The getting back rant

I suddenly realised last night that i used to write and also have a blog to pour in my thoughts. 

It was random and sudden, I still have no idea how or why I remembered it but I did. I just browsed for the blog (I still remembered the name I gave it which is so unlike me given the fact that I suck in remembering names) and showed it to the person next to me. 

I kept thinking why? - Maybe it was the beach air or maybe it was her; someone whom I genuinely like and care for in the recent times, a personification of my little sister with the same attitude and same temperament or maybe I just felt good and remembered?!

That was when she asked me “why don’t you write anymore” and it stuck me hard. Maybe this  IS the reason why I liked her in the first place. Her hard, ‘knock on your head’ factual questions which makes me think. 

So why didn’t I? I can simply say ‘life happened’ but doesn’t it for all? And shouldn’t that be all the more the reason to pen down, to free up? So why didn’t I do it?

5 years it has been since I wrote something here. And today, though I know there will be no one following me or reading this, I thought maybe I still have it in me to do it - This is the first post for those millions of thoughts/travelogues/poems which I wrote in my mind but never on a paper all these years. This is a tiny little compensation to the manuscript I wrote on paper but never got to type, edit, seek or publish. This is just to pen down how much I have changed in my thoughts and my outlook of life these 5 years.

My life is life just like my unfinished manuscript. I have left behind so many unfinished quits in my life, beautiful pieces of dreams and intentions never fully assembled. And as I kept thinking and asking ‘why?’ my husband is asking me “what are you writing? I never knew you can write. Don’t you have to think about it before you write? And my daughter is crying “Amma give me your hands”. And finally the answer came to me ;) 

Faith

Ennai malar endrai alagu endrai
Nilavu endrai neer endrai
Uyir illa anaithaiyum naan endru oppittai
Enakku uyiro unarvo irukkirathu endru
Ariya marukkirayo illa maranthe ponayo

Amaithiyaai punagaithu anaithayum rasithen
Endravathu oru naal
En udalai thaandi ennai kaanvaai endra
Nambikkayil


Dedicated to Swathi, sonali, monisha... Who were/are killed in the name of love

An open letter to all 'thidir' movie critics

Hi,

First of all thanks for watching every single movie in the theatres and coming up with your own reviews about it. Though I do have something to tell you all about your reviews, it is because of you people many unknown artists and movies are being known worldwide. We people come to know the names of various movies and think 'oh is it released? Fine let me go and watch'. So thanks for that. 

But there are a number of things I really feel like talking about. 

1. Is it/ isn't it possible to write a review without mentioning any of the scenes or giving away the core story/ key points of the movie? When you mention the scenes you are doing more bad than good. You make the larger audience to feel "fine now that I know what is expected out of it then why bother going and watching?" 

2. Most of you reviewers are great detectives like Sherlock Holmes - agreed. You search and search and talk and rip apart each and every scene in the movie and you surely do find out from where it is copied. Great job. I like and respect your intentions of supporting and wanting new ideas as motion picture and not just the old story. But you should also know that the 90% of the viewers would NOT have done the research which you did or have NOT seen the original movie as you have. And why shouldn't those percentage (which is much higher FYI) miss a good movie just because it was taken in a different language in a different time? And also copying one (or a number of ) scene(s) from another movie(s) with permission (if there is a legal say) IF it helps the movie then why not? Remember movies are for entertainment and if you are entertained then why do you feel it is so wrong?

3. Why abuse? You may/may not like a particular actor/ director etc but who gave you the power to judge them based on their personal life? You can review their work oh yes, you have paid your 120 bucks and you have every right to. But about their looks(outside the movie), their personal habits/ real life incidents. Isn't it too much? Just think how will you fee if your manager tells you that you are not promoted because you didn't dance properly and dress appropriately when you went to your best friend's wedding? 

4. And why do you impose your likes and dislikes on others? What you post as a review is YOUR point of view. You are entitled with that freedom of speech but you CANNOT tease/abuse others for their taste. I mean come on when Anbe sivam was released i just lovedd it but it was a flop and I was shocked. Same goes with Maunam Pesiyathe. But now people say that they were awesome movies. The target population has grown up to understand it only now. Movies like 'Alaipayuthey' which appealed to me long time back feels silly to me now (yes certain parts do) and movies like 'ok kanmani' which appeals to me now will not when I have kids of my own in their teens. The very reason certain movies are categorised to different genres is because they answer only a particular target group. And the members of the group will change when they grow up. Age and maturity changes the taste and choices. Your reviews should not be biased to make those intended audience to not watch the movie. Sometimes accept it - that particular movie is NOT for you to like it. 

Respect the tastes and choices, respect others and respect/support the artists who work day and night 

make their dreams possible. They do what they do for you and me... Your words should make them to strive to become better at their work not lose hope and quit what they do. Don't touch their ego, don't make them lose hope & faith. After all they are humans too.

Please write - but write sensibly.

Regret

Sprinting to office has become THE thing nowadays. THAT heavenly ‘5 minutes please’ sleep early in the morning which miraculously turns the hands of the clock to read 30 minutes in advance does make us Usain Bolts. Well how does that even happen? Those silly hands never… I repeat NEVER… moves a bit all night but does all magic when I sit down with an amazing book or try to do my favourite ‘5 minutes please’ in the morning. Do I regret it? O I don’t But should I? That is what I wish to know.

There are times when I have sprinted to office just to watch an old lady struggling with her bag, I so wanted to help her. But I didn’t, I kept looking at her. No it was not because I was late but it was because how would she take it if a random Asian Indian came to her and took her bag? Would she have a racist mind? Would she assume bad? By the time I made up my mind she was inside her car.

And the moment when I saw this woman wearing a beautiful silk saree was walking in front of me in the temple. The silk thread was hanging from her pallu and she didn’t notice as she was carrying her kid. Her entire family was there with her – they saw it but did nothing. Should I go help her? No I didn’t help her because I thought maybe she just liked it that way. Some women do – they prefer cutting the thread with a scissors rather with their hands as it would keep coming.

And what about the time I so wanted to offer my seat to the old man next to me in the bus? I didn’t because I was in the ladies seat and the woman next to me was already going on and on about men are bad and they sit in ladies seats.

These incidents make me think about those times when I was in school – when I used to carry the bags of random people from bus stand till their home, those times when I took random people back home for my mom to patch them up when they had fallen down or looked sick, those times when I stood keeping the lift open for others and missed my school van/college bus.

What has changed? Why do we think about ‘What ifs’ in life? We are taught to help – to serve elders – to be polite. But do those basic courtesies just fly away when we become more ‘matured’? Or has the world changed us to become so? Is that the reason why we don’t teach our kids to ‘go help others’ anymore but say ‘Don’t eat it if anyone gives you sweet’/ ‘Don’t talk to strangers’/ ‘Don’t go near strangers’… Are we giving a good world to our next generations?

We are taught NOT to regret about our actions. We need to learn from our mistakes – YES and we need to move on. It is impossible to live without failing at something but if we do then we haven’t lived at all (Well that is JK Rowling’s words). And when we can’t touch yesterday why should we let it touch us? It works for big things in life. But these little things – little moments…

Are we doing it right? Am I a good citizen? Am I a good human? Will I be a good parent? These questions because of these little moments - this regret – just stay with me.

MMT tales

Story 1 – Historical fiction
After 9 years I told him No. My sweet Richard will be devastated. I know the life with whimpering souls is tougher than his sweet ballads. I want to cry but… The choice is made. Will the world understand my kind of love ? The love for people that runs deeper in me than the love for one person?
The light always makes me think of him but I hope some day this light will define me as what I, Florence Nightingale chose to be and not what i left back.

Note : Florence Nightingale broke up with Milnes, a famous poet after 9 years of courtship to help soldiers during the Crimean war and came to be known as the lady with the lamp/light.




Story 2 – Folk tale
Ignotus is my life and I’m ‘death’. Mine is jealous, possessive love that grabs what it can. I create the deathly hallows to kill the other two Peverells so that Ignotus is just mine. They gladly take my gifts and begone. But Ignotus leaps over oblivion lightly. He whom I want to be invisible with me becomes invisible from me.
Today in his old age, I finally consume him. He turns cold, I am shocked and then his dead smile makes me think. How can I, death ever live life?

Note: The tale of three brothers by Beedle the Bard written in 15th century, mentioned in Harry Potter book series 7.