About Ahalya....of the Past and Present

:)

Let me start with what we know from our Hindu mythology of Ahalya - the chaste wife of the great sage Gautam Maharishi and Indra - the god of gods. Indra had his heart set to seduce Ahalya - a task that would have been impossible had he not used magic powers to transform himself to look alike Gautam Maharishi.

The unsuspecting Ahalya offers no resistance to Indra's cunning and it is only when Indra is caught sneaking out of the cottage by Gautam Maharishi that she realizes the full effect of what she has been caught up in.

Gautam Maharishi is furious and turns her to stone. (She is eventually delivered from her curse by Lord Rama)

The scriptures differ in their interpretation of the story of Ahalya. Some scriptures tell of the fact that she had indeed seen through the disguise of Indra but allows herself to be seduced by him. Some scriptures portray her as a victim of Indra's cunning and Gautam Maharishi unjustified wrath.

Clearly, debatable. However, the question that comes to my mind is - Indra might have looked the same as her husband but what about his touch? Did it feel the same too? As women we are sensitive enough to sniff out a man and his intentions in the way that he looks at us. Every touch tells a story. Even when it comes from the same hands. And Ahalya was not an average woman - she was the most beautiful one crafted by Brahma the Creator and the wife of a sage.

In my opinion, Ahalya should have known.

Coming to the present, Sujoy Ghosh's Ahalya short film is a far off reminder of mythology and is an out and out thriller. Its a piece of twisted horror that I bet you can't turn your mind off from for the 14 minutes that it runs. Slightly predictable, but brilliant nonetheless! :)

Watch it here...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff82XtV78xo

Imbibing Pritilata

Pritilata Waddedar – how many of us have heard this name or know about her short life that comprised of 21 inspirational years?

Wikipedia will give you some of the information about Pritilata – an Indian revolutionary born in Chottogram (Chittagong) in undivided India who lead a baton of men to raze the Pahartali European Club that bore the sign – “Dogs and Indians not allowed” to the ground.

I think of the times then and of the young men and women who were not born in a free country. Pritilata was one of them. Unlike most girls of her time, Pritilata had access to education in one of the best institutions of her time. A star pupil from the start, she went on to graduate from the reputed Bethune College in Calcutta (Kolkata) and subsequently took on the responsibilities of headmistress of a premier school in her hometown. No mean feat for a girl, especially one who was barely out of her teens.

She could have led a life a little less extraordinary, immersed in domestic duties expected from her gender. She did not. Instead, she felt drawn towards the ‘resistance’ or the swadeshi movement.

Resistance in Chattogram and the rest of the country did not admit women to be a part of their work. She changed their minds.

What made her take to a life that no one quite imagines for herself – to quit a whole life’s work, leave behind her family, forget every comfort, go into hiding, and devise a plan to attack the epitome of British presence in the region?

Was it the humiliation of not being a free citizen? Was it for the love for her country? Was it her education that instilled in her a deeper sense of self-respect than to accept whatever was meted out to her countrymen? Was it her need to be a part of the struggle for freedom in the best way she knew?

It could have been all of the above. It could be more. She had to do what she had to do. Little did she know when she bit into the cyanide that she would become Birangana or The Valiant One, an inspiration to many who would follow her path. Little did she know as she closed her eyes for the final time, that her sacrifice would be forgotten in the pages of history in years to come like those of the others like her.

1932. That was the year that Pritilata laid down her life. Eighty-three years too soon to see how far women have come. And I wonder what it might have been if she had lived or if she had a chance to come back to us this day.

Would she like what she would see? our nation? its women? Would she choose to fight a different fight? Or choose not to fight?

But, it’s not up to her anymore. It’s up to us. She is not here. But we are. There are no clubs for us to burn down. But there are evils that we need to eradicate and changes that need to be brought. Is it not possible to imbibe a little bit of her spirit in us and stand up for what is right? To stand up for our rights?

That would be, the perfect tribute to Pritilata and all like her – who once stood up for our rights.

Never Honk at a Turkey(s)

I kind of associated turkeys with Thanksgiving feasts until I saw them parading on the roads here in the picturesque city I live in. Its fun to see them strutting around in their brown plumage quite oblivious to the traffic. Pretty much like their jay-walking chicken cousins, they are no good at negotiating the pavements.

Therefore, when I saw a whole bunch of them taking to the road that other day, I decided to use the car's highly under-used horn to just let them know it was not safe, especially when I am behind the wheels. I could sense the dilemma of the bird at the side of the road as the unfamiliar resonance fell on its ears, wherever those might be in its small beaky head.

Turns out, it was not alone in its feathered quandary. One of the turkeys that had in fact crossed the road safely to the other side decided to dash back and the one that should have stayed at the side of the road made a panicked run across it.

I did not have to hit the brakes, their lives were not in any imminent danger but the pandemonium that I unleashed upon them taught me a very important lesson in driving that no manual in the world will tell you - Never Honk At A Turkey(s)!

Tanu or Datto?

Tanu or Datto? (Post does not contain spoilers)

Imagine that there is going to be wedding in the family - who are you rooting for Tanu or Datto?

It's a bit late for a review - so this isn't one. It has been already established that Tanu Weds Manu Returns is an original and entertaining fare, a combination which is somewhat rare in Bollywood. (About the minor inconsistencies in the plot - that we can all live with, right?!) and I have nothing to add to what you may have already read or heard about it. A quick and big kudos to the team and actors who were just spot-on in their performances and especially to Kangana Ranaut for giving us Tanu and Datto.

So we have an incredible badass Tanu with all her idiosyncrasies and we have an immensely mature Datto with a passionate state-level accent. And I could not decide who I was rooting for and I still can't.

Not all of us can agree with Tanu - she thrives on challenges, flirts with all her heart and is a woe, to all. And yet, there is that endearing warmth in her that draws you close to her even as she points out the pointless in that brazen manner of hers. If complexity had another name, Tanu would probably be it.

Where we have Tanu - a rebel without a cause, we have Datto - a rebel with a cause. Don't get distracted by her humongous dental attributes (which may have contributed to her name) or her accented personality, she knows exactly what she wants and how to hold her ground with ease. She doesn't have airs, she knows her strengths, her weaknesses, and has a level head over her athletic shoulders.

Where am I going with this? They are not real characters, you may say, and my perception could well be purported from excellent work of the talented Ranaut.

True. No matter how much I would want them to be, they are what they are - screen characters. We may never see a real life Tanu wrapped in a tiny towel interrogating a prospective groom or a Datto exercising her freedom to make choices minus the heavyweight category risk of being hung or shot.

However, given the immense popularity of the movie, I kind of take heart in the assumption that we have made space for the likes of Tanu and Datto - graceful and crazy or crass and good-natured, but both empowered, the latter perhaps a bit more than the former. Time then to fill that space in flesh and blood.

So, imagine that there is going to be wedding in the family - who are you rooting for Tanu or Datto?

A Strap-py affair!

Yes, this post is about straps - and before your imagination takes flight, let me assure you it's not about anything naughty! Quite the opposite actually...straps of shoes for toddlers.

My young one seldom gets his shoes right - they have had the pleasure of ending up on the wrong feet much to my displeasure. I don't believe I am alone in this hitch but that does not quite end my woes.


A little research on the information highway turned me towards exits that did little to reduce or improve my predicament in the least bit. What I learnt was that children are not inconvenienced, with their feet still taking on a harder outline, and therefore feel little discomfort for wearing them wrong. That does little to my discomfort of watching those tiny feet in action anticipating a tumble in the next step.

Observation has great power as I learnt a long time ago. And this is what I saw. My kiddo finds it more comfortable to strap the shoes in than out. Hence, he wears them so. A little experiment with my shoes made me realize that it is indeed easier to strap them on the inside.

Now I have no idea or inclination to research why the straps of shoes are on the outside. Maybe it's more comfortable to walk for adults with them on the outside, or they conform to our sense of beauty. I don't know.

What I wish for is, for shoe designers to create shoes with straps on the inside, or at least offer that option for shoes for the young ones. Till I come across one such pair (highly unlikely) or my kiddo grows out of wearing them wrong, this strappy affair of mine isn't going to end anytime soon. Sigh!

Conflicting Mind by Ronaq

This poem has been written by Ronaq Sahni, a 6th grader...rarely do we come across such sweet gems...thought I would share this with you all:


CONFLICTING MIND.
I stand at a Crossroads,
Perplexed and torn, bewildered and confounded
Tugged and pulled, the paths drawing me in,
I stand there,
Gripped in fear of making an erroneous choice
Yet acknowledging, I must make one,
On the path to my left, I see enlightenment,
A colorful rainbow, bright blue sky, butterflies fluttering through the air,
I am quite tempted to choose this road,
But there is a false sense of security and gaiety,
I realize as I gaze at the butterflies fly idly, and the rainbow, which seems almost bland,
I then have a feeling that this path would lead to sorrow and would end my journey,
I fought the temptation to choose this passage and looked away.
On the road to my right, the clouds are black,
The moon unseeable in the pitch black sky,
Rain pounding hard against the ground,
The trees sagged, their leafless branches almost touching the ground,
The road is fouled and begrimed, covered with cracks,
The grass was dry and eerily glowing in the darkness of the night,
This road looked miserable, and I knew then, that this is not the road to take,
If I did, my journey would come to an unpleasant end.
At last, I set my eyes upon the path in front of me,
There was a slight drizzle, and the clouds were gray,
But the rain was helpful, supporting the greenery underneath,
The Sun poked politely through the clouds, casting a rainbow that looked true and genuine,
I took a deep breath and walked ahead, hoping I chose well.
While making decisions, one must make sacrifices,
Yet keeping in mind that they cannot get out of hand,
Many hate choices and making decisions, but the wise do not,
For they know that our choices control our destiny, and keep our destiny from controlling us.



[Source: https://www.facebook.com/subarnas ... Ronaq is Subarna's son...Ronaq has been chosen for a writers' workshop with author & poet Paul B.Janeczko after being declared First Place winner in a Middle School Poetry Competition. All the very best my dear boy and thank you for letting me share :) ]

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