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.
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….
