ArkiMedia

2012-01-21T14:49:00.001+05:30

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Sense and sensibility

2011-02-08T11:29:00.001+05:30

Isn't it ironical the universe is as big for a bacteria as it is for us..

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Politics, money and mafia

2011-01-27T21:10:00.001+05:30

Don't you wonder, how within 24 hours about 150 Rockel Mafia are behind bars?

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Faith Lost - I : God and Godman

2010-09-01T18:30:00.012+05:30

I know I might be ‘hurting religious feelings of a particular community’ as they say in the print media. But I have to write it down before I myself change my ideas and opinions as I know that I myself am a part and parcel of the community and honestly hypocrite. The current world is clearly dominated and divided with the idea of religion. People feel that hunger, thirst and basic livelihood are secondary necessities and having a faith in the god will suffice all the problems we face.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra routinely plights the god on the day of ‘Ashadhi Ekadashi’ to provide enough food and water to the people of the state. The President of the USA always states “In god we trust”. Is this the pure faith shown by the so called most powerful man on Earth or pure modesty or simple scapegoat for non performance? Whatever it is, but the basic question still prevails. Does God exist? I say to myself “ don’t be naive and hypocrite” you may think you are a pure atheist, but deep in the heart you always feel that there is this almighty saviour who will get you out in real tight situations and corners. Do we have faith that God does exist and there will be definite victory of good Vs evil? Please ask these questions and you won’t get an answer.
The God is represented in the form of holy symbolism and there are different ways to establish these symbols in different Religions and Faiths. Let them be Idols of different mythological Gods and Goddesses placed in the temples, a simple wall showing the direction to Mecca, a Crucified Christ in a Church or a large statue of Buddha in a Monastery. These forms are generally to identify common man’s identity in terms of faith and religion.
The real problem starts here. When it comes to a physical form of the faith, it needs maintenance. For maintenance, there needs to be certain rules and regulations and people to write down these rules. To implement these rules you need certain amount of physical aid in the form of money, manpower and offerings. To maintain the men you need a system and organisation like any other corporate one. These men are the root to all the problems. They are the middlemen between God and a commoner. The pure atheist breed of humans who definitely know that the almighty doesn’t exists. They know for sure that the god will not eat the Prasad and offerings maid by the devotee. Just imagine the condition of these middlemen if the Ganapati actually drank the milk! Will they offer the Prasad then?
To maintain the symbols and the guarding men, organisations are made. The basic purposes of the organisations are to always keep the common man frightened but dazzled in the glory of the almighty. They don’t stop there. They create a hierarchy between the gods and differentiate even between ‘powers’ of different Ganapatis. Can you tell the difference between the Dagadusheth halawai Ganapati and a small society Ganapati? Are they different or the organisation around them different? One must start asking questions to self before having a blind faith.
Recently there was news stating stolen jewellery at Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam. The details were not much revealed as usual as the connections would have revealed many sacred names. But the overall details were that the gems and jewels costing thousands of crores and worth like nothing on this Earth in terms antique and social value were systematically replaced with fakes and imitation jewels. Many of the stolen gems were devoted by then Prosperous Vijaynagar kingdom and now seem to be a lost treasure and heritage. Aren’t these thieves/middlemen dressed in the cloths of priests and sadhus afraid of the God? Aren’t they afraid of the consequences they will have to face in the hell due to their sins? Sorry I forgot, they are the ones who define the rules and regulations for Paap and Punya and the ways to ensure safe passage to the heaven. Probably they know the back doors of the heaven and are hiding them from common people. Let me just stop talking this sarcastic nonsense. What matters most is the still persisting queue of people outside Tirupati donating anything from cash to diamonds in the offering box. Still there is segregation of darshan queues in terms of value of offering, obviously poorer standing in the longest. Now there is a new swanky airport coming up at Tirupati and is inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
Western society is that way more critical and open minded while looking at the concept of religion and God. In The Godfather III, the involvement of money and power to control the Vatican is bravely shown. The money is shown so powerful that it can decide the life and death of the Pope. The holy war between Christian America against the Muslim Iraq is still raging but mainly it is over the Petroleum rights. Israel is still fighting the Arab world for their Jewish homeland. All the terrorism is funded by Petro and Opium dollars from the Arab world. New swanky marble clad Mosques are mushrooming in the Konkan region; don’t forget that the RDX used in Mumbai blasts was smuggled from the same region. The ruthless, dangerous and politically ambitious Bhindranwale and the Khalistan movement took shelter of the symbolic Golden temple and ran the operations of killing common innocent people in front of the ‘Guru di Gaddi’. If we look in the history we will find that the Somnath Temple was repeatedly looted by the Mahmud of Ghazani, but still people and rulers restored the wealth of the temple, to be looted again. What was this? A bribe to the God? Or a faith, that the God will protect the people if kept happy and rich.
The cases of ‘Godmen’ are slightly difficult. The Godman takes higher risks in the profession but then the rewards are also very high. The Godman pretends to be the shadow of the God himself. A holy spirit sent by the god to show the right way to the common people. Most of the times, they start off as small time preachers and develop great oratory skills. As the fan following increases so does the power to negotiate, bend and break the laws of the society. Many of such Godmen are actually a way to hide and or regularise bad deeds of the supporters. They also provide vote-banks to the election politics, as in the case of various ‘Deras” in Punjab. Once they become over powering or over ambitious, political strings are pulled and we all know the consequences. These Godmen also commit various crimes themselves from adultery to murder. There are so many ‘Shankaracharyas’ now and they command specific vote bank for a party. There are so many spiritual speakers preaching Christianity on national TV that they create an image of being next to the Christ themselves. They are massively funded by the churches to spread the faith and as a result of increasing revenue to the institution. People create Godman even after they are no more. For example Gautam Buddha was a lesser powerful driving force, a political class so they created Babasaheb Ambedkar. There must be nothing more powerful like converting water in to wine, extracting gold rings from thin air as prasad, ensuring pleasures of virgin girls in the heaven if died as a Jihadi. But what really drives them is the power and money that comes by fooling people in to believing in God and having Faith.
All the religious institution, let it be a well known temple trusts, Waquf boards, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee or Vatican Church, they all hold significant amounts of wealth and power which is generated by creating an aura of Fear and Faith around the unknown power called God. These institutes always seem fighting for more power and wealth. What gives them strength is the common man who believes that something good will happen by pleasing, bribing gods. All the rituals and the Sanskrit Mantras are created to ensure constant livelihood to the particular cast and group of people. The common man was deprived of general knowledge. I have witnessed marriage ceremonies of that way illiterate people where these Gurujees recite anything from Atharvasheersha to Raamraksha in between the Mangalashtakas. Who is getting fooled here? Faith that the marriage will be successful and the first child will be a masculine child only by the blessings of such people? Or the commonsense that if the thing has to get wrong it will get wrong if not handled properly.
Small small gestures like stealing neighbour’s flower garden to decorate your devghar and explaining that it’s just for the sake of God if caught, shows the general concept of faith inside the minds of the commoners and so called God fearing people.
Don’t you lose your appetite after watching an elderly beggar carrying a small or infant grandchild eating out of the dust bin of the same restaurant you just had nice expensive dinner? Probably you have wasted a plate full of delicacies because you didn’t like the taste. Think honestly how many times you have ignored this poverty and thought of having an ice cream or nice maghai paan later.
What faith such poor people must be carrying? Which God they have faith in will help them in the situation?
Doesn’t a commoner see all this? Is the average level of common sense so low that one just doesn’t understand the hidden agenda? The whole system of faith is best explained when one deposits lot of money to claim a Nigerian lottery mail. The whole business of Gods, Godman and their Middlemen runs like.. Forward this picture of Lord Ganesha to 100 people and you will hear good news in 24 hours, otherwise....

Think the Unthinkable

2010-08-11T15:08:00.006+05:30

Please find bellow an article almost two years back, published in Hindustan Times by Vir Sanghvi,

The situation hasn't changed, from then and now..

Think the Unthinkable

Counterpoint Vir Sanghvi
August 16, 2008

Have you been reading the news coming out of Kashmir with a mounting sense of despair? I know I have. It’s clear now that the optimism of the last few months all those articles telling us that normalcy had returned to Kashmir was misplaced. Nothing has really changed since the 1990s. A single spark such as the dispute over Amarnath land can set the whole valley on fire, so deep is the resentment, anger and the extent of secessionist feeling. Indian forces are treated as an army of occupation. New Delhi is seen as the oppressor. There is no engagement with the Indian mainstream. And even the major political parties do not hesitate to play the Pakistan card Mehbooba Mufti is quite willing to march to the Line of Control.

At one level, the current crisis in Kashmir is a consequence of a series of actions by the Indian establishment. New Delhi let the situation fester until it was too late. The state administration veered between inaction and over-reaction. The Sangh Parivar played politics with Hindu sentiment in Jammu, raising the confrontation to a new level.

But we need to look at the Kashmir situation in a deeper way. We can no longer treat it on a case-by-case basis: solve this crisis, and then wait and see how things turn out in the future. If the experience of the last two decades has taught us anything, it is that the situation never really returns to normal. Even when we see the outward symptoms of peace, we miss the alienation and resentment within. No matter what we do, things never get better, for very long.

It’s not as though the Indian state has no experience of dealing with secessionist movements. Almost from the time we became independent 61 years ago, we have been faced with calls for secession from nearly every corner of India: from Nagaland, Assam and Mizoram, from Tamil Nadu, from Punjab etc.

In every single case, democracy has provided the solution. We have followed a three-pronged approach: strong, almost brutal, police or army action against those engaging in violence, a call to the secessionist leaders to join the democratic process and then, generous central assistance for the rebuilding of the state. It is an approach that has worked brilliantly. Even in, say, Mizoram, where alienation was at its height in the 1970s, the new generation sees itself as Indian. The Nagas now concentrate their demands on a redrawing of state boundaries (to take in part of Manipur), not on a threat to the integrity of India. In Tamil Nadu, the Hindi agitation is forgotten and in Punjab, Khalistan is a distant memory.

The exception to this trend has been Kashmir. Contrary to what many Kashmiris claim, we have tried everything. Even today, the state enjoys a special status. Under Article 370 of our Constitution, with the exception of defence, foreign policy, and communication, no law enacted by parliament has any legitimacy in Kashmir unless the state government gives its consent. The state is the only one in India to have its own Constitution and the President of India cannot issue directions to the state government in exercise of the executive power of the Union as he can in every other state. Kashmiri are Indian citizens but Indians are not necessarily Kashmiri citizens. We cannot vote for elections to their assembly or own any property in Kashmir.

Then, there is the money. Bihar gets per capita central assistance of Rs 876 per year. Kashmir gets over ten times more: Rs 9,754 per year. While in Bihar and other states, this assistance is mainly in the forms of loans to the state, in Kashmir 90 per cent is an outright grant. Kashmir’s entire Five Year Plan expenditure is met by the Indian taxpayer. In addition, New Delhi keeps throwing more and more money at the state: in 2004, the Prime Minister gave Kashmir another $ 5 billion for development.

Kashmiris are happy to take the money and the special rights but they argue that India has been unfair to them because no free political process has developed. And, it is true that we have rigged elections in Kashmir. But, it is now nearly a decade since any rigging was alleged. Nobody disputes that the last election was fair. Moreover, even though the Congress got more seats than the PDP, the Chief Ministership went to Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as a gesture.

Given that Kashmir has the best deal of any Indian state, is there anything more we can do? Kashmiris talk about more autonomy. But I don’t see a) what more we can give them and b) how much difference it will make.

If you step back and think about it, the real question is not “how do we solve this month’s crisis”? It is: what does the Centre get in return for the special favours and the billions of dollars?

The short answer is: damn all.

As the current agitation demonstrates, far from gratitude, there is active hatred of India. Pakistan, a small, second-rate country that has been left far behind by India, suddenly acts as though it is on par with us, lecturing India in human rights and threatening to further internationalise the present crisis.

The world looks at us with dismay. If we are the largest democracy on the planet then how can we hang on to a people who have no desire to be part of India?

The other cost of Kashmir is military. Many terrorist acts, from the hijacking of IC 814 to the attack on parliament have Kashmir links. Our response to the parliament attack was Operation Parakram, which cost, in ten months, Rs 6,500 crore and 800 army lives? (Kargil cost us 474 lives.) Each day, our troops and paramilitary forces are subjected to terrorists’s attacks, stress, and ridicule.

So, here’s my question: why are we still hanging on to Kashmir if the Kashmiris don’t want to have anything to do with us?

The answer is machismo. We have been conned into believing that it would diminish India if Kashmir seceded. And so, as we lose lives and billions of dollars, the Kashmiris revel in calling us names knowing that we will never have the guts to let them go.

But would India really be diminished? One argument is that offering Kashmiris the right to self-determination would encourage every other secessionist group. But would it? Isn’t there already a sense in which we treat Kashmir as a special case? No other secessionist group gets Article 370 or so much extra consideration. Besides, if you take this line, then no solution (autonomy, soft borders etc.) is possible because you could argue that everybody else would want it too.

A second objection is that Indian secularism would be damaged by the secession of Kashmir. This is clearly not true. As history has shown, Indian Muslims feel no special kinship with Kashmir. They would not feel less Indian if some Kashmiris departed.

Moreover, too much is made of the size of Kashmir. Actually secessionist feeling is concentrated in the Valley, an area with a population of 4 million that is 98 per cent Muslim. (The Hindus either left or were driven out). Neither Jammu nor Ladakh want to secede. So, is the future of India to be held hostage to a population less than half the size of the population of Delhi?

I reckon we should hold a referendum in the Valley. Let the Kashmiris determine their own destiny. If they want to stay in India, they are welcome. But if they don’t, then we have no moral right to force them to remain. If they vote for integration with Pakistan, all this will mean is that Azad Kashmir will gain a little more territory. If they opt for independence, they will last for about 15 minutes without the billions that India has showered on them. But it will be their decision.

Whatever happens, how can India lose? If you believe in democracy, then giving Kashmiris the right to self-determination is the correct thing to do. And even if you don’t, surely we will be better off being rid of this constant, painful strain on our resources, our lives, and our honour as a nation?

This is India’s century. We have the world to conquer — and the means to do it. Kashmir is a 20th century problem. We cannot let it drag us down and bleed us as we assume our rightful place in the world.

It’s time to think the unthinkable.

उगाचच पाचोळा.. (पाच ओळी)

2010-06-25T10:28:00.007+05:30

मला झाली सर्दी, जोरात शिंकून सगळ्यांना दिली वर्दी.
स्वाईन फ्लू च्या शंकेने जोरात पाळले सगळे,
बुजगावण्याच्या भीतीने उडतात जसे बगळे.
माझा बसला गळा, डोक्यात आल्या कळा,
ताप आला रात्री, सिक लिव टाकण्याची झाली खात्री.

झोप

2010-06-24T16:18:00.003+05:30

मला आली झोप, जांभाई दिली जोरात,

आवाज झाला बराच,

वाकून पाहिलं हळूच, ऐकलं नाही ना कोणी.

वाटलं चेहेरयावर मारावे पाणी.

बोर असले तरी, बरेच होते काम,

गरमीने देखील फुटला होता घाम.

म्हणून पंखा लावला जोरात,

ऑफिस मधल्या (फाजील) गप्पा आल्या भरात.

रेडिओवर भैरवी लागली होती दुपारी !!!

तुडूंब जेवल्या वर चघळत होतो सुपारी..

कॉम्प्युटर समोर बसून शिणले होते डोळे,

उशी घेउन देखील पाठीत आले गोळे...

हळूच डोळे मिटले, ऑफिसशी नाते तुटले,

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

खडबडून जागा झालो, पाहतो तर घडाळ्यात दिसले सहा..

माझी उठण्याची वाट पाहत, टेबलावर थंड गार चहा...

पाचोळा + १

2010-06-23T13:14:00.007+05:30

लहानपणी (खेळास) दगा द्यावा, त्याचा विसर पडावा विसर पडावा, त्याचा विसर पडावा

तूप खाईन आवडी, लावून पोळीलाही लोणी पोळीलाही लोणी, लावून पोळीलाही लोणी

ना मिळे झोप आणि शांतता, वजनही वाढलय आता वजनही वाढलय आता

माझ्या मते, माझ्या मते काय मोठेपणी विचार हा कामाचा विचार हा कामाचा, काय विचार कामाचा

पुन्हा लहानपण देगा देवा,

मुंगी साखरेचा रवा ऐरावत रतन थोर त्यासी अंकुशाचा मार

जया अंगी मोठेपणा, तया यातना कठीण

पाचोळा 2

2010-06-22T11:25:00.003+05:30

तळपत्या उन्हाळी, डाम्बराला देखील असते झळाळी,
अंगाची होते लाही.. सुचतच नसते काही..
एकदम कुठूनसा ढग येतो.. वारा देखील थंड वाहतो,
लांबून मातीचा सुगंध येतो,निराशा झटकून मी पुन्हा त्याच
गिरण कामाला लागतो.. :-(

पाचोळा

2010-06-21T09:32:00.002+05:30

दिवस तोच, रात्र तीच,
गोंगाट तोच, गर्दी तीच,
नाला तोच, नदी तीच,
विचार तोच, चीड हि तीच,
मी हि तोच, लोक हि तीच..

अरे मित्रा मग जग कसं बदलेल....

Sense of responsibility

2010-06-17T09:31:00.004+05:30

It all depends on the will power and the sence of social responsibility..
Follow this-
April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico - One of the largest oil spills in the world with tens of millions of gallons spilled to date - Massive Eco (logy/nomy) tragedy - 11 people died and 17 injured - US government holds BP responsible for the mishap (please note that there was no PIL filed and no prosecution done) - Obama calls BP Chairman to the whitehouse - BP to pay $ 20 bn in an escraw fund to compensate victims of the oil spill - the date is June 16, 2010. i.e Less than 2 months..

December 3, 1984, Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL) pesticides plant in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India - one of the world's worst ever industrial catastrophes - The official immediate death toll was 2,259 and the government of Madhya Pradesh has confirmed a total of 3,787 deaths related to the gas release. Other government agencies estimate 15,000 deaths. Others estimate that 8,000 died within the first weeks and that another 8,000 have since died from gas-related diseases -- Over two decades since the tragedy, certain civil and criminal cases remain pending in the United States District Court, Manhattan and the District Court of Bhopal, India, against Union Carbide, (now owned by Dow Chemical Company), with an Indian arrest warrant also pending against Warren Anderson, CEO of Union Carbide at the time of the disaster -- UCC offered US$ 350 million, (the insurance sum).The Government of India claimed US$ 3.3 billion from UCC In 1999, a settlement was reached under which UCC agreed to pay US$470 million (the insurance sum, plus interest) in a full and final settlement of its civil and criminal liability. -- Not a Paisa been paid to the Victims till date -- The Chairman and CEO of Union Carbide, Warren Anderson, had been arrested and released on bail by the Madhya Pradesh Police in Bhopal on December 7, 1984. The arrest, which took place at the airport, assured Anderson would meet no harm by the Bhopal community. Anderson was taken to Union Carbide's house after which he was released six hours later on $2,100 bail and flown out on a government plane. -- Warren Anderson was helped by the Government of India and MP then to Flee India and never come back -- On 7 June 2010 seven former employees of the Union Carbide subsidiary, all Indian nationals and many in their 70s, were convicted of causing death by negligence and each sentenced to two years imprisonment and fined RS 1 lakh (US $ 2,124) All were released on bail shortly after the verdict -- the date is 7 June 2010 i.e. 25 years and 6 months.

सरणार कधी रण

2009-03-03T12:20:00.002+05:30

सरणार कधी रण प्रभू तरी हे
कुठवर साहू घाव शीरी

सरणार कधी रण प्रभू तरी हे
कुठवर साहू घाव शीरी
सरणार कधी रण ॥धृ॥

दिसू लागले अभ्र सभोती
विदीर्ण झाली जरी ही छाती
अजून जळते आंतरज्योती -- २
कसा सावरू देह परी ॥१॥

होय तनूची केवळ चाळण
प्राण उडाया बघती त्यातून
मिटण्या झाले आधीर लोचन
खड्ग गळाले भूमीवरी ॥२॥

पावन खिंडीत पऊल रोवून
शरीर पिंजे तो केले रण
शरणागतीचा अखेर ये क्षण -- २
बोलवशीलका आता घरी ॥३॥

-कुसुमाग्रज

-शिवकल्याण राजा-

माझे जीवन गाणे

2008-03-01T14:10:00.006+05:30

माझे जीवन गाणे, माझे जीवन गाणे ॥धृ॥

व्यथा असो आनंद असू दे,
प्रकाश किंवा तिमिर असू दे
वाट दिसो अथवा न दिसू दे, गात पुढे मज जाणे ॥१॥

कधी ऐकतो गीत झऱयातुन,
वंशवनाच्या कधी मनातुन
कधी वाऱ्यातुन कधी ताऱ्यातुन, झुळ्झुळतात तराणे ॥२॥

तो लीलाघन स्तय चिरंतन,
फुलापरी उमले गीतांतुन
स्वरास्वरांतुन आनंदाचे, नित्य नवे नजराणे ॥३॥

या विहगांनो माझ्या संगे,
स्वरांवरी हा जीव तरंगे
तुमच्यापरि माझ्याहि स्वरांतुन, उसळे प्रेम दिवाणे ॥४॥
-मंगेश पाडगांवकर

Capturing Time 18X

2008-01-21T14:06:00.002+05:30

I v got a time machine.
As usual my initial Pix were of Macro mode like insects, Flowers etc,
Then i tried to capture sunsets with little manual mode than Auto.
Every Novice photographer's basic dream of capturing trail of car lights on a busy road were also fulfilled easily.. But it was all thanks to my camera which had all those ready made modes. All i had to do to click these pics were to just turn on the respective dial and camera did the rest..
then i tried my hand on the brightest object in the night sky.. The MOON.
I am very much fascinated with the heavenly object.. I always wanted to see craters, I always tried to have a look through my binoculars, but the magnification was not satisfactory.
first few pix were not satisfactory and very blurry, then i shifted to Manual mode and adjusted aperture size and Shutter speed and i clicked.. I was mesmerized with the result.. here is my first clear image of the moon..

सामाजिक क्रांतिकारक

2006-09-22T09:31:00.002+05:30

स्वातंत्र्य मिळून तब्बल ५९ वर्ष उलटली. पण आपल्यात काहिच बदल नाही झाला. अजूनही मानसिकता विज्ञाननिष्ठ नसून कुठल्या तरी धर्म, शास्त्र, श्रद्धा अणि पर्यायाने कर्म करण्याची भिती यातच अडकली आहे. सतत कुठल्या न कुठल्या रीती चालिंची ग्वाही देत पळवाट शोधत असते. समाज हा नेहमीच सुधारणेच्या बाबतीत तठस्थ राहत आला आहे. पुरुष-प्रधान विचारसरणी नेहमी त्याचा दृष्टिकोन ठरवत गेली. खूप कमी लोक अशी होऊन गेली की ज्यांनी हा सामाजाचा ताठरपणा मोडून त्याला या सर्व जाणीवपूर्वक दुर्लक्षिलेल्या प्रश्णांकडे गांभीर्याने बघायला लावले. कहींना समाजास झुकवणे जमले, पण बरेचसे स्वत: मोडून गेले पण तरिही त्यांनी कार्य कधी सोडले नाही.
गेल्या आठवड्यात अश्याच विषयांवर कही चित्रपट "सलग" बघायला मिळाले हा एक योगायोगच म्हणावा, त्यात हातभार घालायला सोबत काही पुस्तके पण होतीच.
प्रथम "रामशास्त्री", प्रभात फिल्म कं. ने सन १९४४ साली हा चित्रपट बनवला. प्रमुख भूमिका ह्या चित्रपटाचे दिग्दर्शक- श्री. गजानन जहागीरदार ह्यांनी जीवंत केली होती. हा चित्रपट मी खरतर आधी अनेक वेळेला बघितला होता, पण कधी रामशास्त्र्यांची निस्पृह न्यायशीलता, कधी जहागिरदारांचा, ललिता पवारांचा अभिनय तर कधी प्रभातचे चित्रपट बनवण्याचे कसब, हेच लक्षात रहायचे. परवा बघताना एक खूपच वेगळा विचार समोर आला.
रामशास्त्री ह्यांची समाजा विषयची दृष्टी खूपच मानवतावादी होती. त्यांना हे कळत होते की समाज सुधारल्याशिवाय सुराज्य संभव नाही. एका प्रसंगात, एका दासीच्या लग्नाची फ़िर्याद माधवराव पेशव्यांसमोर येते तेव्हा कुठल्या तरी शास्त्राचा(?) आधार घेऊन फ़िर्यादी दासीचे लग्न अवैध ठरवतो तेव्हा रामशास्त्री पेशव्यांना ठणकवून सांगतात की माणसाची विक्री योग्य ठरवणारे ते शास्त्रच चूक आहे. त्यामुळे जरका दासीची विक्रीच मानवतेच्या विरोधात तर तिचे लग्न चूक ठरवणारे शास्त्र बदलणे भाग आहे. हा कालखंड १७५०-६० च्या सुमारचा आहे. त्यावेळेस राज्यपदी माधवरावांसारखा द्रष्टा माणुस बसला होता म्हणून त्यांनी योग्य त्या सुधारणा केल्या. रामशास्त्र्यांना खंबीर राजाची साथ मिळाली म्हणून अशा प्रथा बंद पडल्या. बाकिचे तर आपल्याला महीतच आहे. काही बाबतीत इंग्रजांना मानायला पहिजे. राजा राममोहन रॉय ह्यांच्या प्रयत्नांना फळ त्यांनीच मिळवून दिले, सती प्रथा ही आपल्या समाजाची एका स्त्री कडे बघण्याची दृष्टी दाखवते, ती त्यांनी कायद्याने बंद पाडली. पुढिल चित्रपट असाच माझ्या मनामध्ये उलट-सुलट विचारांचे जाळे विणत गेला. त्यामध्ये असणारे शास्त्राचे(?) प्रयोजन मलातरी विचलित करून गेले. इतके की माझ्यासाठी बाकीचा चित्रपट निरर्थक राहिला. "२२ जून १८९७" हे त्या चित्रपटाचे नाव. नचिकेत व जयू पटवर्धन ह्यांनी हा चित्रपट बनविला आहे. त्यामध्ये प्रभाकर पाटणकर, रवींद्र मंकणी, सदाशिव आमरापूरकर ह्यांच्या मुख्य भूमिका आहेत. मला दिग्दर्शकाचा दृष्टीकोन नक्की काय आहे हेच नाही कळत, मलातरी तो थोडासा गोंधळलेला वाटतो.
ह्या चित्रपटाची पार्श्वभूमी पुण्यात आलेल्या प्लेगच्या साथीची आहे. तेव्हा झालेल्या कथित अत्त्याचारांचा बदला म्हणून चापेकर बंधू हे रॅंड नावाच्या इंग्रजी अधिकाऱ्याचा वध करतात. चित्रपटामध्ये दाखवलेले अत्याचार मला तरी इतके भीषण नाही वाटले. मला खरे काय झाले माहीत नाही पण चित्रपटाने माझ्यासमोर पुरेसे चित्रच उभे नाही केले. वारंवार एकाच गोष्टी वर राग व्यक्त केला गेला, की रॅंड च्या आदेशावरून प्रत्येकाचे घर मग तो भलेही ब्राह्मण असो वा क्षूद्र(?) सैनिकांकरवी पूर्णपणे निर्जंतुक करून घेतले. चापेकरांचे घर सुद्धा अशाच प्रकारे साफ करून घेतले गेले. त्यांना मुख्य राग हा, की खालच्या(?) जातीच्या माणसांनी त्यांच्या घरात घुसून त्यांना बाहेर काढलं आणी ज्यांनी विरोध केला त्यांना बळ वापरून बाहेर काढले, विटाळ केला, त्यांचे देव देखील "निर्जंतुक" केले. माझ्या मते हा काही असा गुन्हा नाही की त्याबद्दल कोणाचा वध करावा. खरतर मला तरी अस वाटल की चित्रपट इथे बराच कमी पडला. चित्रपटात एक दृष्य आहे, त्यामध्ये हे चापेकर बंधू एका लग्नाला उपस्थित न रहाण्याचे कारण हे त्या वधुचे वय "शास्त्रा" बाहेर असल्याचे कारण देतात. ते म्हणतात की ती मुलगी ही १३ वर्षांपेक्षा मोठी असल्यामुळे तिचे लग्न हे अ-शास्त्रीय होते. मुख्य म्हणजे मला त्यांचा दृष्टिकोन बराच चुकीचा व बुरसटलेला वाटला, सुधारणेच्या विरुद्ध वाटला. खरतर रॅंड साहेबाने अशा कडक उपायांमुळेच प्लेग सारख्या महामारीवर नियंत्रण मिळवलेले होते. त्यातून शिकायचे सोडून हे काय भलतेच डोक्यात भरले!! त्यावेळेपर्यंत खरतर सामाजिक सुधारणेचे उपाय सुरू झले होते. बरेच जण प्रयत्न करत होते, जसे महात्मा फुले, आगरकर, वगैरे वगैरे... त्या लोकांमध्ये एक वेगळीच धडाडी होती. विचित्र, अंधश्रद्धेच्या आहारी गेलेल्या आणि मुख्यम्हणजे मानापमानाच्या, आत्मस्तुतीच्या व स्वताःच्या अहंकारासाठी स्त्रीचे अस्तित्व नाकारणारया समाजापुढे खंबीरपणे उभे राहून त्याला त्याची चूक दाखवून द्यायची छाती त्यांच्यापाशी होती. समाजाकडून असह्य त्रास झाला, पण ही माणसं आपापलं हाती घेतलेले काम करीत राहिली.
त्याच काळात अजून एक महात्मा (खरतरं महर्षी) असाच समाजानी उपेक्षिलेल्या प्रश्णावर कार्य करत होता, नव्हे स्वतःहून त्यावरती आचरण देखील करत होता. तो प्रश्न होता विधवांच्या भविष्याचा. आणि तो महामानव म्हणजे महर्षी धोंडो केशव कर्वे. "शास्त्राने" केवळ अशक्य असणारया विधवेच्या पुनर्विवाहासाठी बळ म्हणून स्वतःहून प्रथम एका विधवेशी विवाह केला. हा काळ देखील चापेकर बंधूंचाच आहे, पण विरोधाभास बघा. कर्व्यांचे विचार हे खरे क्रांतिकारी होते. त्यांनी एका स्त्रीचे समाजातील स्थान हे पुरुषाच्या बरोबरीचे आहे हे जाणले होते.. जरका एका विधुराला परत लग्न करता येते तर एका विधवेला तो हक्क का नसावा?? तिला देखील काही शारिरीक सुखाच्या भवना असतात हे त्यानी जाणले होते. त्यांनी अशा शोषणाला बळी पडलेल्या स्त्रियांसाठी एक शिक्षणसंस्था व रहाण्यासाठी एक आश्रम हिंगणे येथे काढला.
बरेच वेळेला असे होते की एखाद्या महात्मा माणसाचे कार्य इहलोकातून त्याच्या बरोबरच जाते, पण अशी काही उदाहरणे आहेत की जेथे एका माणसचे महान कार्य त्याच्या पुढील पिढ्या तेवढ्याच सक्षम पणे पुढे वाढवतत. नावच घ्यायचे तर बाबा आमट्यांपेक्षा अजून चपखल उदाहरण नाही सापडत.(सध्या त्यांची तिसरी पिढी त्याच कामात झटून काम करत आहे)
अशाच एका थोर व स्वाभाविकपणे उपेक्षिलेल्या एका "सामाजिक क्रांतिकारकावर" अमोल पालेकरांनी एक अत्युत्तम चित्रपट बनवला आहे- ध्यासपर्व. रघुनाथ धोंडो कर्वे, हे त्यांचे नाव. ह्यामध्ये त्यांची मध्यवर्ती भुमिका किशोर कदम ( कवी सौमित्र) ह्यांनी अत्यंत जीव ओतून केली आहे. त्यांच्या पत्नीच्या (मालतीबाई कर्वे)भूमिकेत सीमा बिस्वास ह्या अक्षरशः जगल्या आहेत. बाकीची पात्र ही जाणीवपूर्वक सहायक व छोटी ठेवली आहेत. कुठेही मुख्य विषयापासून चित्रपट भरकटलेला नाही. अशा विषयावर ह्या आधुनिक युगात साधा चित्रपट काढताना/बघताना इतका त्रास/संकोचल्यासारखे होते तर त्या काळात तसे काम करताना काय काय सहन करावे लागले असेल हे जाणवते. हा समाज, एका स्त्रीने साधे शिक्षण घेण्या-देण्या वरून महात्मा फुले व सावित्रीबाईंना इतका त्रास देऊ शकतो तर ह्यांचा विषय त्यांना पचणे शक्यच नव्हते.
लैंगिक शिक्षणाबद्दल जनजागृती करण्याचा त्यांनी ध्यास घेतला होता. संभोग हा केवळ संतती उत्पादना साठी नसून सुखासाठी देखील असतो. पण संतती नियमनाची पुरेशी साधन/ शास्त्रीय माहिती व मुख्य म्हणजे सामाजिक जाणीव नसल्यामुळे भारंभार पोरं व्हायची, त्यामुळे स्त्री-आरोग्यावर गंभीर परिणाम व्हायचे, कौटुंबिक आर्थिक परिस्थिती देखील खालावयाची. खूप मुले झाल्यामुळे शारिरीक सुखाची भिती वाटायला लागायची, अशा भितीमुळे मानसिक विकृती निर्माण व्हायची, त्यातून बलात्कार, वेश्यागमन अश्या गोष्टी घडत. ह्या वेश्यागमनातून बरेच रोग व्याधी निरोगी घरामध्ये प्रवेश करायच्या. ह्या सर्व समस्येमध्ये र. धों. कर्व्यांना त्यांच्या कट्टर शास्त्रीय दृष्टिकोनाचा खूप उपयोग झाला. एक सोप्पा उपाय त्यांना सापडला- संततीनियमन. फ्रांस येथील वास्तव्यामध्ये त्यांनी त्यासंदर्भात बरेच वाचन, अभ्यास केला. तेथून येताना सोबत ट्रंका भरून नियमनाची साधनं व पुस्तकं घेऊन आले. स्वतःच्या बिऱ्हाडातच त्यांनी पहिले संतती नियमन् केंद्र चलू केले. लोकांनी खूप हेटाळणी केली, कुचेष्टा केली, पण कर्वे आपल्या ध्यासापासून हटले नाहीत. समाजस्वास्थ्य नावाचे मासिक चालू केले. एका वसंत व्याख्यान मालेत त्यांनी स्त्रीयांना देखील लैंगिक भावना असतात हे प्रकटपणे मांडले. त्यांचे हे प्रकट बोलणे बऱ्याच मान्यवरांना नाही पचले, पण स्वतःवर असलेल्या विश्वासाच्या जोरावर ते आपले हे नैसर्गिक विचार निदान काही लोकांपर्यंत तरी पोचवू शकले. त्या मोजक्या लोकांमध्ये पेरलेल्या विचारांचा बराच मोठा वृक्ष आज आपल्या समोर उभा आहे. भारतच्या सज्ञान लोकसंख्येमध्ये निदान १०% लोक तरी सध्या संतती नियमन करीत असावीत. र. धों. कर्व्यांच्या हयातीत त्यांना केवळ कुचेष्टाच मिळाली, तरी देखील ते केवळ स्वताःवरच्या विश्वासावर लढत राहिले, त्यांना हा आत्मविश्वास त्यांच्या पत्नीने, व आई-वडिलांनी(धोंडो केशव कर्वे) पूर्ण खंबीरपणे मागे उभे राहून दिला. जेव्हा केव्हा परिस्थिती हाताबाहेर जायची त्यात्या वेळी त्यांना रॅंगलर परांजपे ह्यांसारखे हितचिंतक लाभायचे. अनेक अश्लीलतेच्या कोर्ट खटल्यांमध्ये त्यांना दंड झाला तेव्हा त्यांची केस बाबासाहेब अंबेडकरांनी लढवली होती. त्यामुळे जरी ते केस हरले असले तरी त्यांना बाबासाहेबांसारखा आयुष्यभरासाठीचा मित्र मिळाला.
अशी ही तीन माणसे अणि त्यांच्या वर बनलेले हे तीन चित्रपट, एक वेगळाच विचार करायला लावतात. नेहमीच्या साचेबंद आयुष्यात/समाजात आपली भुमिका नक्की काय आहे असा प्रश्ण उपस्थित करतात. असे काही चित्रपट सर्वांनी बघावे असे वाटते.
-- शिरीष माधव गानू
२२/०९/०६ ते १२/१०/०६

सुरेख सकाळ

2006-08-26T08:14:00.002+05:30

माफ करा पण याचा "सकाळ" पेपर वाल्यांशी काहिही संबंध नाही.
खरच, आज फारच सुरेख सकाळ पडली आहे. बर‍याच दिवसांनी कोवळे ऊन पडले आहे. खूप दिवसांचा पाऊस मरगळ देऊन गेला होता, ती झटकून टाकावीशी वाटली. कधी नव्हे तो माझ्या सारख्या पक्क्या नास्तिकाला देखिल देवाला फुलं वहाविशी वाटली. तुपाचा दिवा लावून उदबत्ती ने घर सुगन्धी दरवळून टकावेसे वाटले. वाहिलेली फुले तरी कसली तर- प्राजक्ताची. काय सुंदर असते ते फूल! पहाटे पहाटे झाडावरून अलगद तरंगत ते खालती पसरलेल्या दुर्वांच्या गर्दीवर पडते. हिरव्या गवतावर पांढरे शुभ्र फूल काय छान दिसते! त्याचे ते केशरी देठ, तो सुन्दर आकार आणि मंद पण प्रसंन्न करणारा गंध. आजची सकाळ सार्थकी लाऊन गेला. आजच्या सकाळला अगदी "सणाचा" वास येतोय. उद्या पसून सुरू होत असलेल्या गणेशोत्सवाची आगामी चाहूल ती देते आहे. फुललेले प्रत्येक फूल हे पुढील आनंदाच्या खुणा दाखवत आहे. जोमाने उठून कामाला लागावेसे वटते आहे त्यामुळे मी आपली रजा मागतो...
" गणपती बाप्पा- मोरया! "

Crying out loud.....

2006-08-25T22:55:00.001+05:30

Yesterday I saw one of the most controversial film ever made here in India. The co-incidence was a gentleman filed a petition against the currently running film “Omkara”,stating that it is very very harmful and disturbing to our “great Indian culture”. It contains matter, which is very vulgar and the language is too abusive. Incidentally a journalist asked the gentleman about his whereabouts at the time of the film I am going to talk about now. The Bandit Queen.
It was in my mind to see this film for a long time but it happened to be yesterday when I got the opportunity. The film is directed by the very sensitive and talented Shekhar Kapoor. And is brought to the reality by great performances by Seema Biswaas, Nirmal Pandey, Manoj Bajpai, Govind Namdev, Saurabh Shukla, Aditya Srivastava. The film is made very effective with its script and dialogues written by Ranjit Kapoor. The Score is very essential in this film to convey the right emotion of the situation. This task is performed to perfection by the great man himself- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
The film is so intense that it leaves a big and deep impression on your mind that it bleeds. At least I had a sleepless night. You read about such things happening in our country as gang rape and the intense fight of casts, even on roads near slums one sees man beating his wife brutally, but one never feels the intensity of the situation. But the film really digs deep in you and wakes you up with an ice running down your spine. It hits you most where it hurts- your Ego and false concepts of self-pride. Out of this ego only such talks of “damaging Great Indian Culture” arises. This film really opens your eyes to the reality which we are hiding for centuries with an invisible iron curtain of Religion and culture.
The film is extremely realistic and does not hide any thing. It is very brutal and straightforward and is deliberately devoid of any false impressions created using traditional Symbolism generally used to convey some awkward things. It is made like looking in a clear mirror- showing what is in front of it… there are many rape scenes, constant abusive language, and the unthinkable full nudity. The intensity is such that I really wanted to stop in between, but it really grips your neck and drags you till the end with its speed and everything else.
There is only one shot of some entertainment when Shekhar Kapur himself comes in as a sardar truck driver and looses his teeth by laughing in front of Phoolan Devi. Rest is simply tiring. I felt mentally exhausted after the film was over. I was hoping the film to get over early… I m a great fan of Shekhar kapoor right from Masoom, Mr. India and the Oscar aspirant Elizabeth. He has provided flawless entertainment, but this film was some thing different. The film is set in a very realistic arid, dry chambal river basin. Looking at the landscape one can understand the impossible task of catching these bandits. It must also have been a challenge to shoot a film in such conditions. Secondarily the cast and extras are very very real.. Seema Biswas LIVES Phoolan Devi. She has taken very high risk by playing such a character. Nirmal pandey is also the main anchor of the film.
The issue arises, is there a need to make so realistic films? The basic principal is to entertain. Then why take pains to make such film. Cause as I have already expressed in my earlier blogs, the film is one of the most effective medium of expression. If used rightly then it can really make a difference in the mentality of the population.

p.s. Some other realistic films I liked but also Hated- Irreversible( French), Boys don’t cry. Etc.

pls pls Shekhar Kapoor do think of making sequal of this film.. The next half of Phoolan Devi's life is as interesting as the first half. right from her capture, her elections for Lok sabha, life as MP and ultimately her murder..

श्रद्धा.....

2006-08-23T08:31:00.001+05:30

काल रात्री गंमत झाली, Breaking News परत आली.
तर्काच्या ऐवेजी अंधश्रद्धा नाचली, समुद्रावर ही.. गर्दी लोटली.

चमत्कार चमत्कार, पीर बाबाला नमस्कार,
बाबाची करणी, समुद्रात गोड पाणी.
सब रोगोंका एकही इलाज.....
लोक गाऊ लागली गाणी, पिऊन घाणेरड ते गटाराचे पाणी.
हीच आपली थोर संस्कृती, तरी थांबली आहे विकासाची गती.

आता विकास म्हणतात ते तरी काय?

कशा पाई करतात कष्ट? का बोलू मी स्पष्ट!!
मी स्पष्ट बोलून कुठच जग हलणार आहे,
दीड अब्जांच्या गोंगाटात लगेचच विरून जाणार आहे!
सर्व नाक डोळे मेंदू कान, झुकवितात केवळ अंधश्रद्धे साठी मान.
अशी श्रद्धा काय कामाची, जी घेऊन येई महामारी.
मला सगळे दिसते स्पष्ट, सर्व होणार आहे नक्किच नष्ट.

निसर्ग हा कृती अपेक्षितो, बलवान हा दुर्बलाला भक्षतो.
जगात बलवान किती, दुर्बल किती, मांडता येतील का आकडे?
सगळ्यात सोप्पे, व्हा मोकळे, घालून देवाला साकडे.

मुख्यमंत्री करतात महापूजा. घालून बारा अंगठ्या दहा बोटात.
चिंता नसते जनांची, तर नवीन वर्षात काय भरायला मिळेल पोटात.
या अंधश्रद्धेची वाटते मला लाज, अंगावर नसते चिंधी तरी चढवतात देवीवर साझ.

मुंबई-शांधाई, पुणे- बॉस्टन,
हे बोलणे केवळ मिठाईचे वेष्टण.
बिन्डोक जनतेला दाखवतात आतल्या मिठाईची लाच,
लावून IT Park ला भिंतभर काच.

त्या काचेपलिकडे दडली आहे वैचारिक कमकूवत,
असाध्य-साध्य कसे होईल, पाश्चात्य शैली अनुकरत!!
IT मधून आला पैसा, तळागाळात कसा पोचणार?
नवे मम्मी-डॅडी मुलांसोबत केवळ BIG Mac खाणार.

नव्या गाडीतून घरी जाता जाता, येई दत्त मंदिर आडवे,
गाडीतूनच "ओठ-कपाळ" करून गातात Indian cultural गोडवे.
लायकी तसे मिळते, अजूनही निम्मी जनता दोन घास कमीच गिळते.

उपाय काय?? वैतागून टेबलावर घट्ट मूठ आपटली,
बिचारी मुंगी त्याखाली सापडली.
मेल्या मुंगीने दिली कल्पना, चिरडून टाका त्यांना,
ज्यांना नाही फिकीर कोणाची, ना मनाची ना जनाची.
सुचून असली कल्पना, मी गालातल्या गालात हसलो,
काम सोडून या नव्या कुठल्या फंदात मी फसलो!!!!

समस्येचे कळले बहुतेक मला मूळ,
काळच ठरवेल, हे माझे ध्येय का माझे खूळ.
कामे करून घ्यायला, झिजवीन माझ्या बुटाची टाच,
तरी देणार नाही, एक दमडी देखिल मी कोणाला लाच!!!!!

---------------शिरीष माधव गानू
१८/०८/२००६

झळ.......

2006-08-22T23:48:00.001+05:30

मी केलेले पाप अंगाशी आले, मिळालेले शाप शाश्वत झाले.
विसंबून राहिलो नशिबावर, विश्वास ठेवला भविष्यावर..
भविष्य माझे हरविले, माझ्या हातून भगवंता हे काय करविले!!

देवावर नव्हता कधिच विश्वास, तरी सतत व्हायचा (त्याचा) आभास..
फारकत घेतली त्याच्याशी, तरी खायचो फक्त तुपशी,
लोळत बसून उशाशी, ती मात्र रहायची उपाशी.
उशी होती मऊ मऊ, आजी द्यायची रोज गोड खाऊ.
गोड खाऊन, खाल्या मिठाला विसरलो!
निर्लज्जतेच्या कुठल्या गर्तेत घसरलो!
ही घसरण कही थांबेना, तळ कही दिसेना.

या घसरण्याचा आलाय मला वीट, नरक-तळ तरी दखव मला नीट!
निदान पायांना आधार मिळेल, अस्तित्वाचे कारण तरी कळेल.

अस्तित्वासाठी लढतो आहे, दाटली जळमटे कढतो आहे.
ही लढाई जीवन-मरणाची, ही वेळ कार्य करण्याची.

उठ!! उभा रहा!!!!
नव्या दिशेला दिव्य आसमन्त पहा!
त्या दिशेला धाव आहे घ्यायची, समाजाची लाज कोळून प्यायची.
या भेकड जगावर पाय रोवून उभा रहा, करारी नजरेने दुर्जनांना पहा.
बघ होईलच तुझ्या हातून कार्य महान, तरी तू रहा मनाने लहान.

लहानपण निष्पाप असते, रडणं सोडून खुदकन हसते.
असे मन हवे मला, सहव्या लागल्या जरी असंख्य झळा,
पुसून टाकीन मी गतायुष्याचा फळा,
तरी काय वाटून/ आठवून, दाटून येतो माझा गळा??

----------शिरीष माधव गानू.
२१/ ०८/२००६

Mumbai ka King kaun????

2006-01-16T01:12:00.001+05:30

the world is full of great films.. major chunk is lifted by Hollywood and most 'junk' is dumped through Bollywood.. the name itself shows the lack of urge to create something new! there are great films made in Japan( one and only/ all time great- Akira Kurosawa- abt whom i will write later), Korea, some very talented directors are producing masterpieces in Iran, in Europe also small small countries are making some of the best movies. talking abt hollywood, they produce many many movies, honestly many are as bad as b'wood films but still the number of good movies they make is just creditable. though Money plays a major role, it is still not the necessity to make a good film.
after talking so much abt the incompetence of B'wood films you must be thinking that my most favorite film will be a non desi.. .... you guessed wrong. in my opinion, the best film i v ever seen comes from the very own stables/(factory- more appropriate). the film was made in 1998, it had a very unseen starcast- Urmila being the most recognized one.. the film was made by a very talented Ram Gopal Verma( who later/ now a days, has lost his mind making stupid films)..
you guessed correctly the film was "Satya".
the film was abt Satya lashing out at the garb of civilization man wears, unveiled him to be seen in raw flesh and blood.The film is the story of Satya (Chakravarthy), who chases a dream to Mumbai and ends up in the underworld.
It is the story of men for whom killing is just another job. It lights flashbulbs in the underworld, a world that is dark, murky and unpredictable. There is also a human aspect to these blunt things of life. There' a girl who walks into Satya's life and shows him a world that's softer, a world that has love and the light of hope. There is the helpless police commissioner who is unable to tackle the relentless onslaught of crime. Satya also shows the camaraderie existing between friends who play with death as their profession. And finally Satya is the story of Bhiku Mhatre, the quintessential don.
The film ends as it begins - violently. In the process it leaves the viewer shaken, forced to face a truth he rather not. He leaves the theatre, not with an inane smile, but in thought. Perhaps this is what the director, Ram Gopal Verma intended.
the strongest point of the film is the involvement of the Audience. the viewer can identify himself in the film.. not really in the likes of bhiku, satya or even as one of his gang members but in the background, buying vegetables or crossing road, watching sunset at the chaupati. which is very disturbing.. we all intend to oversee the sickness in the society, the film forces you to stare hard at the sharp contrast of the actual situation..

the strength of the film lies in the simplicity of the charactors, and the story. i v realized that, all the great films have very natural cast, characters. very simple but flawless scripts. in the films like the Godfather I, II the story and the script was very complicated, but the characters in the film are so true and natural. which makes it one of the best movies made from a book. even in our own 'Lagaan' the characters are very simple n most imp natural.

in the next blog will be talking abt a master piece which scared the sh*t out of me.

regards
Shirish Madhav Ganu

Film- extreme Architecture

2006-01-16T00:38:00.001+05:30

first of all, what is a film???
i see at it as the most extreme form of 'Architecture'
what is Architecture? --- simply, it is 'designing a space'
then why is a film most exteme architecture??
here i can only try my best to explain it... pls don't ask any questions abt it pls pls
conventional architecture is restricted to three dimentions l/b/h. at the most one can say it has a fourth dim. of 'Time', but this case is only applicable to 'timeless' buildings like the Pyramids or the Angakor Wat. they take you straight back to their times... but as i say, these buildings are very few, so i can not make a general statement abt the factor of fourth dimention in conventional Architecture.. the complexity of films start right here.
Film is restricted to a strictly 2D form, (iMAX is also a 2D image projected on a 3D surface). but what it shows is all three dimentional. it is only restricted by the length of the reel and the patience of the audience. the film is very irrespective of time, one can show you a scene of 30 seconds taking you back to the times of Roman empire and on the 31st second take you to a modern day Barista in Rome... the best thing about it is that it takes you to the places where you can only dream of going like the close-ups of various actresses, etc. most important thing is that the films are 'dynamic' so i take Motion as the fifth dim. are you getting me ?? e.g. when i see Mr. Bachchan walking from point A to point B in a film, it is actually an image showing at 30 frames per second shot at X location at Y time.. and we can only see his angry eyes-thanx to closeup- for 4 seconds then there is also some kind of music increasing the tension or creating mood for the shot.. i m just fascinated with the concept of Films.

Movies! Films! Cinema!

2006-01-15T23:19:00.001+05:30

Movie! Film! Cinema! i dont know the difference between them, but have you noticed that we subconsciously use these three words for different kinds of "motion pictures".. i don't know the reason( and not in the mood to find out) it was just an observation...
any ways, what i m going to write in this blog n forthcoming blogs are my observations, comments and general opinion abt various films..

it was i think third year and first semester of my architectural studies, when i met this wonderful person through my elective subject- visual communication. the name was Samar Nakhate.. he is very well known ( for various reasons) in Pune's social circuit. you will find him around anything related to film.. the most remarkable thing abt him is the man's honesty towards his passion for films and his social awareness.

before meeting him i was viewing films through a very layman's approach. just checking the entertainment content of the film, his lectures changed all that. i started analyzing them through a different dimention, so i got a "perspective" view of the insight.

in the forthcoming blogs i'll try to write down abt my general approach towards a film, how i 'see' it. i will also try to write down abt some of my all time great movies, directors, actors, scriptwriters and also music composers.