Allthatswritten: The Pain Within

Allthatswritten: The Pain Within: I want to hurt myself For a greater pain   I want to hurt myself To numb the bigger pain   I want to hurt myself To end this m...

The Pain Within

I want to hurt myself

For a greater pain

 

I want to hurt myself

To numb the bigger pain

 

I want to hurt myself

To end this misery

 

I want to hurt myself

To get out of this tragedy

 

Hurting myself

Is something I can do

 

Hurting myself

Is something in my control

 

When the hurt caused by others

Seems larger than life truly is

 

Hurting myself deep

Can go deeper than that deepest hurt

 

I've waited and watched

Watched from the side-lines

 

But all I've seen all along

Is deceit and hurtful lies

 

I could end this all

This misery and the life I lead

 

But will me going away

Make a difference to the way you feel

 

I guess not, is the answer I hear

Because me being or gone does not matter at all

 

What matters is the joy we shared

What matters is the paths we choose

 

I've cherished every day, every minute, every second

And I've learnt to live with this numbing pain within

 

I wait for the day

We cross paths again

 

Cause that will be the day

I will finally numb the pain!!!

Vandana Joshil

VJ.Ardhya Akshar

10112020

Allthatswritten: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth murdered by Mira Nair

Allthatswritten: A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth murdered by Mira Nair:   Have you ever waited in anticipation for a drink (tea, coffee, or whatever your poison is) from a place that is atrociously famous for it ...

A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth murdered by Mira Nair

 

Have you ever waited in anticipation for a drink (tea, coffee, or whatever your poison is) from a place that is atrociously famous for it and then after you have taken your first sip, you feel cheated!!! If you know that feeling, then you will understand how I felt after watching Mira Nair, and Shimit Amin’s Cinematic adaptation of Vikram Seth’s novel - A Suitable Boy.

What were they thinking!!!!

The book is a massive 1,349 pages and it was deduced to a mockery of Western clichés of Indian thinking in 6 episodes.

I, for one, am not a fan of Vikram Seth’s novel because I found it too drab and maybe I was not mature enough to understand the complexities of emotions, relationships and depth of familial ties of a setting in newly free India. However, even then, I am appalled by the mockery in the guise of an adaption.

The series, of which I believe there will be more episodes in the coming future; seemed like a joke to me. In an India struggling to find its real identity in the post freedom era; Lata’s dilemma seemed frivolous and childish even. Her mother’s obsession with finding a suitable groom for her young daughter is justified; but not Lata’s ignorance of the political unrest in India, the Hindu Muslim discord, the absurdity of her own feelings and desires and the unnecessary stereotyping of characters.

Lata and her three suitors Kabir Durrani, Haresh Khanna and Amit Chatterji (clockwise L - R)

I did like some portions and the one I loved the best is when Haresh Khanna (Namit Das) after hearing all about the wonderful places he had missed in London from Lata’s eldest brother Arun Mehra (Vivek Gomber), asks him when he had been there recently; to which Arun starts chocking because he had never ever stepped foot in London.

Arun Mehra symbolized millions of Indians who talk about places abroad when in truth they have never stepped out of India ever!!! Somewhere, our obsession with the west and all things foreign has a long history and going by the feverish excitement that we in India had during the Presidential Elections in America, I am sure this trait is for keeps!!

Coming back to the Netflix series; the characters were truly comical caricatures, the accents very heavy and unnecessary, the disgust for all things Bengali and disrespect for women of Calcutta – uncalled for, the boy - Maan Kapoor’s (Ishaan Khatter) fixation for the Courtesan Saeeda Bai (Tabu) fascinating and her reciprocating his love understandable, the relationship between Maan and his friend/brother Firoz Khan (Shubham Saraf) with its undertones of untamed homosexuality, the brotherhood between Mahesh Kapoor (Ram Kapoor) and Nawab of Baitar (Aamir Bashir) special; in all made for a complex concoction where exemplary actors were underutilized.

Maan Kapoor (Ishaan Khatter) with Courtesan Saeeda Bai (Tabu)

If you are someone like me who prefers books to movies; then my unsolicited advice to you - please spare yourself the torture of watching the series and those of you who have seen the series, then please read the book for its brilliance, its narrative and its justice to the characters from a time when India was just born and trying to find her footing amidst the blood and gory of inter class, inter community, inter religious ideologies.

Vikram Seth

 ps: I am now going to pull out, dust and read the book once again. I suggest you do so too.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

 

Last night I watched the movie ‘Wonder’, an adaption of the book by the same name by R. J. Palacio's. This 2017 American drama film directed by Stephen Chbosky and written by Jack Thorne, Steven Conrad, and Chbosky stars Jacob Tremblay as August "Auggie" Pullman, Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as his parents and Izabela Vidovic as Olivia "Via" Pullman, his sister.

The book was inspired by a real-life encounter Palacio had with a child who had a craniofacial disorder.

I’ve read the book a couple of times before and have loved the easy flow from chapter to chapter; each talking about the situation at hand from each character’s eyes. The movie too captures this transition effortlessly... something I don’t see often in movies. I’ve always felt that movies are over-rated and often undermine the essence of the book and its characters. Thankfully, this movie stays true to the book and does complete justice to the characters and their personalities.

Auggie Pullman is a 10-year-old boy born with a rare medical facial deformity, which he refers to as "mandibulofacial dysostosis", and has undergone 27 different surgeries in order to see, smell, speak and hear. He has been home-schooled so far, but as he approaches fifth grade, his parents (his mother really) believe it is time he goes out into the real world and meets children his age.

To ensure a smooth entry into school, the Principal Mr. Tushman of Beecher Prep, a public school, arranges a tour for him with three other students: Jack, Julian, and Charlotte.

The story follows Auggie as he deals with bullies, meets children, goes on a trip, makes friends and finally wins the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for his strength and courage throughout the school year.

We are also taken through the situation from the eyes of his sister, his father, his friends and his sister’s friend.

A beautiful story about deformity, empathy, compassion, spirit, passion, grit and friendships – this book makes for a wonderful read. The fact that the movie exceeded expectations and matched the standards of the book makes this a wonderful duo to have on your read and watch list.