroll, the wire, quint for a more detailed reading. I registered on Splainer but after reading the mails did not join the paid subscription. Somehow the choice of topic did not appeal to me. I plan to subscribe to CTQ compounds once I am back from my month long sojourn. I also looked at the sites spreading positive news like logical indian, the better india - you can visit them for some sudden visit of inspiration like our story but not a daily news feed. I also picked a few instagram posts around sustainability & columnists & writers in Twitter whom I will follow.  

Done with the pre-work - I set a time of an hr in the morning for catch up & afternoon for long article reading and research on topics I liked especially videos to arouse me from sleep. Night for research and my personal writing. 

Let’s see how it goes. 

Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

On 31st India celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi and welcomed prosperity to their home. Unfortunately we had to close all doors, windows, pull curtains whatever we could that could muffle the sounds of loudspeaker blaring in our neighborhood. Me in Bangalore had to first listen to Kannad songs and then the entertainment program - where from children to teenagers to aunties sang poems to rock songs to shlokas. Most of them were out of tune and just needed the mic to run amok - which they did.   

The wife had a headache, the adult kid put on Bose Quiet Comfort and grooved to her songs and me occupying the drawing room had to take the brunt of the sound as I am closest to the window which is closest to the speaker. If in Mumbai I would have at least heard Hindi songs which I did when I stayed there for a year - there drums & orchestra ruled and unlike in Bangalore they walked in the road with people dancing on streets, bursting crackers. Then there is Dahi handi where people form  a human pyramid and burst the handi or splash colored water on everyone. Roads are blocked and we were advised to go home early or WFH. During the 2 years of COVID these gatherings were banned but this year it’s the 2nd day running that I have to listen to this.

Whom does one complain to ? Do we actually want to complain and spoil the fun which the kids and families of ISRO (the neighborhood) are having at our cost ? The answer to the 2nd question is NO, we just grit our teeth and bear it. That’s what we call accommodating which most right wing members don’t agree with when they ban azan’s being played from a mosque & reading of namaz on the roads. 

These days we are trolled,warned & then jailed if you raise your voice especially if you belong to a minority or supporting them or rallying against the current wave of authoritarianism. Land within & around mosques are dug up to find idols hence linking it to a lineage of HIndu. Most of us are not impacted or ever will be because many of these events are far far away & just a news item which we may read and discard. Maybe have an intellectual discussion around it. But I think that will be the end of it.  

It’s sad what we have become & becoming, on 15th August - someone forwarded one of the first India songs - mile sur mera tumhara. Many of us have grown up listening to that, it was a nice song like the Hamara Bajaj ad. It gave us a feeling of pride - pride for being such a vast sub-continent with so many languages and traditions. There was nothing more to it. 

I would rather have 100 people enjoy the Ganesh Chaturthi in my neighboring compound or ignore the azaan being read in loud speaker every morning or not bat an eyelid if my food is delivered by a minority group person or a beautician who comes home from the north east or the security guard protecting my apartment once belonged to Bangladesh and migrated during partition.

That’s my way …mile sur mera tumhara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jf6pwtPqCs The video here.

How will you measure your life ?

Many years back I stumbled on this book in a library. It is a very small book and this was from someone who had started the whole story of innovation way back in 19 97. I had recommended the book to many of my friends, Like any other philosophy this asks the usual question but approaches it like any other Harvard article it approaches it like a problem to be solved and hence gives certain ideas which are based on past cases / situations.

In brief it said the same thing which Stephen Covey said - value relationships, find time to nurture them, do what you love and believe in, but 1 thing which was new and stuck me - was Compromising your integrity is a slippery slope, therefore don’t do it. This is explained beautifully (Have you decided on something that was in contradiction in what you believe; however, justified it as a decision you’d just take “just this once?” This is an illustration of how detrimental these exceptions can be - i vaguely remembered an example which he had mentioned from his life where he was the key team member of a basketball play off and since the timing clashed with his prayers if I am not wrong - he was desperate to go but he did not.)

Don’t get into the trap of - Just this once. It stuck me because we are making these exceptions all the time - at least I do. So, it’s not about the big battle or decision but it’s about the small ones we fight every day (I did not want to use plastic bag but the eggs would break if I wrap it in paper and put in the bag - I will take it just this once and next time get the egg case, this happened few weeks back - You cannot compromise on that). I know it can be super tough - but that’s the only way to live a life of integrity. 

At 50 & at the crossroads - I also asked this question to myself a few years back, a larger question of what would mean to lead a life of integrity for the next 25 years. How will I measure my life ? If you think hard, the choices in front of you will astound you because there is so much you can do as compared to when we passed out of school or college - But after running the corporate race for the last 25 years the first thing one needs to do is unlearn & slow down. If one wants to.

Some thoughts which came to my mind was:

1. Spread Joy and Happiness every day, Give if nothing else time. (Read volunteer)

2. Live a slow, uncluttered & sustainable life (read Don’t buy) 

3. Make earth more sustainable - Can I be passionate about this?

4. Reconnect with friends & extended family 

5. Rekindle your passions - read(classics, translations, long form articles), write (daily), see (B/W movies), hear (amazing world of podcasts), experience creativity (plays, paintings, installations), run, travel, cook.

These are not goals but principles with which many of us want to live by and not uncommon but then the “just this once” catches on and we slip. 

Once I had time to think and had the space to practice, I still had to work really hard to unwire (because we are so hard wired in our consumption habits) just say no because many actions happen unconsciously and under pressure of social discomfort that you have to be prepared to be uncomfortable and ready for confrontation with your own self.

The self which you have created.  

Letting Go is the toughest part - I am hoping the rest will follow. I am still learning.

Postscript: See Pixar’s latest offering Turning Red on Disney to understand the above :)

Ganesh Chaturthi - Mile Sur mera Tumhara

On 31st India celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi and welcomed prosperity to their home. Unfortunately we had to close all doors, windows, pull curtains whatever we could that could muffle the sounds of loudspeaker blaring in our neighbourhood. Me in Bangalore had to first listen to Kannad songs and then the entertainment program - where from children to teenagers to aunties sang poems to rock songs to shlokas. Most of them were out of tune and just needed the mic to run amok - which they did.   

The wife had a headache, the adult kid put on Bose Quiet Comfort and grooved to her songs and me occupying the drawing room had to take the brunt of the sound as I am closest to the window which is closest to the speaker. If in Mumbai I would have at least heard hindi songs which I did when I stayed there for a year - there drums & orchestra ruled and unlike in Bangalore they walked in the road with people dancing on streets, bursting crackers. Then there is Dahi handi where people form  a human pyramid and burst the handi or splash coloured water on everyone. Roads are blocked and we were advised to go home early or WFH. During the 2 years of COVID these gatherings were banned but this year it’s the 2nd day running that I have to listen to this.

Whom does one complain to ? Do we actually want to complain and spoil the fun which the kids and families of ISRO (the neighborhood) are having at our cost ? The answer to the 2nd question is NO, we just grit our teeth and bear it. That’s what we call accommodating which most right wing members don’t agree with when they ban azan’s being played from a mosque & reading of namaz on the roads. 

These days we are trolled,warned & then jailed if you raise your voice especially if you belong to a minority or supporting them or rallying against the current wave of authoritarianism. Land within & around mosques are dug up to find idols hence linking it to a lineage of Hindu. Most of us are not impacted or ever will be because many of these events are far far away & just a news item which we may read and discard. Maybe have an intellectual discussion around it. But I think that will be the end of it.  

It’s sad what we have become & becoming, on 15th August - someone forwarded one of the first India songs - mile sur mera tumhara. Many of us have grown up listening to that, it was a nice song like the Hamara Bajaj ad. It gave us a feeling of pride - pride for being such a vast sub-continent with so many languages and traditions. There was nothing more to it. 

I would rather have 100 people enjoy the Ganesh Chaturthi in my neighbouring compound or ignore the azaan being read in loud speaker every morning or not bat an eyelid if my food is delivered by a minority group person or a beautician who comes home from the north east or the security guard protecting my apartment once belonged to Bangladesh and migrated during partition.

That’s my way …mile sur mera tumhara.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jf6pwtPqCs The video here.

Postscript: https://scroll.in/article/1031841/first-ram-now-ganesh-how-the-gods-are-being-drafted-in-the-battles-of-hindutva-politics

Dreams n Sandman

These are the times of endless aisles, endless scrolls, endless choice & in Sandman we have the realm of endless dreams. I think it was 2010 when I was exploring graphic novels - So it started with the usual Maus, Persepolis, (a relatively unknown) but equally pathbreaking Vanni which is about the Sri Lankan civil war. I never got to read Sandman because the vol 1 cost 2k & there were no 2nd hand editions in Blossoms. I guess whoever bought it bought it for keeps.

So, when news of Sandman being made was in the air - it was the obvious choice to see the series. I have a very limited interest in series as it’s like a vortex which sucks you in and time tags along happily and before you know it precious life-time is wasted to finish a series. 

Sandman was not different, I came out with a mixed feeling as this is not a genre I am comfortable with - mythology, gods, demons, dark magic and everything around it. Especially the ghastliness about it - we had people having human eyes & using human skin to make etc. 

If you have seen Inside Out by Pixar which is a very educational film about what goes in your mind then Sandman is what happens in your dreams / nightmares & their relationship with destiny, death, despair, desire, destruction & delirium. Desire & Despair are twins. Siblings of Dream.

Like Inside Out - Sandman has a parallel to our life as we go through all the above - why each of us experience the above is different for each of us. But the search for an answer is always there in our mind and probably one of the reasons why Sandman has a cult-like following but I think also when it came out in 1989 and went on till 1996 - it was one of the first in this genre. It published 75 issues. You can read more about it (as always) here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sandman_(comic_book) 

The Sandman comic book series falls within the dark fantasy genre, albeit in a more contemporary and modern setting - this is how wiki defines it & like me there would be many who will not identify with it - but we will end up seeing it because of its legacy and fame. 

At the core of it is the creativity in creating a parallel universe, a universe full of imaginations. Isn't it why we like Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and all other fantasy series & the science fiction. For me that’s the pull - imagining a whole new universe. But Sandman is different because it meshes the imaginary world with the real world & the imaginary world i.e. dreams is also in a way reality because your brain conceives it. Your subconscious is responsible for the same which is again driven by your thoughts & experiences. 

Confusing & Difficult to define, see it to figure it.

The importance of philosophy in life

All of us get philosophical after 2 drinks or when we are down and out and (importantly alone). Listening to Simon Garfunkel singing - ‘The bridge of troubled water’ or ‘Sound of Silence’ - when you think the world has beaten you or Bob Dylan singing ‘Blowing in the wind’ or ‘Tambourine Man’ - when you see a desperate man begging at your street - the song is just a start of a chain of thought which may lead you to shape your next step.

Yesterday, feeling a bit mixed & being alone at home, I picked up Ikigai (a famous book) by Hector Garcia, which I had read a few years back - like a novel. I had read about ikigai in an HBR article many years back and spent some time thinking through the ikigai diagram (see pic).

I generally flipped and read about Wabi-Sabi: In brief Wabi-Sabi is a Japanese concept that shows us the beauty of the fleeting & changeable and imperfect nature of the world around us. Instead of searching for beauty in perfection, we should look for it in things which are flawed, incomplete.      

In a way the concept tosses away the whole ideal of perfection - which is what we all chase and is mostly a western concept. Why should one believe in this suddenly, having polished our presentations to make it perfect after making multiple changes. Because we know - that’s the way nature is - imperfect & I guess we are all tired after trying to be perfect all the while - as a role model & the work we do. 

For me, philosophy always gives meaning to my life - the imperfect one. I also feel there is not one philosophy and hence in that sense it’s imperfect - else why would I take the effort of reading a Japanese philosophy. The core purpose of philosophy is not the philosophy but the feelings it evokes and hence allows you to reflect back in your life & help shape a better future. 

While ikigai is a philosophical book a lot of my philosophy is imbibed by music - It was 2019 when I attended a Kabir singing session organised in someone’s balcony in Bangalore. A session by Vipul Rikhi, where he took 1 Kabir song, explained the meaning of it and actually made all of us sing. It was one of those A-Ha moments when I fell in love with Kabir songs and listening to Kabir has become almost a daily ritual. Probably one of my best finds in 2019 was Soundcloud, a platform for amateur singers. 

I discovered so many singers who may not be known to the larger world but are singing for the joy of singing. Listening to Kabir & thanks to auto play led me to Baul Geeti (for bongs) or Qawali & Rajasthani (hindi) folk music. 

Most of these songs in a way are talking about the same thing - it’s a short life, nothing is permanent so let go - live in the moment enjoy the moment (in Japanese there is a related concept called ichi-go ichi-e which means “the moment exists only now & won’t come again - so make the best of it).

Let Go!

Day 35: 200 words/day challenge (519 words)

Beware of the barrenness of busy life!

Very soon my corporate ID will be deleted and junked from the annals of  corporate history. With that I will lose one of the most meaningful voice which inspired me to be ME in last few months. Mukesh Bansal who joined as President Tata Digital when Cult.fit was acquired by Tata used to send us TOM (Notes) every week / fortnight / month. Below is the last one I received and probably the most profound. 

TOM #15: Beware of the barrenness of busy life!

I came across the above line a few years ago and it immediately hit me like a ton of bricks because it rang so true. It has become all too easy for all of us to become extremely busy, always pressed for time, running from pillar to post but never stopping to think if all that busyness amounts to anything much. You can do an exercise and go back to your calendar six months ago and scan all the meetings that you did in Jan'22 or the emails you sent in that month and see how many of those resulted in something that is still valid and useful. Unless you are an exception, chances are that most of it was noise that doesn't matter anymore. It is certainly true for me most of the time!

 "Without great solitude, no serious work is possible” - Pablo Picasso

I am a huge fan of Cal Newport's books, especially "Deep Work". The main claim of this book is that the only way to do any meaningful work is to focus on this intensely over extended period of time. Imagine an author going away to a cabin in the woods and coming back after months with a manuscript in hand. That's an example of deep work. Or taking a problem and dedicating a day or two to think deeply about it and generating unique insights and a new angle of attack. 

 I have also come to realise that meetings are the most superficial way of problem solving. Meetings are useful for basic updates and communication but everyone saying something to fill the hour rarely adds up to high quality outcome. It has been a lifelong struggle for me to reduce my meeting hours and instead do more focussed work. Not very successful so far but still working on it!

"To the mind that is still the whole universe surrenders" - Lao Izu

We now live in a world where we are continuously bombarded with new information and stimulus. From continuous email streams to whatsapp messages to open workstations at office, most people don't even get one hour of focussed time to work on anything. This results in continuous fragmentation of attention and superficial attention to most things. Can you imagine an athlete training this way, an artist painting this way or a scientist solving a problem this way? Absolutely not! Yet somehow, we all tend to approach our work this way and it is not surprising when you take stock of your work at the end of the quarter or year, it may often not add up to much..in other words..barrenness of busy life!

In another one of Newport's books "Digital Minimalism", he very strongly argues for cultivating stillness in your life by minimising distractions, seriously working on your phone addiction (Yes, you are addicted to your phone, my friend!), and creating stillness to let your mind deeply engage in problems and bring the full power of your mind to solve the problems you are dealing with. This will result in deep work that can stand the test of time.

"In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power" - YUVAL NOAH HARARI

One of the key cultural tenets of Amazon is the now famous "Six Pagers". Jeff Bezos instituted this very early in the company's journey to insist that the meeting owner write a six page document to clearly frame the problem, outline all the facts and decision or choice being recommended. First 15 minutes of the meeting are spent in silence as everyone goes through the document and then the discussion can start without any PPTs being projected on the screen. When was the last time you sat down and wrote a clear and crisp document outline your thought process and suggestions. It may take 3-4 hour to write a good document but will result in doing the meeting once and lead to a clear decision.

"All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking." - Friedrich Nietzsche

"Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted" - Bertrand Russell

Almost all intellectuals in all fields across time have been fond of walking aimlessly! What they are doing in that time is letting the subconscious mind be free and make associations that they will not make otherwise. We are consuming so much information and stimulus on a daily basis and never letting our minds process the information. It is no coincidence that Archemides great insight happened in a public bath ( fortunately no smartphones back then!) and the myth of key insights in the shower persists to this day. For most people that may be the only time when they are not consuming external information! If anything in this TOM resonates with you, I will strongly urge you to do an exercise where you go to a quiet place for an hour with Pen and Paper and just sit still. Whatever comes to your mind, write it down. You will be surprised at what all will bubble up which otherwise never have the opportunity to do so.

I will end this TOM with the below quote from Kafka that you can ponder about!

"You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” - Franz Kafka

Manika da & Sharmila Di

It is amazing what you can find on the net - if you are looking with the right intent and at the right place. I have been an avid reader of Mint Lounge and one of the columns I read every alternate week is from Sandip Roy who covers various topics like independence, traditions, sports etc. He has a nice way of telling it. So while heading for one of my favourite podcasts I browsed similar podcasts and saw the Sandip Ray Show. Browsing through the episodes I saw Sharmila Tagore on Satyajit Ray on his 100th birth Centenary.

Well, I am often teased at home as they believe (& so do I) that I will always be in love with Sharmila Tagore. I have seen Chupke Chupke - 10 times along with the family. The wife doesn’t mind as she knows this is just pure adoration and nothing more. 

So I was engrossed in an hour of Sharmila di talking about Manik da (Satyajit Ray). There were beautiful insights on how she got into acting - In her family, they were not allowed to even see a film in theatre but her father actually changed the school so that Sharmila could work in Manik da’s film as the school refused to continue with Sharmila if she acted in film.

Or how Ray pawned his wife’s jewelry & other writings but the money was still not sufficient to fund the movie Pather Panchali & funnily West Bengal govt wanted to fund the movies using Road Repair budget since in Pather Panchali was the first word means road. 

Then there were lovely interpretations or the meaning of a few scenes in movies where she acted and what the director wanted to convey. 

Humble, Motherly at times, very articulate and still as coy as ever. May you live to be 100. 

Day 34: 200 words/day challenge (307 words)

Magical Run

One of the big breathing spaces and a place frequented by many joggers, walkers, lovers & dog owners in Bangalore is Cubbon Park. Situated next to MG Road, it’s guarded by bamboo trees which are along the wall and has large trees with lush green ground. There is a nursery, library, small shops selling fresh veggies / fruits etc early. People host yoga, meditation classes, someone teaches exercise which anyone is free to join & there are also Kabir sessions in this place. One such session introduced me to Kabir & Kabir Project and a group of friends who started running in Cubbon introduced me to Running - 7 years back. Since then, both have become my passion projects.

While in Mumbai I ran in Joggers Park which is essentially a track next to the sea and has a nice sea view and benches to sit and gaze. Like most things in Mumbai it is very well maintained but so tiny that it can fit in one corner of Cubbon Park.   

Thanks to an injury and COVID - we have been away from Cubbon for almost 3 years. So last Sunday after much deliberation I decided to go along with our one time ring leader and motivator  MD for our now defunct morning Cubbon run. 

The  Bangalore weather is the best suited for running and last Sunday it was no different from Kodaikanal or Ooty. It was almost dark and the morning light had just started spreading when we started to warm up. We ran on the beautiful roads circling the park. Our routine is to cover all gates which are located on the edges of the park and reach back after 1 round. The total distance is ~ 7+ Km.  

After the 3rd gate it started drizzling but raindrops were almost like snowflakes. This was my first experience of running in drizzle and I just loved it.It was magical to run in this kind of rain. It felt like shinrin-yoko - what the Japanese call tree bathing or taking in the forest with all your senses - but was more literal. 

 

After the run the only statement I made was - You just have to come once & you know you will come again and again and again.

Hidden Gem in Cubbon: https://bit.ly/3p7IIDc 

Day 33: 200 words/day challenge (377 words)

Sky Ladder

Riveting, Awestruck & Magical. I can go on but these were the only words which came to my mind when I saw ‘Sky Ladder' - The art of Cai Guo-Quiong on Netflix. It’s amazing what someone can do for creative expressions - in this case gunpowder. It was such a unique expression that when I saw some of the acts it was like a symphony of colours and at time lights. 

Growing up in China and being the son of an artist, I guess he inherited a lot of his creativity in his genes & hence was a natural painter which is what he started with. But he wanted to do something different - he grew up in a city which is famous for fireworks and hence he started experimenting with gunpowder on his paintings. How ? Can be only seen and not explained.

From paintings he moved to objects or a location where he would first decide on a there and then meticulously plan the display on how the same will look and then use gunpowder, bamboo sticks, some time a hot air balloon (which he used for sky ladder) meticulously plan the entire structure on which the gunpowder with different colours and timers so that the display is as he visualised. 

As his creative expression became popular and had a nature of spectacle to it. He started getting projects so he moved from China to Japan and finally to the US where the big money was. In one of the interviews given by an executive from his company we are told one of client gave them 2 million dollars and said do what you want. That’s the scale we are talking - The fireworks done during Beijing Olympics were his creation. 

The Sky Ladder project was his dream project where he wanted a 500 m ladder to be created from ground to the sky like a pathway from earth to heaven. He wanted to do it for his grandmother who was 100. After 3 failed attempts he finally did it and showed it to his grandma on his iphone. She died after 1 month of seeing the sky ladder and the documentary is dedicated to her.

Day 33: 200 words/day challenge (361 words)

Solo Journey

Vacation for me has always been with family or friends. But in recent years solo trips have become the de facto way of travel for many people and is seen as a process of discovery and spending time with self. This is not just adults but even teenagers who want to let go of their parent’s hands - rather their car / flights and do it on their own.

One such request came from our teenager and we had to say Yes. Technically it was just a train ride between 2 cities and then spending time with friends. But then it was a train journey - and about picking up from the station & dropping at the station and trains have more elements of chaos than a flight where you are sealed in an a/c chamber and get airborne and land in the same position.

My solo journey’s get created even when I am with family - When I sit next to the window and see the roads pass by or the scenery passing from a train window or the night sky. For me these are times of solitude and reflection - it comes automatically. Maybe it’s the movement of the road or train tracks which heightens the sense of passage of time. Solitude is a mix of solo & altitude which we all deeply desire but hardly have time to experience in our busy life and social media. It’s good that at a young age kids want to connect with themselves and discover the true meaning of life.. 

Visit to a railway station: We visited a railway station after 3 years and found that the station was less crowded than the airports, especially during the pre & post long weekend. Nothing else changed much. Buying a platform ticket was still a challenge with machines not working & the counter was located in a separate building. There were people sleeping in places & the platform was as dirty as it was 3 years back. 

But, that’s the real India & still brings a sense of nostalgia and makes me feel like making a long train journey, talking to unknown people, sharing your food / newspaper and sometimes toiletries with them. 

A friendship which is transient but still so much full of love and understanding which keeps aside the caste / religion / economic difference. On the train like in life - we are just travelers, solo or otherwise. 

Day 32: 200 words/day challenge (394 words)

Fear & Insecurity

In a recently concluded panel hosted at IIM Bangalore which had Bollywood perfectionist Aamir Khan participating in a panel discussion, this what Aamir had to say:

“Versatility and excellence are the hallmarks of your 30-year-old career. What keeps you going?” asked Prof. Vasanthi Srinivasan to which Aamir replied: “Fear”. Explaining, he said, fear and insecurity have their uses. “I don’t want anyone to see a weaker moment of mine as an actor. I am driven to entertain people in a better way. I am 57 years now but in my head I am still 18! However, I am constantly working to stay relevant to young people. That’s why I want to do films for children ever so often because when a five-year old loves your film, they will stay loyal to you for the next 15-20 years. That keeps me relevant to a younger audience.”

I don’t think anyone expected this answer but that’s true for all perfectionists as I have seen in my corporate life. There is a fine balance in using it to your positive advantage. Most people who fall in this category forget that there are others in the room who have a point of view and their solution is the best solution - because (of course) they are perfect. After some time the team just succumbs to the syndrome - Boss is always right.

Aamir is also known for his obsessiveness and trying to control all elements of the film so that the best product is out there, Steve Jobs is another perfectionist known for the same. So we all need a good cop in the team who will balance the perfectionist angst with some humour and bring the team back on track for a common good. 

Who wouldn’t want to be part of the Lagaan dream team or iphone team, well one has to be ready for the bumpy ride for a brief while - I guess the turbulence, angst and pain is worth if you one wants to bask in the glory of Oscar nomination or creating a revolutionary product. 

After all, why are we here on earth if you don’t leave at least 1 legacy behind if not more.

The choice is ours! 

Day 31: 200 words/day challenge (367 words)

Postscript: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc (one of those inspiring speeches by Steve)

Licorice Pizza: What’s in a name ?

 

That’s what was in my mind after I saw this multiple Oscar nominated movie which dropped in Amazon Prime last week. It was the director’s risk to name a film which brings in a kind of nostalgia of the 70's and 80's in his mind but none of us may be able to relate to it. It did create a curiosity in me & I am sure many others. Which is a good thing for the film. Click the link below. 

Movie was a kind of growing up film when a teenager - oversmart in a sweet way & chubby chubby guy named Gary Valentine falls in love with Alana who is almost 10 years senior to her and treats him like a kiddo. But slowly becomes enamoured by his charm and smart startup ideas and becomes her business partner and rest is the movie.

It reminded me of Almost Famous & the relationship between William & Penny. In Licorice Pizza both the actors were doing their first movie and were very fresh and brought out the bitter sweet relationship in a nice way. The setting was of course 70’s and hence had the colour tones and dresses / sets of that era which brought a sense of nostalgia. 

It was quite a contrast to Belfast which I saw before this and was a black & white, sombre (although it had happy and fun moments) compared to colourful and bubbly Licorice Pizza. 

Day 30: 200 words/day challenge(235 words)

Postscript:

https://www.distractify.com/p/why-is-it-called-licorice-pizza

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haim_(band) : Alana Haime is a lead vocalist in a band call Haim which she had formed with her sisters. Her albums have been nominated for Grammy.