A Poignant Little Movie
Every now and again (a long time between waits, to be honest) I run across a sweet, little movie made in India. Wait, I’ve told this story before, haven’t I? Oh well. Just so you know, I’m not talking about Dhoom 3.
It’s called Listen Amaya, released some time in early 2013, apparently with little fanfare because I had not heard about it at all until a friend mentioned it last night.
It’s a touching family drama with outstanding direction and great performances.
Perhaps what made it even more poignant was watching the gentleman actor Farooq Shaikh, who unexpectedly passed away just a couple of weeks ago. A natural, he gave his usual brilliant yet understated performance. It was only two years ago that I had seen him on stage in Bombay with Shabana Azmi in Tumhari Amrita, a renowned play that these two actors had been performing for admiring audiences for over two decades.
Matching him scene for scene in the movie is the very talented Deepti Naval.
So, if you are tired of mindless “entertainment”, give yourself a break, grab this movie and witness a fine gem.
Delhi Rejoices. India Next?
In November 2012, a mere year ago, a new (new in every sense of the word!) political party was born in India. The first election it contested was just months later.
This week, that party’s leader was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Delhi. That’s unprecedented, by any account.
I simply can’t get over it.
To my idealistic mind, it appears to be a critical turning point, ending all doubts about whether the principled road of a few activists could transform into a government of the people. This one has all the makings of a revolution in the current Indian political landscape of the corrupt and the uncaring.
How could this happen? Was it luck? Hard work? Brilliant marketing?
Or simply, necessity?
Unparalleled as this scenario has been in speed and effectiveness, all one needs to do is put themselves in the mind of the ‘ordinary person‘ in India. As avarice and corruption took on new heights during the past few years and as it grew grossly out of all proportion, there was no one there to help him move ahead in life.
What the Aam Aadmi Party has done is completely turn the political situation on its head by offering a beacon of hope to that same ordinary citizen. Instead of being served by him, the party is offering real service to him.
Consider that the voting populace of India is made up of several hundreds of millions of ordinary people (after eliminating some 300 million that comprise the middle and upper classes) yearning for just this kind of message. Even if you take just a fraction of them who are sick and tired of a government that works for itself rather than its people, you can see that this party won out of necessity in the microcosm that is Delhi.
If this party and its leader could do that in Delhi, what kind of storm can it bring about in the entire nation, as the elections of the country loom in mid-2014?
I guess I could be a cynic and say (like others have) that Kejriwal doesn’t stand a chance, he can’t fulfill all his promises, he’s going to get eaten alive by the politics and politicians, he’s not savvy enough (really?), he’s a flash in the pan, blah, blah, blah…
However, I choose not to be one.
What I can do instead is hope. Therefore, I hope…that it’s a Category 5 hurricane strength storm that arrives to begin the badly needed clean up across the country.
Aaah, but to watch that broom sweep aside the dirt that has been gathering for a few decades (none more than the recent one) – what a nice, new rebirth that would be for India!
Hope springs eternal.
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Photos – Source: The Indian Express
The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere 