It’s been some time since I cared to make my ominous presence felt. Sorry, the cold makes my teeth clatter and I begin to ramble incoherently when that happens. But the time has been spent introspecting as well as retrospecting, costing me some disturbed sleep intertwined with moments of peaceful, deep contemplation. It is in these fleeting moments, when the mind stops whirring like an air conditioner, that perspective pays you a long overdue visit.
To know more about Ronnie, visit http://thehipporules.blogspot.in/2012/08/meet-ronnie.html
Many of our lives are spent chasing elusive
rainbows and scaling the wrong peaks. We seem to find joy in having surmounted
a peak, only to realize we are standing atop an active volcano. It’s as if we
are ensconced in a train on a dark stormy night, fast asleep, only to be
occasionally awakened by a stroke of lighting.
Occasionally, we pause to think what
the heck we’re doing. We can even hear voices that say stuff like ‘taking care
of your health?’ or ‘enjoying work’? We can count the number of times we gave
an honest answer to a question like ‘how was your day’? Here’s our typical
response – ‘that’s an important question but let me just finish retweeting,
then checking out this album on facebook and meeting this deadline. Then I’ll
get down to it, you have my word on that.’
Of late, I’ve been paying attention to
the obituary section in the papers and am haunted by the faces of young people, who
have no business to be in that section. One day, we’ll all fill in
the obituary section, no matter how our lives turn out.
A blog I chanced upon recently put a
lot of things into perspective. Linds Redding, an advertising professional, was
diagnosed with esophageal cancer and started a blog to recount his experiences
with the disease. His frank, wry manner of
entailing his struggle is the hallmark of his writing. In one of his posts, he
questions if all his sacrifices were worth it and with the frankness that only
impending death can bring, he says – ‘So was it worth it? Well of course not.
It turns out it was just advertising. There was no higher calling.’
Makes me wonder if one needs inoperable
cancer and the numbing effects of chemotherapy and radiation to see clearly.
Musician Warren Zevon simplified it for us. When no given a few months to live
after being diagnosed with cancer, he was asked by David Letterman what
the diagnosis had taught him. He simply said – ‘enjoy every
sandwich.’
Here's my two-and-a-half cents on perspective: Perspective is like a credit card bill, it eventually catches up with you, one way or the other. Even if you don't find it, it will find you. Even if you run away from it, get plastic surgery and change your name, perspective will outsmart all your maneuvers and nail you down. But this topic us too big to elaborate on for a simple skull like me. To help you come to your own conclusion, I've chosen my pick of writings and videos that speak on this topic. Read on. And I wish you a lot of perspective in the coming year.
A Life’s Lesson – Peggy Noonan
A Life’s Lesson – Peggy Noonan
An obituary written on the death of
legendary television journalist Tim Russert, Peggy Noonan espouses what
society defines as success in this beautifully written piece.
‘In a way, the world is a great liar.
It shows you it worships and admires money, but at the end of the day it
doesn't. It says it adores fame and celebrity, but it doesn't, not really. The
world admires, and wants to hold on to, and not lose, goodness. It admires
virtue. At the end it gives its greatest tributes to generosity, honesty,
courage, mercy, talents well used, talents that, brought into the world, make
it better. That's what it really admires. That's what we talk about in
eulogies, because that's what's important. We don't say, "The thing about
Joe was he was rich." We say, if we can, "The thing about Joe was he
took care of people."
A Short lesson in perspective – Linds Redding
The one that resonated the most.
Diagnosed with cancer, Linds looks at his condition in a self-depreciating,
humorous manner, without negating the gravity of his condition.
‘But what I didn’t do, with the benefit
of perspective, is anything of any lasting importance. At least creatively
speaking. Economically I probably helped shift some merchandise. Enhanced a few
companies bottom lines. Helped make one or two wealthy men a bit wealthier than
they already were.’
The Opposite of Loneliness – Marina Keegan
22 year old Marina Keegan wrote this
essay just before passing out of Yale. On the face of it, it seems like a well
written piece by an aspiring writer. Until you realize that she died a week later
in a car accident.
“But let us get one
thing straight: the best years of our lives are not behind us. They’re part of
us and they are set for repetition as we grow up and move to New York and away
from New York and wish we did or didn’t live in New York. I plan on having
parties when I’m 30. I plan on having fun when I’m old. Any notion of THE BEST
years comes from clichéd “should haves…” “if I’d…” “wish I’d…”
Read the essay here http://yaledailynews.com/crosscampus/2012/05/27/keegan-the-opposite-of-loneliness/
Books
Dialogue with Death
Author: Eknath Easwaran
Based on
Nachiketa’s exchange with Lord Yama which forms the basis for the Katha Upanishad,
spiritual author Eknath Easwaran draws from all his learnings on how to find more meaning from our lives. Surprisingly, it makes for easy and valuable
reading, even for a rationalist.
'If we could live for a thousand years, there would be no urgency in this lesson. We could devote a good seventy years to making money, and when this failed to bring us happiness, we would still have plenty of time. But the tragedy is we have very little time to make this discovery.'
Chasing Daylight
Author: Eugene ‘O Kelly
Chief Executive of
KPMG, Eugene O' Kelly led a busier life than most. Until he was told he had 3
months to live. With a no-nonsense approach, he entails his life post his
diagnosis in a very matter of fact manner. One very telling passage in the book
is when he asks his daughter, who was wearing a very pretty dress, why she
didn’t wear the dress more often. She reserved it for special occasions she said. To which he replied she should create more special occasions in her
life to wear the dress.
"His eyes told
me I would die soon. It was late spring. I had seen my last autumn in New
York."
Videos
1. Neil Parischa - The 3 A's of Awesome
2. Ric Elias: 3 things I learned when my plane crashed
3. Randy Pausch: How to really achieve your childhood dreams
And to the less serious part – I know what Ronnie
did - a roundup of what Ronnie was up to in the past few months
Books
Cutting for Stone
Author: Abraham
Verghese
Cutting for Stone
traces the journey of twins – Marion and Shiva who are born out of an unlikely
unison between a nun and a doctor. When the mother dies after giving birth and
their father abandons them, they are bought up by adopted parents. The book
traces their journey to adulthood and the covers entire gamut of any family’s
travails – anger, redemption, forgiveness, jealousy and hope. Gripping for most
part, at some point it starts to read like a Bollywood script. This is a danger
most Indian writer’s have to always guard against. In all, readable, but best
borrowed and returned.
Ronnie’s rating: 3/5
Mornings in Jenin
Author: Susan Abulhawa
Mornings in Jenin is
set in the background of the Israel- Palestine conflict. The Abulheja family
leads a simple life in the village of Ein Hod. Their lives are torn apart torn
apart by a Zionist invasion of their village. Forced to take shelter in a
refugee camp in Jenin, their lives are irrevocably altered. The book is stark
testimony to the horrors of war, the never ending Israel Palestine conflict, identity
in the time of conflict and rebuilding life when everything seems lost.
In the
same vein, please do read both of Khaled Hossini’s books – The Kite Runner and
A Thousand Splendid suns. Be warned, all 3 book will give your otherwise
dormant tear glands a real test.
Ronnie’s ratings
Mornings in Jenin:
4/5
The Kite runner: 4/5
A Thousand Splendid
Suns: 4.5/5
One flew over the
cuckoo’s nest
Author: Ken Keysey
There are books. And
there are masterpieces. It took much willpower to refrain from watching the movie before
ploughing through the book. One flew over the cuckoo's nest is told through the eyes of Chief Bromden, a patient
in who fakes being deaf and mute but is aware of all the goings on in the
sanitorium. Along comes Randle Mcmurphy (Jack Nicholson won an Oscar for this
role in the movie), who is hell bent on driving everyone up the wall with his antics and
refusal to comply with the system. The acutes (people with the hope of
recovery) and the chronics (the ones with no hope of recovery) form an
interesting support cast. Dark, comical and ultimately gutting, this is book to
buy and never lend to anyone.
Ronnie’s rating:
4.5/5
Movies
Have been watching a a lot of sport documentaries. Here’s a pick of the best:
Senna
There is no aspect
of Ayrton Senna’s life that has not been scrutinized. But this documentary
is not like one of those one hour specials we have seen on channels. Directed by Asif
Kapadia, the documentary shows the different facets of Senna – ruthless
competitor, doting uncle, philanthropist and a driver who cared deeply about
the sport itself. In the weeks preceding his death, Ayrton Senna was fiercely
advocating for enhanced safety regulations in Formula one. Unfortunately, it
was his untimely and shocking death in Imola that was the ultimate wake up call
for the F1 body. It is interesting to note that F1 has not seen a fatality since Senna's untimely demise.
Ronnie rating: 4.5/5
Fire in Babylon
The West Indies
showed a glimpse of their past in the 2012 t20 world cup. But
long before they lost the plot and lost their way, they were the reigning kings
of cricket. The late 70s, the 80s and the early 90s was all about the West
Indian team establishing their supremacy led by the great Clive Lloyd. Andy
Roberts, Michael Holding and Colin Croft made for one of the most fearsome
bowling lineups of all time and the West Indies team did not lose a single test
series from 1980 to 1995. Watch to see cricket in its purest form being played
by some of the game’s best exponents.
Ronnie’s rating: 4/5
Beyond the mat
Remember those WWF
dudes who went by the most ludicrous names like Undertaker, Macho man, Bret the
hitman heart, Jake the Snake Roberts, Triple h and so on and so forth? Beyond
the Mat goes behind the scenes of the wrestling ring and gives you a different view of the World Wrestling Federation. The WWF maybe make believe,
but the lives and struggles of its stars aren't.
Ronnie’s rating:
3.5/5
Engaeyum Eppodhum
(tamil)
With an underlying
message of road safety, two parallel love stories form the crux of this movie.
Amudha falls in love with Gautam, a stranger who acts as a guide when her
designated guide fails to show up. Kathiresan, a mechanic is secretly in love
with Manimegalai, his neighbor. As their romance blooms, Gautam and Amudha
realize they love each other and decide to find each other. The explosive
climax changes everything.
Ronnie’s rating:
3.5/5
Kannathil
Mutthamital (tamil)
One of Mani Ratnam's best movies, Kannathil Mutthamital is set in the backdrop of the LTTE struggle. The protagonist, Amudha, is a feisty young girl who has the love and affection of a doting family. Unknown to her, she was born to LTTE sympathizers and was given up for adoption by her mother. She is told of her identity on her 9th birthday and this throws the entire family’s life off course as she struggles to reconcile with her identity. Madhavan and Simran play their
roles to perfection as the parents. Nandita Das plays the role of the biological mother of the child. P.S. Keerthana plays Amudha and won a national award for her performance.
Ronnie’s rating: 5/5
Plays
Vanity Bag (kannada)
Director: N Mangala
The play showcases
the different aspects and facets of a woman’s life. Alternating between humor
and poignancy, this is a very different theatrical experience.
Ronnie’s rating: 4/5
The Afterlife of
Birds
Director: Abhishek
Majumdar
Two unconnected tales with the undercurrent of war set the stage for the afterlife
of birds. Niromi , presumed to be an LTTE comrade, is set to be released from
prison 17 years after she attempted to blow herself in a Republic Day parade.
And there is Rashid, a flautist in the Republic Day parade band, whose son wants
to blow himself up in Rajpath on Republic Day. Fittingly, the entire play is
set on January 25th.
Ronnie's rating: 3.5/5
Earworms (new
section)
A selection of songs
that have been playing on loop
Nenjukulle - Kadal
Elay Keecha - Kadal
A meeting by the
river - Ry Cooder and Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt
Madari -
Stan - Eminem
Katyaayani - Bombay Jayasree and Ustad Rashid Khan (coke studio India)
David Gray - You’re the world to me
Pyaasi - Swarathma and Shubha Mudgal
Dreamgirl - Dave Matthews Band
Mark Knopfler- Sailing to
Philadelphia
Parthen sirithen
Zoe Viccaji and Asif Hussain Samraat - Senraan Ra Baariya
Vatapi Ganapthim - Yesudas
Till next time, keep the perspective
Cheers
Ronnie
Love the way you write. It has a certain flow, makes me think & smile at the same time :)
ReplyDeletePerspective.. I'm not sure if even 1000 years will be enough. We'd fritter away 700 years, and 300yrs would seem too less for an awakening. Does it unerringly nail you down? I don't really think so.
thanks a lot for your words. no, it doesn't nail me down but it defenitely makes me rethink about what I'm spending my time on.
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