Run Forrest Run !!

That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of the university city ;) And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across the bridge into downtown. And I figured, since I have run this far, maybe I'd just run to the end of town. And that's what I did. When I got to the end of town, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.

Yeah yeah, I know these are not exactly my own words. You don't need to roll your eyes and make faces :) These words express the niceties of my ideas perfectly and hence they have been used.

I have always had a penchant for running, but it's only recently that I started running here in Philadelphia. On the streets of Philadelphia.

And running on the streets is so much better. Mainly for a couple of reasons.

For one I am not running on a treadmill at Pottruck (read local gym). So I don't find myself at the same spot even after running for more than an hour ;) I make progress, I move ahead and I go places. What's the fun in seeing yourself at the same damn spot even after running for so long? You might as well not do it !! You've got nothing to show for it :p

Second, it's way better than running in the park. I don't go round and round in circles. There are enough thoughts in my head which do that everyday. Thoughts that I want to get rid of but can't. Thoughts that I'd rather not have. Thoughts that keep circling my mind all the time. The last thing I need is me doing the same !!

And so I go downtown. So did George Costanza once. LOL

When you're alone and life is making you lonely
You can always go - downtown
When you've got worries, all the noise and the hurry
Seems to help, I know - downtown

This slight digression was for my fellow Seinfeld fans ;)

So as I was saying, I decided to run downtown.

Run fast and far. Fast because I'm no 'old man' and far because....well it's FAR. Far from home. Far from my worries. Far from everything. Far from life. And if anyone needs to be far (removed) from reality at this point, then I do !!

I run past all my worries, all my tribulations and all my stress. At the start of the run all my thoughts are with me. Thoughts about work/studies, personal thoughts and sundry other ones. All of them running through my mind. But as I run further and further, they seem to lose me one by one. And for good.

The only thought that remains after a while is to make it to my destination and of course not fall flat in front of that cute chick coming from the other side :p

After a while the body says no, but I listen to the mind and keep going. That's what we all do everyday of our lives. Isn't it? Run after our dreams, after our ambitions and aspirations. Even when we feel sick and tired of it, we keep going.

We often pan it and claim that it's a bloody 'Rat Race' of which we don't want to be a part of. But truth be told, the day we'd stop running would be the day we'd stop living.

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or gazelle - when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

And So, I keep running.

I've seen many people running to the sound of their favorite songs on their ipods. I personally don't like doing that. I have tried it a couple of times but I'd rather hear the sounds of the world around me.

The hubbub at the pubs on the side of the road, the gush of the river when I pass the waterfront, the loud roars of music from the frat houses (when I take a detour) and last but not the least, the mellifluous chatter of the 'american girls' as I pass them. The way they add a zing to their conversation is amazing. It has a singsongy qualiy to it. It's like music to my ears. And I never get tired of hearing it :)

So what I am getting at is that running is amazing and I love it. There is no aspect that I dislike except when I counter people who are faster than me and run past me. But I think that's alright. Because that's life. There would always be people who'd be smarter than you, faster and quicker than you. It hurts to know this but it's true :)

What I'd really like to do soon is a long run on a beach and with vacations here and Florida in sight, that may not be a 'distant' dream (if you see what I did there) !!

I end with these lines from Jesse Owens. "I always loved running... it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs."

The strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs !! And those two would take you FAR !!

P.S. Not that it's any of your business, what title I give to my posts, but this one couldn't be more apt as yours truly's name means the same as For(r)est !! a.k.a Jungle ;)

Stirred, Not Shaken !!

So, finally this Saturday I got a chance to watch the much touted 'Slumdog Millionaire'. I think it was the Oscar win that whetted my appetite beyond any resistance.

After having heard so much about the movie and it's plot I already had an inkling or two on how it would roll. One reason for still watching it was to see how it has been done. How does a slum boy go about changing his fortune and how all the experiences of his life come together on one single day to help him do the unthinkable.

Now having watched it, I would say I am a little disappointed. Had it lacked the Oscar it would have lacked the disappointment.

Sure it's a film well made and a story well told. The eternal 'Rags to Riches' idea amalgamated with the boy's 'Never Say Die' spirit and his relentless efforts to find his love. I mean who doesn't love an underdog. Right ?!

But I think the 'Big Idea' that separates an exceptional movie from a good one is still missing. I simply think that it is not in the same bracket as some earlier winners of the 'Best Picture' trophy.

I can recount a few.

Look at something like Forrest Gump. A simpleton who is prone and invincible to the world. The story of an innately good guy who refuses to make the trade-offs that me and you make every day of our lives. Remember the lines, "Run Forrest Run" or "Life's like a box of chocolates..."? I'm sure you do. I wonder how many lines from Slumdog we'd remember 10-15 years down the line.

Another one that comes to mind is Titanic. A gorgeous tale of a romance that couldn't be. A story from the annals of history. A story that everyone knew for so long. Still the movie managed to shake every soul that watched it. And it still does. Over and over. There are so many scenes from the movie that have stayed with us. I still remember the one where Rose jumps back on to the ship even as her rescue boat is being lowered, to reunite with her lover in the face of certain death. I looked for such a scene in Slumdog. Couldn't find one.

LOTR-Return of the King. A movie that is simply incomparable in it's magnificence. A movie larger than life. So stupendously large that even the superlatives fail to describe it. Totally incredulous, still made so believable.

There is a long list worthy winners. But then there are some which IMHO bring the prestige of the 'Best Picture' trophy a tad down. 'The American Beauty' is one. Nice movie with some great acting by Spacey but Oscar worthy? Hmm..I'm not sure. Same is the case with 'The Departed'. I guess what happens in these cases is that they are really the best picture that particular year. The best among averages if I could say.

If I could, I would do away with giving out the 'Best Picture' trophy if no movie is worthy of it. But then again if I could do things off my wishlist, there are many other things higher up than this ;)

I would digress a little and comment on one more aspect. I have read that many people back in India have taken an exception to how the movie shows India in bad light. Plenty of acidulous remarks have come it's way.

But we need to ask ourselves. What does it depict about India that is untrue? Don't we have child trafficking? Don't we swindle our tourists and take them for a 'ride' (both figuratively and literally)? Sometimes we do even worse. Aren't we riddled with religion and caste based riots even 60 years after independence. Don't we have children in our slums that lead a life of want and privation? What is it that we are taking an exception to? If we do not like somebody holding up the mirror to us, then we should not roll out the red carpet when foreign directors come to our land in the first place.

I do have my own reservations about the movie. But it's got more to do with the way it depicts people from India than the situations in India. Not a single character in the movie who is Indian is shown to be good. Except for the main protagonist of the movie who by default has to be good. Is India all about goons and child traffickers? Even the quiz show host tips the boy to a wrong answer. No one is India is inherently good. Is that the message?

Well, this discussion could go on and on. Hence I'd stop coz my main intent was not to talk about this.

Last few words are reserved for Rahman and what a great talent he is. He is truly exceptional and deserves all the recognition that he is getting. He can stand shoulder to shoulder with any international music talent. Kudos to him!! Though I think some of his earlier work has been better but then, the Americans have never heard it.

In the end, I'd only say that SM is a good movie. Not an exceptional one. Not a spectacular one.

I am simply Stirred, not Shaken !!