Padmavati Row

Faith its degeneration when alone — bigotry
fanaticism — sectarianism. Narrowing
finite therefore cannot get to the infinite
Sometimes gain in intensity but loses in
extensity — and in bigots & fanatics become
worship of his own pride & vanity                                         

                                                          - Swami Vivekananda

              

A lot has been said and written in the recent past about the film Padmavati.

The Indian Film Industry makes a lot of cinema,thousands of which are absolutely crap,junk movies and mind you they make lots of crores.

In this situation where good stories are hard to come by,where there is a dearth of good content for making films,I believe historical stories,inspirations,influences have become more of a necessity rather than just being welcome.

Being a huge film enthusiast I wait patiently for months and sometimes years to watch a good movie or cinema.

Getting back specifically to Padmavati,there is a lot of talk on getting historical facts right,I believe flimmakers are not in the business of writing history textbooks,they make films and they make it for an audience.

The script or story of the film,is completely the filmmakers story,it is his interpretation, his understanding of the subject and let me add I believe he has the complete freedom to express his understanding of the topic.

There have been various instances in our history were people have given there own interpretations to many historical epics. Eg: MT Vasudevan Nair ‘s Randamoozham is a story of Mahabharata from Bhima’s Point of view. Also there are many interpretations and variations of classic Indian epic Ramayanam by absolutely amazing Indian authors like Valmiki Ramayanam, Adhyatma Ramayanam by Ved Vyasa,Ramacharitmanas by Tulisidas,Thunchaththu Ezuthachan’s Adhyatma Ramayanam – Kilipattu and Kamba Ramayanam to name a few.

I believe the filmmaker also has the right to be wrong.He is not in the business of making a curriculum for school students.People have the complete freedom to disagree with his view of Padmavati.

If Shri Rajput Karni Sena or Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur or anybody else feel that the filmmaker has got his history wrong on Padmavati,I am sure that Shri Rajput Karni Sena or Maharana Arvind Singh Mewar of Udaipur can most certainly make a better film with the correct historical facts.

As an audience I am happy watching a better movie.

Women Empowerment: Myth vs Reality

सत्यम् ब्रूयात् प्रियम् ब्रूयात् न ब्रूयात् सत्यमप्रियम् | 

प्रियम् नानृतं ब्रूयात् एष धर्मः सनातनः ||

satyam bruyat priyam bruyat na bruyat satyam apriyam

priyam ca nanrutam bruyat esha dharmah sanatanah

Speak truth in such a way that it should be pleasing to others. Never speak truth, which is unpleasant to others. Never speak untruth, which might be pleasant. This is the path of eternal morality, sanatana dharma.

Real empowerment happens only by two ways

1.Devotion

2.Sense of Service

It is a well considered myth that only working women are more empowered than housewife’s.

A women who takes care of her husband and children with devotion are really more empowered to make correct decisions than a women who may be a chairperson of any organization but works without any devotion.

Real power does not come through authority,it comes through service.

Empowerment as per Hindu religious texts is not gained by holding any authorized position,it happens by sense of service that one offers.

In ancient India, even now in some places,it is the man who occupies the head of the family position and the  women is used to listening to him,this has often been misconstructed as slavery by the western historians who did come to India.Even in this so called bondage of the wife,it was received by her with an unsaid , untold joy and love,though the so called intellectuals of today have called it patriarchical, antiwomen and antisocial.

India has never been antiwomen since ancient ages.

It always respected women.Mathrudevobhava -  Treat your mother as god.This has been well reflected in the religious preaching’s of great saints like Swami Vivekananda, Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and Sankaracharya.  Though the western culture taught otherwise.

“Women need to be treated as children and protected” – this is what the Manusmriti, an ancient Hindu text states.

Today this is often misrepresented as lack of freedom,bondage,slavery by the so called intellectual,modern,westernized,liberal women activists.

P.S.- I am not a Hindu extremist.

Anil Kumble - The Legend

619 Test wickets, 337 ODI wickets, 57 Twenty20 wickets

  "That is the way I get most of my wickets. Yeah, it was very special to get there."-Anil Kumble

Anil Kumble was one of the most underrated cricketers of the country during his playing days.When in the team,he was never given his due,compared to a Sachin or a Saurav,especially seeing that he is the highest wicket taker in Indian Test history by a long margin,much more than a Kapil Dev, or a Bishen Singh Bedi. His exploits are no less than that of a maestro Sachin Tendulkar.

Also cricket never got Anil Kumble as the captain of Indian Team,which I believe he richly deserved and would have done a lot of good for Indian Cricket.

So when he was appointed the Head Coach of the Indian Cricket Team I thought maybe ,the cricketer has finally got his due,but alas not everything is as green as it appears.

Everything seemed alright,be it his insistence on YOGA sessions or him advocating John Wright’s philosophy of taking the backseat,everything seemed to be falling in the right place for Indian Cricket.

They say performance is the criteria ,for selection,I do not know what criteria did Anil Kumble have to show either in his playing days (when he was frequently criticized by the media for not being a big turner of the ball. He did respond saying “My job is to take wickets not turn the ball.”) or during his brief but effective coaching stint.

Whether it is his squabbles with Virat Kolhi or the BCCI,we have again lost the services of a valuable human being and a patriotic team player.