Random Acts of Kindness

I have grown up having two dreams which I distinctly remember. One to have an aircraft of mine in which I will take the entire family on appa & amma's side together (then the count was 51) on a world tour and the next one was (and somewhere is) to make enough money to be able to help alleviate poverty.


Well as they say some dreams become reality while others remain dreams...Am I working towards realising the above said dreams? To be honest I don't think so...coz since the time I had these dreams my life has changed a lot...for starters grew up finished my education and joined the rat race. Once I got in today 12 years later I feel like the nothing has changed...yeah I'm on paper doing much better...married, decent salary and profile etc etc but then inflation, cost of living and expectations have ensured to balance it completely!


Going back to my 'original' dreams...especially the second one. Though I want to alleviate poverty I have never been for giving alms for beggars unless they are really really old people...though well aware that sometimes even with them the money may reach somebody else. I am not attached to any of the NGOs or the CSR initiatives coz I think they are more for PR etc. I once did some donations to Greenpeace but then I realised that's not enough. So I just stopped.



I'm a very emotional person! Sometimes looking at the state of affairs around me brings tears in my eyes. And this is what exactly happened yesterday. I had just finished a working lunch and was stepping out of the restaurant when I saw a very old man probably in his early 70s crouching under a lamp post in scorching heat trying to sell some mangoes. I dunno why but rather immediately my eyes swelled! For a second I thought of buying him lunch. But then I thought it may still not help him. Walking upto him I asked about the price with the initial idea of buying a few. His eyes swell up and he was not even able to speak properly. He requested me to but a couple of kilos which would cost Rs.100. Speaking to myself for a second I said 'Carnic...here is one of those little chances for you to alleviate an old needy man of his misery...of selling mangoes in the searing heat'. Convinced about the action I immediately asked him and bought the whole basket of mangoes. While I have heard enough cases of these being acts to con you, I was convinced that it would not be the case with what I was doing.

I was happy...really really happy as I carried a whole lot of mangoes in a couple of bags back to my workplace. I also knew my wife would be surprised but happy at my act.

What do you call it? Random act of kindness? I don't know...rather don't care about what you would call it and what people would think about it. What mattered to me was that I was able to bring a smile on somebody's face through my gesture which in turn made me happy.

As of my dreams...well am working on them!!!!

CLICK - The experience

October 2nd. It was a relatively quieter day with less traffic and I left with my colleague for office. After a not so great day at office and whatever followed, we finally left for home. After finishing dinner I went with Praveen (my colleague @ Kingfisher Airlines) to his residence. We sat watching TV. After the usual zapping we settled to watch an Adam Sandler - Kate Beckinsale flick titled 'Click' (got to know the name a little later). Warning: What follows is not a movie review.

It’s a story of a guy who’s happy go lucky what with him laying his hands on a Universal remote which will control his universe. He started using it to make his fantasies real, then forward things he was not too excited about etc etc. With nothing better coming on TV we continued watching. And soon we were into it completely. What kept us gripped is a simple, entertaining storyline which is a trademark of all Adam Sandler movies. While he's happy with the remote and the advantages he has he soon realises life is running too fast and soon getting out of hand. Daughter has grown up and goes partying, wife's got grey hair etc. In another fast forward his wife has married another person and he’s in the hospital for obesity treatment...another fast forward and his dad is no more. And some sequences later he's himself on his death bed. His kids meet him at the hospital upset and move on. Worried that he may never meet them again he runs out of the hospital and ultimately dies amidst his ex-wife and kids. And there was a timely commercial break after that. Expecting movie credits after the break we both wondered what the flick was all about...was it an Adam Sandler movie etc etc. We were in for a surprise. After the break we see Sandler happily sleeping in a big retail outlet. He suddenly wakes up to realise all that has happened to him was a big dream. Happy that he's still alive...happy that he still has his parents around him, happy that his kids are still as young as they were before, happy that his wife was still next to him he’s overcome with joy.

The whole sequence also makes him and along with him the audience realise that he got a second chance to enjoy life. And not let it slip by.

After a hectic day we, Praveen & me watched a movie which was...I wonder what would the right words be...amazing? thought provoking? inspirational? As many thoughts flicker around we both discussed that in a short span we were made to realise what was happening around us. In all a very simple yet beautiful movie. Would recommend it to all of you who haven’t seen it yet.

Just hope to keep it in the back of my mind and approach life accordingly.

All jazz, no stuff!

About a month or so back 9X started airing some really slick promos of Ekta Kapoor's magnum opus 'Kahani Hamare Mahabharat ki'. This was followed by write ups, interviews, articles, news channel coverages and movie-like premiere. Quite impressive...and surely created enough buzz.

As with other works people were already talking about it and trying to compare it with the 'original'. Even I was one of them...reminded me of Troy, Gladiator, The Mummy Returns and of course the 'original'

Whats the original?

A good two decades back (its been a loooooooooooong time!!!! i checked to get the facts right) sometime in 1988 (let me think...I was in 6th or 7th std) Doordarshan (where else) aired BR Chopra's Mahabharat, bringing to life one of the two biggest mythological epics...the other being Ramayan. Ramayan, Mahabharat & later The Sword of Tipu Sultan redefined Sunday viewing in Indian household. We were in Air Force Station Kalaikunda (Kharagpur, West Bengal) then. During that one hour or so the surroundings will almost go silent, people who didn't have TVs will throng their neighbour's houses a couple of minutes before the serial started taking their usual places. Over the next 2 years this epic went on to become one of the most popular serials of all time. The jingle still rings in my ears although rather faintly.

Coming back to now....I caught glimpse of one of the first episodes of the new Mahabharat. To my surprise it started with Draupadi's vastraharan...I wonder how people who have been eagerly waiting for the start reacted....Later I got to see some pictures courtesy the hype in some newspapers and online. Wonder what the so called Indian soap queen is up to? Who's the target audience? In trying to be different ( or lets say original) everything looks so shall I say funny. Every shot of the rather comical act reminded me of the 'original'. The pony tailed Dhrithrashtra...the bald Shakuni...the strange armour wearing Karna, the curly haired, red saree clad Draupadi all of them remind me of the 'original'. While it can be somebody's take but it can't tamper with basics. Didn't expect this after all the hype.

Yesterday, giving it a second chance I watched another episode. Through the media promotions I was aware that Ekta Kapoor has now suddenly turned her attention to Krishna kaand and introduced Kansa. I could not believe when I heard a cow's voice as a part of the background score!!!! Coupled with this poor acting....And then Krishna'a father crossing the river...another scene which reminded me of the 'original'.

The impactful narration of Harish Bhimani as Samay, Mukesh Khanna as Bheeshma, Nitish Bharadwaj as Lord Krishna, Girja Shankar as Dhritrashtra, Puneet Issar as Duryodhana, Pankaj Dhir as Karna and Gufi Paintal as Shakuni...the memories are still fresh. Unlike today's TV stars who have made names more through hype and page 3 appearances the 'original stars' have made name through impactful performances. For all these years and given the way the current Mahabharat is turning out to be...for more generations to come BR Chopra's Mahabharat looks to be telling the story of good versus evil with the depth of human emotions like loyalty, love, bonding, jealousy, hatred, envy, and bitterness.

You have a long, very long way to go Ekta. And even after that while you may be able to ca[ture audiences and gater TRPs but I doubt whether you would be able to create impact, a lasting impact...