Irony of Life...

19 – The date I liked so much. For no particular reason, just thought there was a strong positive vibe about the number in the calendar, really. When the ‘Expected Due Date’ of my baby calculated by my doctors was 10th December 2010, I secretly hoped that it should somehow extend up until the 19th – just so that my baby could be born on the date I loved and held quite close to heart. But, life isn’t quite such, as it was on 19th November 2010 I learnt that my baby was dead. Now, to me, this is like any other calendar date and I hold no special reservations to it anymore. Well, here we go, this is the 'Irony' and such is life!

My Little Angel Was Born Sleeping

O’ my little Angel
Hope you’re in a better place
Every passing second I think of you
For this moment, is indeed, a disgrace.

I carried you for 9 months, there was no pain
Full of love, hopes and dreams, but all in vain
You were snatched from me before you were born
In your thoughts my child, I deeply mourn.

The day I was pregnant there was nothing in this world I wouldn’t give
Today I wish my baby boy could somehow live
I loved you the moment you were inside me
For you, my child, are precious and will always be.

Those precious dreams your dad and I held
Can never be fulfilled as we had planned
We longed to see how handsome you would be
Now we shed tears in melancholy.

We were eager to see you, hear your first cry
Why, my baby, did you have to die?
Wish we had a chance to hold your tiny hand
All we see is the void you’ve left behind.

You were born sleeping for it’s the way that was meant
Like they say, Angels from Heaven are occasionally sent
Love you my Angel, love you my child
My smile for you is hard to hide.

Sleep my baby, sleep in peace
These are your mummy’s whispers that would never cease.

J-L-T

Abhiman, the love of my life... You are strongly my life force, you are the wind beneath my wings!

An Idiot - to Be or Not to Be

First it was this dyslexic kid making us realise that every child is special while we all initially struggled to see him anywhere closer to his peers. Now it’s an idiot, who takes on our education system and brings this valuable thought in all of us that - it doesn’t take an idiot to become successful with mere marks and rote memorisation, all it takes is an effort to realise ones own desires and methods to succeed and to understand the fundamentals. Particular Bollywood movies like Taare Zameen Par and 3 Idiots have been made exceptionally well and the messages they carry have been passed on beautifully. I loved watching 3 Idiots and would recommend it to everyone.

A feel-good movie like 3 Idiots with a sensible subject well crafted is always very refreshing. Not going too much into reviewing the movie, I am inclined to talk a bit though about Indian education system. Our education system has been structured to favour only those who end up sacrificing the joy of learning to high scores/grades - the 'Rajus' and the 'Farhans' mostly. I do not have an engineering background to relate to every scene in the movie, but, I am reminded of my college days and the 'Ranchos' of our class, to whom the system was a challenge. In the film, Rancho tops the class, however, the Ranchos I know of, or possibly relate to, did struggle to prove. It is because a) they did not believe in mere memorisation, b) their focus and ways of solving problems were treated as a joke or sometimes completely ignored. This often discouraged them and made them give up. Well, now after having watched the movie, I am thinking to myself or rather can assure that all those Ranchos are doing great in life with their unique ways and methods to success. Hope this movie urges the system to improvise and realise the problems all the Ranchos in our country face.

Sparsh – The Touch that is Magical!

Have we ever thought deeply as to what it is to live a life of a blind person? Here I am, with my eyes closed, trying to catch up with a few random moments, just for a couple of minutes and, trust me, it is very tough. You may call it a good karma, or otherwise to have been born with normal vision, to be able to see. It is Gods play on life, that He created these unlucky souls with zero vision. It wrenches to see a blind person trying to lead a life that is blank and dark. At the same time, you have to appreciate how well he embraces life with just a touch that is magical. Rather than throwing pity on these people, it is nice to appreciate that strength in them which keeps them going. In fact, it would be ethical to bolster that drive which enables them to achieve a lot of things that a normal person fails to do. The courage, strength and a certain amount of ego/self prestige they possess, indeed gets them going good heights.

When you have some time for yourself, watching the movie ‘Sparsh’ by Sai Paranjpye is well worth it. Naseeruddin Shah’s fine acting as a blind person got my jaws drop and stay there, throughout the movie. This man is such an extraordinary actor of all times, and in this movie, his acting skills, his crafts, delivery, expressions are unmatchable. No wonder he bagged a National Award for it. And, of course, Shabana Azmi’s preformance, her charm, is mesmerising. The romance in the movie is portrayed with sophistication and utmost maturity.