Life of Pi...Why...

Life of Pi….why Pi…because Pi denotes a never ending number…eternal…like  the cosmic energy…but he was not born Pi, in fact he had a name which everyone made fun of but he found a way to convert it to something interesting and meaningful. I guess this is the most important point this story makes  - to find something worthwhile in hopeless looking situations…that too not just some meaning but an attempt to make it eternal. 

That has always been the quest of man …to become eternal…immortal. In fact when he is a lone survivor in the vast sea he reminds us of the eternal man…Manu after the Jal pralay or may be Noah’s Arc….or is this Vishnu lying on Sheshnag in the Ksheer Saagar? All these images have a common thread- co-existence of all the elements of this universe – Man – animal- water- sky…they all must have gone through a period of turmoil but at the end they are all at peace with one another. This is the inherent nature of the universe…calm..shaant.  

We are all here to play our own roles. For few moments, when we are overpowered by the universal force, we experience our helplessness and the power of surrendering. Initially we struggle, then we surrender and enjoy the bliss and then  we are back to play our respective roles. Pi goes back to live with humans and Richard Parker goes back to where he belonged.

Like actors of a play who portray different roles on stage and in the green room they are all one and the same, interacting with each other, co-existing and as the show starts, they are back on the stage, again, playing the role assigned to them. The hero might slay the villain because that is what his role demands but back stage, when they remove their makeup they are just two beings with no labels. Trouble starts when we start stretching our labels after the show. Let us be sensitive enough to hear the bell as the show ends and take off our costumes and realize our true identities, realize our common connection with the universe, be at peace with ourselves, with each other and enjoy the calmness…shaanti….

On Amitabh’s 70th Birthday

This is not the first time someone has turned 70. This is not the first time a celebrity has turned 70. But it is definitely one of the rare occasions where a celebrity has turned 70 and has the same charisma if not more. There is not a dent in his popularity despite the entry of so many new, talented and successful competitors in his industry.

It’s not long back that we witnessed the demise of another super star Rajesh Khanna. May his soul rest in peace but this Rajesh Khanna who passed away, had no resemblance with the erstwhile super star. There was no spark left in his life, no fans, and no films, not even his family.

These two personalities have portrayed two aspects of life- One of being attached to the glory of a phase and perceiving image worship as personal worship. The fans who wrote letters in blood to the ‘super star’ were looking at an image, not a person.

When we are confused between the two, we perceive our ‘image’ as our ‘self’. When the image is hit by a change in trend or is overshadowed by another upcoming more attractive image, our self gets lost in the background. Our belief, in that image or ‘Maya’ and accepting it as truth or ‘Satya,’ leads us to the dark alleys of frustration and depression, often disguised as arrogance or indifference. Believing in that image bloats our ego and we assume ourselves as masters of our universe, only to be disillusioned and find ourselves deserted and forgotten.

It makes us ignore and undermine the not-so-glamourous aspects of our life like – Family. Because of the proximity, family may not look all that awestruck like the fans outside the house but family is the anchor of our life. If we throw away the anchors then life tosses us around as the storms hit.

There are two reasons for Amitabh’s success. One of them is- being grounded. Strong family values give you emotional strength. It’s not that he has not made any mistakes but he could realize them and had the courage to retrace his steps and also learnt from them.

Second reason why he is still a super star is because he kept on rediscovering himself and kept on adapting to the present moment. If we are stuck at a particular moment in our life and keep hanging on to that moment, we will be left behind as time will flow on. There was a time to be the angry young man, there was a time to be the romantic lead but that time has passed away now. Now it requires something else. Let’s accept it and accept it with pride and grace.

We all are super stars of our lives. Whether we will keep shining or will fade away soon will depend on whether we keep on changing and adapting or we are stuck at one phase. Life is change. Either we can change or we will be changed.

Nupur Jaiswal