#QuotedStories6: ‘Losing everything is not the end of the road’

This post is written as part of ‘#QuotedStories linky party #6′ and on the quote, “Sometimes It takes losing everything, you have to finally grow and find yourself’ given by Upasna. The prompt is hosted by Upasna and Rohan. It’s a piece of fiction but which is a reality bite in it for all of us. Thank you Upasna for the inspiration and Rohan for encouraging us to beat the block. You folks rock.

#QuotedStories6: ‘Losing everything is not the end of the road’

‘Stop running. You are not a rat,’ the seer told me. ‘You have come to me so that I pacify your heart and tell that you shall overcome everything and rise from the ashes like the Phoenix film star beating dozen villains on-screen. What if I told you that you will fail and will be stuck till your dead-end?”

I stared at the religious man. He smirked at me. “You are seeking validation, right now. Fooling oneself is the mark of cowards. All odds are stacked against you, I agree. The truth is that your soul is tired and cannot accept failure since you are wearing the blinker of past success. The only miracle that you deserve is a good kick in the bum.”

The baba is hallucinating. He must be snorting cocaine, I was convinced. He gently held my hand, “No son, I have not gone bonkers. You are angry. I can see it into your eyes. Your past is haunting you. The present is making you a coward. The feeling of the future slipping away from your hand is a sign of insecurity gnawing every thread in your body. Be truthful to your own self. There is no need to seek validation from the world. Bury the past. Have the guts.”

He was firm but filled with compassion at the same time. The wind fluttered. A smooth breeze ruffled my hair. I could feel that things are changing. Suddenly, I feel a dash of positivity. There was an inherent conviction that I have been doing things the wrong way where my soul is tired and battered.

“Where are you?, the holy man asked. “Prisoner of your thought. The past relationships and rejections are hurting you because things are not going your way. We don’t have the power to flesh things in a planned structure.” It was the truth. I knew that. The guiding light is shining on me. I loved and lost. The entire blocks that I laid to be successful were crumbling like the bricks from the sky rise and washed by the heavy rains. I am this building constructed with pain and it is being slowly wiped off the ground. The time is now to do things differently.

He read my thought. “There is a change in your body language. It’s the call of the soul which is giving you perspective of things to unfurl right in front of you. Change is happening. You are the light. Be the warrior of change. In the past life, your ship was wrecked and you swam against the tide but the stormy water claimed you. There is a reason why every day, you come and sit here by the sea here. It’s the same water that took you away. You died a hero as the ship’s captain.”

My head was spinning and the body twirled off the shaky ground. I felt a jab on my chest and collapsed. Water sprinkled on my face. I slowly opened my eyes to see the slim spiritual man, twitching his mustache and smiling tenderly at me, “Son! You are blessed and got a second life. Value it. Start all over again.”

“Sometimes it takes losing everything, you have to finally grow and find yourself,” he walked away from me. I slowly got up and trudged towards my destination. I was going to start all over like a new-born and forgetting everything that occurred to me. I have given up living in the past.

Love

V

The Queen who touched hearts but never said bye

A drop of tear,

languishing on the futile existence,

fickle,

O’ death! You are silly and stupid,

Life! The monster that creates out of dust!

Thousand questions in the mind’s bubble!

Claiming someone so young,

why put them on earth?

Trials,

Suffering,

struggle,

to fight inner demons,

pain,

But, Goddesses have to go back to rule their kingdom,

angels touching our hearts with the wand of beauty,

They must return to their abode,

to give happiness and joy

fellow traveler struts her way,

where she is needed,

sweetness to touch the skies and stars,

Fiery,

gentle,

giver of joy,

she shall stay alive forever,

celebrating her womanhood in all its form,

spirited,

a queen,

making every second matter,

death is not for her,

good souls never go anywhere,

she ruled supreme over ordinary mortals like us,

ah! those conversations,

it belonged to another universe where she now belongs,

words of encouragement spurned like magic,

selfless,

never saying no for it wasn’t in your dictionary,

touching lives,

substance is your name,

forever alive,

for you never went anywhere,

it’s just that you didn’t say bye,

soulful friend,

departed in the prime of youth

you shall be missed.

PS: This poem is dedicated to my blog and FB friend, Pariknitha who passed away last week. We never met in real but our occasional conversations on FB and blog felt like a life time of memory. There are souls like her. Gifted! They make you feel so amazing and have a life long impact.

Love

V

 

 

 

Movie Review: Jagga Jasoos is a wonder tale

Film Review: Jagga Jasoos

Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Saswata Chatterjee, Saurabh Shukla, Sayani Gupta and Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Rating: 3.5 stars

Image credit: Google

A film dragged and stuck for years, release date constantly postponed is bound to lose its freshness and crisp narration over time which, in turn, makes the viewers lose interest. At last, Jagga Jasoos hit the theaters and one must laud the makers for bringing to the fore a unique concept that has not been tested earlier. The distinct story style like in children’s story book makes Jagga Jasoos the winner. The film finds its distinct voice that ensures that it knows its audience by heart, the young children but also woos adults. In short, Jagga Jasoos has its soul in the right place where it beautifully blends Charlie Chaplin, Raj Kapoor’s Mera Naam Joker and Tintin. A joyride and an honest attempt to tickle the funny bone steered by the versatile Ranbir Kapoor upping his act and delivering flawlessly.

The first half is wacky and zany where the narration takes us to the childhood days of Jagga, his school and detective adventures which hold the rhythm and the scenes are concocted in a delicious manner, be it the chasing scenes or his meeting with journalist Shruti Sengupta(Katrina Kaif). Jagga stammers in the film while Shruti is prone to mishap, and together they uncover arms trafficking, traveling from India to Mombassa in Africa.

Unfortunately, the second half of the movie starts at a sluggish pace, losing track of the build up that was set in the first half, something that the makers should have worked upon to tighten both the screenplay and narration. But, thankfully, Jagga Jasoos gets back on track where the audience is treated to a tacky climax that sees Jagga uniting with Tutti Futti.

Ranbir Kapoor is riveting, effortless and sublime in showcasing his versatility and the charm that he lends to his character elevates the film. He plays a college student with utmost ease and the scene where he cries his lungs out waiting for the postman warms the heart. There is no limit to the various shades portrayed by the actor and the display of acting histrionics shows that a superstar worth his name is at work. Sadly, Katrina Kaif fails to perform despite having an author backed role and runs short of expectations as the hero’s sidekick.  At times, she is expressionless.

Saurabh Shukla puts a decent act but by now the characters that he plays has become tedious and too repetitive, a hang over from his Tehkikat days on TV. Saswata Chatterjee lends credibility to his character Tutti Futti and brings the endearing quotient that complements Jagga with ease.

Of course, what stands out in Jagga Jasoos is the brilliant hue of color palette displayed by the Director of Photography, S Ravi Varman that gives shade to the novel concept espoused by the film, thus, making it a sheer delight to the aesthetic senses. The songs that Tutti Futti teaches Jagga as a child brings to the fore the chemistry between the two and lights up the moments which are deemed essential in this genre of comedy. The good thing is that the film offers an experimental approach that makes Jagga Jasoos a distinct fare.

The flick suffers from glitches in the post-production that slackens the pace and it seems that the makers were in a hurry, leading to botched up scenes.  First, the dubbing of Katrina Kaif’s voice bears a terrible impact, moving from her original voice to the new one and again back to square one, leaving the audience confused. The two back-to-back songs hold the story flow and after some point,  the narration loses steam, It could have been tightened by slashing the movie to make it 2 hours entertainment rather than veering towards three hours.

Shot majorly in Manipur, Jagga Jasoos bears an uncanny resemblance to the earlier Ranbir-Basu collaboration Barfi and despite the glitches, Jagga Jasoos deserves to be watched for bringing a novel concept on-screen. The story telling technique, goofy acts and Ranbir credible performance where he lends his personal touch in the role experimentation makes Jagga Jasoos an endearing film. Such a film must be encouraged that will pave the way for more makers and actors treading on the unexplored path to bring joy to the audience. A daring act. Don’t miss Jagga Jasoos for it will kindle the child in you alive in this wonder tale. It sends a strong message: Children don’t need guns but sweets.

Love

V

WoW: When love lost….It was my last day in the city

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

When love lost….It was my last day in the city

It was my last day in the city. My city. It was a Sunday. It is a Sunday. The wind blew from the Arabian Sea in the evening. I scampered on the busy road to meet her. Love didn’t triumph on that day. It failed me. The place would take off at midnight. The heart was heavy. My soul and heart shred into million pieces. I was dying at every second. It seemed that the dock of life has stopped. I cursed. I ran. A seesaw of emotions choked me inside to reach every breath taken. What’s the point, I wondered. Our fate has been sealed. Stupid love. Stupid religion. I choose to run away from the city that I have stayed long enough to call my own.

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If only I could stop the trail of time by conjured magic. It wasn’t meant to be. A matter of hours when we would go our separate ways and will probably never see each other. We met and fell in love in the city. The breeze, monuments, and stars in the sky witnessed the pure love that grew on us. The city embraced us in its cradle. Her name is S. The city that I loved so much suddenly suffocated me. The susurration of a broken heart. I was dying at every second. Love is second to none, they say. How can it happen to me? I didn’t have any choice but to leave everything and go back.

Woe betides me. We wanted to make the most of it by spending the last day together in the city. It mattered to us. I woke up early on that fateful day and stormed my way to Barista at CST, ordering Latte for the love to flicker like sugar steered and disappearing in the coffee. The love didn’t filter inside. My life fell apart. Time was moving fast. I didn’t want to leave the city. What I would do without the city, the selfless embrace that it gives and holding me in its womb, the monsoon, and the blustering echo or scything to explore every single path and wide roads.

The heart break is no fiction. I lost on love. I was the vanquished. A dejection that pushed me to the brink to abandon everything. I had to get away from love, longing, monsoon and the city. I was calling her Jaan. I was counting the minutes between shuttling to the room, shopping and locking the baggage. We met after six pm. The same place that we first met and fell in love. It was the iconic library where we studied together, laughed, fought and held hands. The pain bellowed. We sat on the same white bench. She promised that we will meet some day. I didn’t nurture hope. It’s better that we don’t speak or reason on what could have been. There was no point. No words expressed on our break up. We walked together to Fab India for she had to exchange the gift I gave her. The Kurti didn’t fit her. We spotted a celebrity. She gave me gifts that I have preserved till now, the CD and card where her words flew like lyrics that couldn’t quench the thirst of love. The first time that I lost. We hugged and traveled for the last time in the local train, sashaying our way on the crowded platform at CST.

Not all love stories have a happy ending. Pain can be empowering and define one’s journey. The time for take off approached. I fastened the seat belt. I stared at the sky and stars to make a wish for them to fulfill. It was her. The plane rifled in the sky and in the fleeting minutes, the city disappeared from my gaze like a dream that flitted away in an invisible manner to never become true again. I visited the city after ages and every step taken reminded me of her smile and gaze. It was closure. I shall be back with a vengeance to carve new memories and live every second one day. Love for humans is an illusory attachment. The love for the city remains eternal. Someday, we shall unite for time has stitched the heart that lost on doomsday. A story of love nurtured and took shape in the city. There is a purpose and meaning behind everything. It wasn’t meant to be. The city is capacious like a home for every lovable and lost soul warbling the song of love and pain.

PS: As I was writing this post, I received a terrible news on the sudden passing away of a super talented, fashion and travel blogger, Pari Knitha Urs who was a Facebook friend that I never met but who was always encouraging, kind and never shied to help. May God bless her soul. She was blogging on The Wanderer’s Diary.

Love

V

Kodak moments: Mumbai on its toes

It’s both a very busy and lazy week for me as winter has already seeped in which makes it an arduous task to write at length. There are so many things to do. Since most of you have beaten hands down the Monday Blues, a small treat to most of you in the form of my favorite shots taken during my last visit to India. No prize for guessing? It’s Mumbai! It’s been ages that I haven’t shared pictures on the blog that makes memory whooshed to the mind as if it was yesterday only.

The skyscraper aerial view of Mumbai from the Emirates Airlines as it was descending its way towards the airport at Santacruz. I was so excited and felt a pang of anxiety at the same time to see the city, my city. No wonder, it’s a treat as the heart ran amok with excitement trying to locate places near the CST airport.

This shot was taken as the taxi screeched its way out of the airport zone and it gave a feeling of life embedded in simplicity in Mumbai and of course, the humble line up of houses and shops, billboard of the Vodafone banner, a lady dressed in saree walking past the rickshaw gives a feel of life in the city. There is so much to Mumbai, right from the fast life to simplicity that can be found in some places far away from the bustling center.

It’s my city where life is not fake and its inhabitants toiling hard 24/7 to make things happen for them. They may bear traces of bruise on their respective faces but they will carry the burden of life walking past the iconic yellow-and-black cabs. It’s one image that brings a smile on the face watching people determined and for whom the world never stops. Happens only in Mumbai. The picture must have been taken on the way towards Sion station from JJ Flyover.

 

The picture was shot in the surrounding of Colaba near the National Gallery of Modern Arts in the city which was a regular sight for me the time I was staying in the city and walking to Colaba where you get to see a city on its toes.

Love

V

Sunrise’s mojo and swinging spirit

Dewy morning

dark sky

glowing moon surfacing

lighting a light in the heart

healing spirit

shining on the soul

erasing the scars

opening the moist eyes

contemplating in silence

kaleidoscope of emotions

spirit swinging and soaring

hitting a high

who needs booze?

existence is a drug!

thriving on cocktail

love

passion

intensity

sunrise’s mojo

gently caressing furs,

igniting the chakra

coalescing into one whole,

it’s no mathematical equation

the chemistry of the heart and mind,

put to rest assumptions

live

love

laugh

cry

dance

blow the bubble

unfold the palm,

flicker the mound of baggage in the air.

Love

V

 

 

 

 

 

Silent whisper in the dark night

Silent whisper,

susurration of gentle stream,

disappearing in the fading distance,

a long night,

creepy voices,

fluttering of wind,

mind at rest,

fighting the storm raging inside the body,

peace is a heavy price to pay,

liberated soul,

unfulfilled prayer,

come and claim the body,

I challenge the Gods!

it shall not be!

Emerging victorious from the jaw of death,

they think!

wounds shall remain,

true liberation doesn’t reside in the battered body!

Inexistent,

a pound of flesh,

wandering aimlessly,

it’s no triumph,

a curse to fight death at every second,

tired and crumpled i am,

my imagination soars in the dark night,

hello poet,

weaving the strings,

creating illusion,

life,

pain,

death,

passion.

Love

V