Digging for Meaning

What do you think of, when you stare at the slowly moving progress bar on the flickering screen? Or when you refresh the facebook feed? What do people in desert think, when they stare at slow shape shifting of sand dunes? What do aboriginals think when they gaze at the slowly moving stars on the dark screen overhead? What do the old Parsi men think, when they read the day's obituary in Jam-e-Jamshed?

Do you think you are an aam aadmi? you are a voyeur in the great playground of this nation. You are outside the playground. You are a consumer. you earn your white collar dollars and spend it on processed snacks and shiny things. and that's the only thing that excites you or the people high up. They are concerned with nothing else about you. Sadly, neither are you. The only things that hold your gaze are TV and your ever expanding belly. The shining rectangles are narrowing your minds and squeezing out all empathy you've got . You whine for a while when shit happens. But won't try to affect any change. At this moment you pick up the placards in the name of aam aadmi and walk in circles in your living room. But there's nothing 'aam' about how you see yourself. You are world unto you. That world is small but richly invested with your emotions. That narrow world doesn't entertain logic or differing opinions. Once painted with a favorite color, the personal b...

a bird, a weightless soul pouring out its music into nothingness...

is there any culture in the world where the pain of mother is grieved more than the happiness of the arrival of a baby?

saw ' pom poko '. Its a story of how an able, happy community of tanukis face their extinction in the face of rapid urbanisation that causes the loss of their homeland, their lifestyle and their food. Its really amazing how Japanese movie makers so empathetically voice dissent while fully cognizant of the futility of it all. The sense of capitulation at the climax of many such movies are scripted in a way to invoke not a sense of loss, but a sense of preservation of whatever small life, pride and identity is left. Under the mask of laughter, there is a vigorous attempt at forgetting the loss and making the most of the present. I wonder how deeply has Hiroshima affected the Japanese psyche, or does this sense of 'interal triumph in face of imminent capitulation' goes beyond Hiroshima, in their amazingly rich culture? ____ while thinking of this, got reminded of the Japanese response to the Tsunami in march 2011. Had read about their belief of ' wa wo mottte toutos...

Frankly, i don't know much about the guy. I don't watch TV, and don't follow much of any pop culture. But the amount of Justin-Beiber-bashing I come across is ridiculous. All sorts of unrelated videos on youtube have comments about him. As a phenomenon, he is certainly quite a brand; to command such humongous share of global mind space, truly amazing.The bashing might really be helping him consolidate his brand. But what irks me is the mindless obsession people have about his image. He is all of a sudden the yardstick of pop-cultural-degradation . Lets call the unit a 'bib'. so a jersey shore would be 1.9 bib, as compared to say lady gaga being 0.7 bib. hmm.. i like this. guess will use it in this blog here-after. :P I am digressing. His music is supposedly for 13 year olds. If you are not a 13 yr old or don't feel like one, you do not have to listen to him. stop complaining. he isn't singing for/to you. there is a world beyond you. let go. let go of tha...