Brink Of Eternity by Tagore

I have come to the brink of eternity from which nothing can vanish
---no hope, no happiness, no vision of a face seen through tears.

Oh, dip my emptied life into that ocean,
plunge it into the deepest fullness.
Let me for once feel that lost sweet touch
in the allness of the universe.

From Devdas to Dev D

While browsing through various sites/blogs randomly, I came across this piece of writing on the blog of Mindscape, analyzing and comparing two era through one classic DEVDAS.

Initially I thought of including whole article in my blog but then included summery part only that is crux of the article. Also including link of original article at the end whosoever is interested in reading more :-)

From Devdas to Dev D

Sarat Chandra’s classic novel Devdas, written in 1917, has been done many times in Indian cinema, about 11 times in all but none with such a different perspective as by Anurag Kashyap, maker of Dev D.

The vision of telling this classic love story blended with contemporary times and similarities with the MMS scandal and BMW case strikes familiarity and is more in line with the current social and cultural values.

Devdas is shown to be a soft and gentle person but exhibits irrational behaviour in fits of rage. I find that this trait of Devdas will resonate with the sentiments of several youngsters whose anger has become displaced.

We resent the choices and decisions that are made for us and like Devdas, we also rebel silently, from within. But not many of us have the courage to question openly and gain the freedom to make our own choices and decisions. Like Devdas, we too build up anger within ourselves and prefer to go on a self destruction spree than direct it in some constructive way. We crib and we complain but do nothing. We talk about freedom and independence in our society, but where will this freedom and independence come from when we are still chained in our minds by values we dissociate from but still cannot break away from?

Today’s youth are angst-ridden youngsters hungry for revolution. But feel incapable of carrying out the revolution themselves because they are used to being in their ‘comfort zone’. (and who wants to walk out of comfort?!?!) Instead, they focus hard on enjoying themselves (just like Devdas who wanted to drown his miseries in alcohol). But how successful are we in trying to run away from our real problems? When the morning comes and hangover dies down, the problems still remain.

Devdas was a victim – a victim of his own anger, a victim who kept punishing himself and a victim of his own helplessness to bring about a positive turn to his life.

We could continue to be Devdas‘es’ as in the previous adaptations and wallow in self-pity or we could be like Dev in the modern version, find a way out of our sorrows and grab the opportunity that life presents us.

In this version the opportunity at a second life was presented not only to Dev but also Chanda and they both made good of it as they both lived happily ever after.

And who knows, with how the times are changing we might just see our ‘Dev’ finding love in the arms of ‘Chunni’ in the next version of this celebrated love story of DEVDAS.

Link to original publication site: http://blogindiamindscape.wordpress.com/2009/05/25/from-devdas-to-dev-d/

Illustration of Power of Diplomacy

Following is best example of power of diplomatic speech, which changed entire scene of political environment after Julius Caesar's assassination. Brutus, first cousin of caeser and main schemer in the conspiracy of Caesar's assassination lost Roman throne due these few words of great diplomacy. This speech by Mark Antony is considered as one of the best speeches of the history turned all cards in favor of him and lead him to Roman throne.And the famous speech goes as follows.....


Mark Antony:
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;
I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him;
The evil that men do lives after them,
The good is oft interred with their bones,
So let it be with Caesar ... The noble Brutus
Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:
If it were so, it was a grievous fault,
And grievously hath Caesar answered it ...
Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest,
(For Brutus is an honourable man;
So are they all; all honourable men)
Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral ...
He was my friend, faithful and just to me:
But Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man….
He hath brought many captives home to Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:
Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?
When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:
Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And Brutus is an honourable man.
You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;
And, sure, he is an honourable man.
I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,
But here I am to speak what I do know.
You all did love him once, not without cause:
What cause withholds you then to mourn for him?
O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason…. Bear with me;
My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,
And I must pause till it come back to me.

Favourites from New Gen.

Movie: Kaminey

1. Title Song- Kaminey:

Ultimate lyrics by Gulzaar.
Sung and composed beautifully by versatile director of movie - Vishal Bhardwaj

Favorite Lines: Jiska bhi chehra chhila andar se aur nikla
Massom sa kabootar naachha to mor nikla,
kabhi hum kaminey nikle, kabhi doosre kaminey

2. Raat Ke Dhai baje

Singers: Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Suresh Wadkar, Earl
Lyricist: Gulzar
Music Director: Vishal Bhardwaj

Favorite Lines: ek hi lat suljhane mein saari raat guzaari hai
jaan ki gathri sar pe le li aapne kaisi zehmat dee hai

Movie: Love Aaj – Kal

1. Peppy and meaningful song: Chori Bazzari

Music Director: Pritam Chakraborty
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil

Favorite Lines: Duniya ki tho fikar kahan thi Teri bhi ab chinta ghat gayi

Taarif teri karnaa, Tujhe khone se darnaa
Haan bhool gaya ab tujhpe Din mein chaar daffa marna
Pyaar khumhari utri sari Bathon ki badli bhi chat gayi
Hum se mein pe aayi aise Mujhko toh main hi main kat gayi

2. Bit Sad yet soothing song: Ye dooriyan

Music Director: Pritam Chakraborty
Director: Imtiaz Ali
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil

Favorite Lines: Kabhi hua yeh bhi, Khali Rahon pe bhi Tu tha mere saath ,
Kabhi tujhe milke lauta mera dil yeh khali khali haath
Yeh bhi hua kabhi Jaise hua Aabhi Tujhko sabhi mein paa lia
Tera mujhe kar jaati hai dooriyan……..

Experiencing Life with RBT's Poems

Rabindranath Tagore is an astonishing poet and India's priceless gift to the world literature.

Each poem equals a story. Each poem magnifies an emotion, a feeling and is so aptly interwoven into words that it feels like you are living that emotion; that story is yours; you are the character or emotion being talked about.

Human beings are most complex creatures when it comes to emotions and RBT's poems aptly exemplify all those emotions. It makes you assume diverse role as is narrated in the poem. Whenever I read his poems, I feel transition of time. Almost forget where or who I am and got lost in that world created by words.

Some of my personal favorites are ; A moment's indulgence, Let me not forget, Little of me, Brink of Eternity, Lost star and your questioning eyes, Are you a mere picture

Although I have always loved reading, I never considered poems can be my interest and that too verses by such a world-class poet always seemed a distant possibility. I always doubted whether I will be able to absorb these verses, it was only after I read one of his poetry in a friends' blog, I started getting crazy about them. Although I have just started exploring this beautiful world; wish could lose my breath in this deep ocean.

The journey continues......