Feline Musings

A friend who is a passionate photographer and travels frequently had a very interesting story to share on the mystery of Veerapandi. I have taken his story and placed it in the traveloscope and other dimensions category on this blog, as these are two areas that always grow interesting with the stories that others share. The story is in first person, from the photographer’s perspective. For more photographs, visit Agendra’s website: http://www.silhouettesetc.com

In the second week of May, Veerapandi, a small town in Tamil Nadu, about 100 km away from Madurai resounds with the sounds of celebrations of a temple festival. As an amateur photographer with a passion for traveling, I was always keen to see the resplendence of this otherwise sleepy little town, during the festivities.

I was accompanied by my wife, who was as excited as me and assisted in my photography travails by acting as interpreter, navigator and also by carrying some extra photography gear. Veerpandi doesn’t have any good hotels, so we stayed in Theni, a town just 7 or 8 kms away from Veerapandi.

The annual festival at Veerapandi is a thanksgiving to the Mother Goddess, the ‘Devi’ for the blessings that she bestows on the people in the form wish fulfillment and good harvest. Families join the festival, by bathing in the river, offering prayers and then carrying fire in earthen pots. To the beat of drums and folk songs, small groups dance their way to the temple.

The colors and gaiety is very alluring and there are many interesting local customs and ways of life and worship that one can witness. People express their religious zeal through various forms of penitence.

For instance, you can see devotees with spearheads or ‘trishools’ piercing their cheeks, tongue and forehead. The festivities engulfed one and all, including little children as ardent devotees partaking in the celebrations.

And in a place resounding with such devotion and spiritual energy, I had a unique experience that will stay with me all my life. As a photographer and an objective person, I can always “blame” the incident on the failure of my camera, or the play of light, but as a human being, I will always wonder about the little mystery in an incident in which I was a prime player.

I was already amused by these child-devotees and caught sight of twin boys in a small group. The twins looked gleeful with a smile on their faces but were otherwise quieter than the rest. As they climbed up from the river, I tried to take a photograph and they obliged by stopping and looking at me. I tried to click them but the shutter release button of my camera refused to work.

I desperately tried many times but it wouldn’t click. I gave up, thinking that some thing was wrong with my camera. The twins moved on. I was very disappointed and tried to find what was wrong with the camera. I clicked some one else and it worked fine.

I ran after the group, caught up with them and in a moment I was again face to face with the smiling twins, still ready to oblige by allowing me to take their photograph. I clicked again; both the files recorded on the camera had no image data; they were blank – zero KB. I didn’t give up and went a little lower on my knees, switched on the flash even though there was enough natural light, clicked the third time, then fourth. Even these files registered no image data.

The boys moved ahead with the group still bearing the mysterious smile on their innocent faces. The next group came, I clicked them and these pictures were recorded and were as clear as ever.

I was perturbed and wondered what powers the little boys had to prevent them from being captured in a photograph. I have heard such stories from others, but this was a first hand experience. I continue to remain baffled. I now chide myself for not having pursued details about the twins with their family members, or not asking my wife to speak to the boys in Tamil, to know them better.

Sometimes in life, little incidents become big mysteries, and little moments lost without taking prompt action, leave you with a blank picture frame. I am back in Delhi continuing life as I know it with only memories of the mystery of Veerapandi.

For more on this story, you can write directly to Agendra at: agendrakumar@hotmail.com

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The Second Coming of Christ is a much-awaited phenomenon in the lives of most believers. The concept has also not failed to influence the skeptics. All in all, the New Messiah remains an intriguing notion amongst many people and it is no surprise that the entire concept has caught the imagination of many authors and artists. “The Messiah Code”, originally published in 1997 as “The Miracle Strain” is a page-turner by Michael Cordy, based on this much awaited miracle on earth.

Apart from the endearing as well as much debated theme of the Second Coming of Christ, what adds to the pace and the storyline of this thriller, is the scientific treatment of the subject. With technology and genetic engineering playing an important role in the events of the novel, the skeptic reader can find a reason to read this book. The author has tried to objectively treat the subject of Christ’s healing touch and presented a practical vision for comprehending a New Messiah in the context of the New Age.

While Christ’s goodness, kindness, message of love, and peace were needlessly global messages for life and good living, the actual proof of Christ transcendental origins was invested in his miracle healing touch. It is the quest for the cause and the effect of Christ as a Healer that leads the protagonists into whirlwind circumstances dominated by scientific and technological research, and actual and perceived personal losses. The author rejects some theories, but also gives ample leverage to some well-believed notions.

Amidst the personal struggles and scientific enquiry that form the cornerstone of the novel, it is but natural that a book on Christ has to take into account the role of the Church and the Secret Brotherhood, that is believed to exist to protect various secrets involving Christ’s life, resurrection and second coming. It is this angle that provides the fast paced adventure in the form of murder, mystery, fugitive, captive and even a court trial. The two plots are interwoven with a deft play of words and circumstantial episodes.

The Messiah Code is an intelligent theological as well as scientific work that is fact paced and a better read than the much-touted Da Vinci Code…. And as you finish the book, I can assure that for once you will ask yourself, “What if this was true….!”

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From the back cover – “At the moment of his supreme triumph, a man of science dodges an assassin’s bullet and loses everything that truly matters in his life. Now only a miracle can save Dr. Tom Carter’s dying daughter: the blood of salvation shed twenty centuries ago.

In the volatile heart of the Middle East, amid the devastating secrets of an ancient brotherhood awaiting a new messiah, Tom Carter must search for answers to the mysteries that have challenged humankind since the death and resurrection of the greatest Healer who ever walked the Earth. Because suddenly Carter’s life, the life of his little girl, and the fate of the world hang in the balance …

After two thousand years, the wait is over …”

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It was cloudy this morning and by 9:00 am there was a downpour. While the shower was gone as soon as it came, the sudden drizzle promised a respite from the heat. I opened the doors of the bedroom to let in the fresh air.

As soon as hubby left for office, I sat down on the bed, with a cup of black coffee, looking beyond the balcony at the buildings, road and a certain expanse of land. It was one of those rare days when I was not sipping coffee and rapidly answering emails on my laptop, before marching of to work. For once I stole a few moments to just gaze at life, seven-storey below and beyond my balcony, all inspired by an overcast sky.

Amidst the maze of buildings and a dark grey road with office-goers and regular traffic, I found my sight resting on a piece of untouched land. I was contemplating that soon a multi-storey apartment would come up here and block the span of vision. From the distance, I saw a horde of people nestled on this vacant land. Oh! Laborers have already gathered; construction plans were crystallized even as I sat wondering why this piece of land was unused. I saw a truck slowly pull into the site and my thoughts were confirmed. Or so I thought!

The truck quickly offloaded using a lever to lift up the attached trolley, and the group of people waiting there rushed with sudden ardor towards the truck and scampered into the great mound that the truck left behind. I was amused. I got up and strained my vision further and saw that these people carried sacks and were rummaging through the mound and filling their sacks. It was then I realized that these were children – scavengers - and today was one of the very few pleasanter days of work for them, with at least a light breeze blowing.

I shook my head in dismay to see the plight of these scavengers, eagerly foraging through dirt and debris to earn their livelihood. For these children, each new day is a battleground, a new competition, where they shove, push, scavenge, and fill their sacks, all to win their war against want and poverty. From dirt to dearth, some children surely belong to a lesser God; where our children’s ragged dolls and our empty tuna cans provide them with sustenance for a day.

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I rediscovered three of them within a couple of days, precisely over the weekend. They can be categorized as health, wealth, and affection.

With gruelling backache, that branched into the right leg, since more than five months, followed by dizzy spells, and unexplained fatigue in the past one month, I was surely troubled. A visit to the gynae and a battery of tests later, I found there was nothing wrong “on paper” in the lab reports. The perplexed gynae suggested a visit to a neurologist to diagnose further the cause for the recurrent migraine and backache. The overly friendly neurophysician diagnosed a circulatory disorder and proactively prescribed medicines with regular visits every five days.

The regular visits were tiring and when the back pain returned with vengeance within the third week of treatment, I was again a very unhappy and worried person. The neurophysician was non-commital but suggested a spinal and brain MRI costing Rs 30,000/-. I never wished my pain go away with so much ardor and silent prayer. The pain persisted and I wrote frantic emails to friends and made calls to parents seeking advise. My father suggested visiting an orthopaedic.

This weekend we ditched our dimpled neurophysician and saw an aging orthopaedic. The orthopaedic also suggested an MRI but mercifully only a lumbar region MRI costing Rs 5000/-. We didnt waste much time in contemplation and got the MRI done which was an achievement in itself for me since I am extremely claustrophobic and was as panicky as a five year old, during the half an hour imaging session.

We waited nearly twenty-four hours for the MRI report to be signed off by the radiologist. After months of agony and weeks of mental stress, hubby and I finally heaved a sigh of relief when the diagnosis was a mild herniated disk or slip disc. I realised the real value of health that evening while I feared the worst. Sometimes life scares you and then slowly makes you realise the value of what we take so casually - health being one of these prime factors in life. I believe that I got a second lease to improve health and lifestyle.

With lots of money spent on medicines and diagnostic tests, you would wonder how the wealth angle features in my list of pleasures that I treated myself to over this weekend. Well, bypassing the cliche that health is wealth, I actually gifted myself with a prized and much awaited possession - a pair of diamond bangles. I always wanted to own a pair of diamond bangles and had saved money over time. With the sword of heavy medical expenses hanging low over my head, I quietly stashed away all savings for any negative health news. However, with a more positive health related diagnosis, I could fulfill my dream of acquiring my first pair of diamond bangles! So, my kitty was full with much needed health and newly acquired wealth!

But there was more in store over the weekend. Getting up to the smell of rain hanging in the air and opening my eyes to an overclouded sky, I was as euphoric as a child, prodding hubby to get up and enjoy the morning drizzle. I quickly brewed up some coffee and hubby and I relaxed in the balcony after what seemed ages. More surprises in store! Hubby, apparently was filled with affection and ofcourse relief after our intriguing tryst with doctors and diagnostic labs. He decided to make breakfast. What can be more relaxing than not having to worry about making a special breakfast on a Sunday morning, when hubby decides to adorn the chef’s cap. Besan Chilla’s (gramflour pancakes) with lots of love, was served on a beautiful Sunday morning after a Saturday that already carried the promise of health and wealth!

Yes, its little pleasures that make life worthwhile!

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Benefits of DITA

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  •  The ability to define company-specific and even group-specific information architectures enables DITA to support content reuse and reduce information redundancy.
  • By drawing upon a supply of these pre-written, self-contained topics, writers can produce a greater overall volume of content. The time required to recreate material each time it is needed in other documents is minimized. When a DITA topic is required in a new publication, the writer inserts a pointer to the archived original thus eliminating cut-copy-paste and editing to fit context.
  • The DITA model provides metadata and attributes that can be used to associate or filter the content of DITA topics with applications such as content management systems, search engines, processing filters, and so on.
  • DITA builds on well-accepted sets of tags and can be used with standard XML tools.
  • Usage of extensive metadata makes it easier to find topics. The DITA model for metadata supports the standard categories for the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative. In addition, the DITA metadata enables many different content management approaches to be applied to its content.
  • Most elements in the topic DTD contain a set of universal attributes that enable the elements to be used as selectors, filters, content referencing infrastructure, and multi-language support.
  • The core elements in DITA’s topic DTD borrow from HTML and XHTML, using familiar element names like p, ol, ul, and dl within an HTML-like topic structure. In fact, DITA topics can be written, like HTML for rendering directly in a browser.
  • The XML processing model is widely supported by a number of vendors. The class-based extension mechanism in DITA translates well to the design features of the XSLT and CSS style sheet languages defined by the World Wide Web Consortium and supported in many transformation tools, editors, and browsers. DITA topics can be processed by a spectrum of tools ranging from shareware to custom tailored products, on almost any operating platform.

DITA and other authoring tools

DITA is quickly becoming the XML standard for technical writers. New XML editing tools are available that allow you to more easily write DITA content without dealing with code.

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  •  The XPress Author for MicroSoft Word , is an authoring tool that empowers writers to create structured XML content by providing a “guided authoring” environment inside the familiar MS Word interface. XPress Author, created by Microsoft partner, In.Vision Research
  • DITA-FMx is the Adobe FrameMaker 8 plug-in that enables use of the DITA Open Toolkit. FrameMaker 8 extends the structured authoring functionality of FrameMaker to enable authors to work efficiently with DITA. On the output side, FrameMaker lets you build a FrameMaker book from a DITA map to generate PDF and online help
  • Structured FrameMaker files can be added as live links in RoboHelp. RoboHelp will pick the style information from Structured FrameMaker files and enable the style mapping. In Adobe RoboHelp 7, DITA FrameMaker files will be considered as Structured FrameMaker files. At this point in time, there is no special handling for DITA files in RoboHelp.
  • MadCaps Flare has an XML-based architecture and is the most technologically advanced help authoring tool available. DITA support is scheduled for an upcoming version of Flare. Currently there is no way to import XML files into Flare. DITA support would presumably provide the ability to import DITA as well as export DITA.

Challenges in using DITA

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  •  DITA is a great architecture for organizations with large amount of reusable content and a well-defined strategy to use this content. The author needs to rethink the document structure and content planning instead of producing topics with one particular manual, product, or end user in mind.
  • It is advisable to use DITA with a content management system to assure validity of content and prevent invalid content from being checked into the repository.
  • DITA without constraints allows inconsistent writing styles of multiple authors. Hence, predefined styles and writing guidelines along with a robust authoring tool are required.
  • When you decide to adopt DITA, your organization must be prepared to provide appropriate training and support as their writers make the transition to XML and functional programming concepts like XSLT, and XQuery.
  • Another area of concern is whether DITA can match the feature-set of traditional Help Authoring Tools, particularly those involving DHTML. A DITA-based authoring tool does not provide a means for including DHTML effects, including pop-ups and expansion links. However, DITA can be used to create professional-looking Help files with the core functionality of Help files: tables of contents, indexes, links, graphics, and multimedia.
  • With a little bit of post-processing, context-sensitive Help from DITA source is also possible. With some minor changes to the DITA standard (and to the DITA Open Toolkit), context-hooks could be stored within the DITA files, and window definitions and secondary window link functionality could be provided. This would strengthen DITA’s position as a viable Help authoring environment.

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Developed by IBM, the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is a topic-based XML standard designed specifically for technical publications. With DITA, content is authored in discrete units, to enable re-use of the content in different contexts. The DITA standard is advanced through an open process by the OASIS DITA Technical Committee, a group that encourages new participation from developers and users.

Since XML is format-neutral, the content can be published to differing media such as HTML Help (.chm), uncompiled HTML (e.g. for product support on the web) and print (PDF). DITA is ideal for medium and large organizations that produce vast quantities of documentation, particularly if there is a requirement to re-use the same content in different publications and the documentation is to be localized. DITA encourages writing of content as modular topics, as opposed to long “book-oriented” files. Topics can be easily reused in different deliverables.

The Theory and Practice of DITA

DITA provides a basic architecture that includes dividing content into small, self-contained topics instead of the “traditional” document that is a series of chapters and related sections.The DITA specification includes rules for publishing DITA content in print, HTML, online Help, and other formats. It also indicates what elements, attributes, and rules are part of the DITA language. For example, rules also exist for processing other rich features such as conditional text, index markers, and topic-to-topic links.

Creating DITA content consists of writing topics and maps as XML files. Any XML editor can therefore be used to write DITA content, with the exception of editors that support only a limited set of XML schemas (such as XHTML editors). DITA-compliant XML editors validate documents against multiple schemas and DTDs.

DITA specifies three basic topic types: Task, Concept and Reference. Each of the three basic topic types is a specialization of a generic Topic type, which contains a title element, a prolog element for metadata, and a body element. The body element contains paragraph, table, and list elements, similar to HTML.

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  •  A Task topic is intended for a procedure that describes how to accomplish a task. A Task topic lists a series of steps that users follow to produce an intended outcome. The steps are contained in a taskbody element, which is a specialization of the generic body element. The steps element is a specialization of an ordered list element.

   

  • Concept information is more objective, containing definitions, rules, and guidelines.

   

  • A Reference topic is for topics that describe command syntax, programming instructions, and other reference material, and usually contains detailed, factual material.

   

A DITA map like a table of content contains links to topics, organized in the sequence (which may be hierarchical) in which they are intended to appear in finished documents. Images, video files, or other files which need to appear in output are inserted via reference.

DITA Open Toolkit

When DITA was released as a public XML standard in 2001, IBM contributed the DITA Open Toolkit, the first DITA-compliant processor. The DITA Open Toolkit is an active open-source project, with contributions from several companies.

The toolkit transforms DITA content into output formats like PDF, HTML, and Online Help, and can be extended to handle arbitrary specializations and arbitrary output formats. Out of the box, it handles all valid DITA specializations and several output formats, including:

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  • PDF, through XSL-FO
  • XHTML
  • Microsoft Compiled HTML Help
  • Eclipse Help
  • Java Help
  • Oracle Help
  • Rich Text Format

The toolkit continues to be the foundation of most publishing of DITA content. Many DITA users use it directly, and some DITA authoring tools and content management tools now integrate parts of the toolkit into their own publishing workflows.

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“First of all, let me repeat what I said before: everybody has a good story to tell, and it is part of the human condition to share a little of our experience with others. As the pen traces out words on the paper, your anguish disappears and your happiness remains. For this to happen, it is necessary to have the courage to look deep inside yourself, disclose this to the outside world, and be even more courageous to know that one day whatever you write could (and should) be read by somebody.

And what if it’s something very intimate?

Don’t worry. Thousands of years ago, Solomon wrote the following words: “Whatever has been is that which will be; And whatsoever has been done is that which will be done; And there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9)…..

….. If you pass by a writer who has just finished a text, you will feel that he has an empty expression on his face and that he seems distracted. But he – only he – knows that he has risked a lot, managed to develop his instinct, maintained his elegance and concentration during the whole process, and can now afford to feel the presence of the universe and see that his action was just and deserved.

His closest friends know that his thought has changed dimensions. Now it is in touch with the entire universe: he goes on working, learning all the positive things that his text has yielded, correcting any mistakes and acknowledging its qualities.

Writing is an act of courage. But it’s worth taking the risk.”

- Excerpts from Warrior of the Light by Paul Coehlo

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“What is needed on the content assembly line are writers who know how to build single sentences from a few fragments of information and who can do this all day long. A structured-authoring assembly line is not so much a “creative” environment as it is an assembly environment.”
- Eric Kuhnen

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I attended my first “jagran” – a post-sundown song, dance, and legend-based prayer session for the Hindu Mother Goddess, complete with a nativity play. (Jagran literally means an awakening; or a night vigil). Jagran can be a night-long affair that finishes after dawn or a half-night program that finishes slightly just-before dawn. I have never attended a jagran before, only heard it. Yes, heard it when some one in our neighborhood arranged a jagran to plead to the Mother Goddess to fulfill a prayer, or appease her after the fulfillment of one.

It was a strange experience at that time - with pillow heavily plopped on my head, trying to catch a wink, I would dread my sleepy-look the next day. I failed to understand the need to block the road with makeshift tents and disturb the community peace well into the night. I failed to comprehend the deep-felt need that the family hosting the jagran felt to sing in praise of the Goddess. It was a religious (and maybe spiritual) experience and need that I being an agnostic failed to relate to in my adolescence as well as youth.

Today, as an adult, I still cannot relate to the religious or even psychological aspect of a jagran. I can only understand the social context. A jagran gives you an opportunity to invite family and friends and treat them with some snacks and “prasad” and have a gathering of sorts in the name of a religious function. This is a good enough reason, I believe, to meet and know people better. But then it is just that – a social gathering! The religious and spiritual intent is still lost to me.

For one thing I cannot understand how the host family can concentrate on any form of prayer or worship, if they have hundred of things running in their mind. From the pooja preparations that range from cereals to fruits, to embellishments and finery, to catering and maintaining a regular inflow of tea and refreshments, and then cleaning up a messed-up house, the host family is on their toes most of the time.

Then there is involvement of money that makes me frown. So much money spent on the preparations and so much money given away by the participants (all to be pocketed by the people invited to perform at the jagran). I wonder why we can’t just give the money quietly and subtly to charity or to some one in need. I was slightly perturbed by the pouring of loads and loads of pure ghee to maintain the flame (jyot) at the makeshift place of worship.

Talking about the performance by the troupe invited at the jagran that also leaves one wondering how songs and legends set to the tune of music from the movies, and incomprehensible harsh diction through blaring sound systems promote a sense of spirituality. Is it too much of a deal to at least give original music and rhythm to the songs, or for that matter sing hymns and bhajans from the available religious and musical song collections. Times Music and T-series have given us our own range of original bhajans, and kirtans and some of them are really soul stirring. Why do we need Bollywood music to sing praises to the Gods and Goddesses!

And then why family members are forcefully called upon by the performing troupe to dance. Let the dance and the song flow from within. Let the music fill your ears and then your soul so that you break into a sufi-like trance and your feet tap with ecstasy and a spiritual high. Why are people supposed to deck up and jig away to foot-stomping Bollywood musical extravaganza!

Maybe I am being too critical; maybe I lost the message somewhere. Maybe a jagran is not a prayer service but a celebration of sorts, like our festivals. So I decided to enjoy the celebration and hear the message. I shifted focus to the actual content of the legends and songs that the lead singer of the troupe were rendering. I ignored the well-known lyrics of the movie song that played in my ears; I started following the words and the movements of the troupe. But alas! My absurd mind failed to appreciate their efforts.

I saw that they were more worried about distributing their visiting cards and encouraging people to invite them to anchor similar jagrans in their homes. The troupe was shamelessly commercial and was aggressively advertising it self and endorsing charity because the money would be collected by the troupe. The lead anchor was ill-tempered and was oft pestering the other members in the group with rude comments. So much for being a devotee; if she wasn’t at peace with herself and with other members of her troupe who earn for her, how could she spread the message of love, peace, charity, wisdom, penance and worship? As the old saying goes – “Do to others as you want others to do unto you!”

I realize I have been over-critical in this blog. But these are entirely my viewpoints for a system and mode of worship with which I can’t relate. I believe in a Cosmic Force, a Supreme Energy that shapes and guides my life and I have felt closest to this Unseen, Unheard force when I am silent, and meditative in solitude and tranquility. The Force or the Being has been kind to me and I hope the well being in my life continues, but maybe I need to be more vocal in prayer, more vibrant and more energetic. As I close this post, I am reminded of my mother’s favorite song by Jim Reeves, “So daddy, my daddy teach me how to pray!”

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It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.
- Winston Churchill

It is always wise to look ahead, but difficult to look further than you can see.
- Winston Churchill

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”Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

-Mark Twain

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“Congratulations! I heard your income got doubled.” A friend enthusiastically shook my hand. I gave him a wry look.

I thought he was rubbing salt on my fresh wounds; the abrasion caused by my less than 5% annual pay hike!  

The friend read my confusion, and clarified, “Congratulations on your marriage. Isn’t it the easiest way to double your income in one masterstroke! Two working people in one home means a double income.” 

“Ah yes,” I smiled and thought silently, “Double income for the family, and double workload for the woman!” 

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I regularly follow Rajeev Masand’s movie reviews but I don’t always approve of his criticism. Sometimes he comes down too harshly in his critical review and choice of words, though his reviews are mostly precise. However, I could not but appreciate him for his words, when he said, “Khuda Kay Liye is still an immensely engaging film because it’s made from the heart.” This is an apt summary of the cosmopolitan intent of the movie.

In spite of the theatrical facial expressions, dialogue delivery and performances by many actors, the movie is hard-hitting and it lingers in your mind for days. The entire pathos of the movie is very moving, but the most moving is the end, where a small family scene depicts the triumph of hope over life-turning traumatic experiences. This is the biggest success of the script writer, who managed to weave the threads of hope and peace in a movie that is primarily about fear, desperation, dejection, mental and physical trauma, and also the sad plight of women.

The script is bright and intelligent. It manages to find victory even in the most dire of circumstances. The victory of truth, love, upbringing, education, art, and of self-discovery. The characters believe that they have found the purpose of their lives, only to be driven by fate into directions absolutely opposed to their aims in life, and also unimagined in their wildest of dreams. Be it the fundamentalist who provokes rebellion, or the artist who faces severe life crisis, or the woman who finds herself and her soul virtually imprisoned, or even the cosmopolitan saint who thinks prayer is his only duty towards being a good human-being, the wheel of destiny turns a full-circle to shake the firm foundations of each one’s belief.

This movie is not about winning, or getting back to an idealistic pre-defined way of life. It is about breaking barriers and yet accepting the massive cycle of change that engulfs one and all. It is about accepting change and moving into another phase of one’s life, bravely accepting the pain, but most importantly reliving hope. And hidden amidst all this is one message that warns us against mass-categorization and misinterpretation of beliefs, ideals, words, actions, and the mysteries of our human existence. We are all unique, and this movie is unique in its attempt to find order in chaos.

The background score of this movie is also fresh and the mix of western and eastern symphony is quite impactful. In fact the violence and the somber aspects of the movie have been beautifully subdued by the sound of music. Where the actors sometimes fail to emote, the music fills the gap, for example, the song Allaha Ho is placed at the precise moment, where a host of emotions are supposed to have engulfed the prime players in the scene. You expect an uproar, intense melodrama, even violence, but there is none, because the music starts at the precise moment and guides the story line into the next frame.

Watch this movie not because its an eye-opener, or a new creative dimension of Pakistani cinema; watch it because it is fresh and different. For once don’t watch a movie with a critical eye, or as an entertainer. Watch it because in a time when big-budget movies with skimpy clothes, cacophony in the name of music and weak lyrics and scripts are failing to make their mark at the box office, here is one movie with a script, music and a soul … and this makes it a living reflection of our life and times.

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… I was single and very lonely. This doesn’t mean that people who are committed and engaged are not lonely. Loneliness, I realize today, is a very person-specific and circumstance-driven state of the mind and physical existence! As the poet says “Mehfil mai bhi kitne tanha the!”.

Coming back to my past state of singlehood, I was frequently contemplating on why I am single and why I am such a social outcast because I am not married. With the pertinent gaze of onlookers constantly inquiring in my single status and when and how I planned to get engaged, I was in quite a rebellious disposition.

I would oft try to find the answer to their questions by analysing my life scenario. I blamed it on destiny, on my unique temparement, on the frivolous emotions of men, and then I blamed it on my Independence; an Independence that scared men, and women too! Men because they didnt know how to dominate a woman who carried the banner of her financial and emotional Independence high; and women because they were afraid of the admiration and attraction that their men may feel for a woman who doesnt pester her man with her all-in-all dependency.

I am still an owner of a distinctive disposition, way of life and thinking and I am still fiercely independent. And though I am happily married now, I realize I am still quite alien in a world that fails to relate to women of education, standing, and most importantly independence. The struggle to make my own mark continues.

In a moment of deep reflection, I was going through notes that I had written way back to voice my loneliness and my unencrypted quest for a soulmate. The words are poignant and the pain is evident. I share those notes on this blog and as I transfer them from the clipboard to this public platform, I realize that the loneliness still lingers, in another garb, and yet I feel I am even more truimphant in the small daily battles that make up my life (our life as independent women).

“Beginning without an End …”

“There is a beginning but no end. For each day is a new beginning but without an end in sight. This is a story of evasion – the way I try to evade the new beginnings of each day and the way each beginning eludes its own end. It may have been the story of life, alas, only if it had an end! It is then actually a story of quest – the quest for a conclusion.

Sometimes in life we lay our own traps by taking the wrong decisions, by making erroneous moves; by stumbling upon paths, not yet tread. But what if life is a minefield from the very start? What if life doesn’t even give you the luxury of laying your own traps? What if you were born trapped?

Trapped by destiny, by the course of the zodiac under which you were born; Trapped by circumstances, of choices not made by you; Trapped by weakness, duty, responsibility, guilt, deception, threat, ambition, desire, and most strangely trapped by independence.

It is a paradox – Independence. So many times we break the shackles of dependency only to be fettered by loneliness. Loneliness is the price you must almost always pay for declaring freedom and standing strong and steadfast in front of the world. This loneliness is thrust upon you by the world to which you declare your independence. For this world seeks to control, to confine, to torment, to lay down the rules and to dominate the soul, the body, the heart and the mind.

When you deci