Nothingness

[naina_23]

Everything and nothing
Here and there
Where can one wander,
When the mind is unaware?
Have you looked closely
At the setting sun
At what we've become
If nothing is the truth
And everything is a lie
What is left of anything,
When one is prone to die?
Where are your gods, and all those great men?
The days are dark, the nights fall like death
And on some days, the moon leaves it's mark,
The secrets that it hides, as the world is in the dark.

Are all great minds condemned to sin?
I walk on this path,
Bright as it seems,
Who knows what lies beyond those trees?
Things are unknown, and what cannot last
Save for that unsightly beast you keep masked
One day shall reveal what the night keeps unknown,
Behold the nothingness, that inside us all, grows.

The 'Moral Police'

[anjali_vij]

 'The funny thing is, on the outside, I was an honest man, straight as an arrow. I had to come to prison to be a crook.' - The Shawshank Redemption


It is a very difficult decision to watch a very hyped about - doing the rounds of classics -  movie. On one hand, there is this excitement of being able to contribute to the talk regarding the movie but what largely nags us is the question - What if it isn't worth it? What if it doesn't really lives up to the hype? The Shawshank Redemption is one such movie for me. 

For starters, it is no ordinary movie. It is not about a common man's everyday life to which extraordinary things happen sort of a movie. It has nothing remotely familiar or on the lines of love. Hell, the only women in the movie are the ones that are frozen in the posters on the wall of Andy Dufresne's cell. All in all, it is a prison movie and no life in a prison is a fairy - tale. The Shawshank State Penitentiary is a 'salvation station' for all offenders - Red, Heywood, Brooks and even, Andy - of moral and legal laws to redeem themselves into civilized human beings. But, it is not only just that. 

This movie is a mirror to the world of corruption we all facilitate, even if unconsciously. It is such an enticing guilty pleasure that even the warden and guards of the much reputed prison are entangled in its web. The first scene where this corruption comes alive is when Byron Hadley, the captain of guards, almost drops Andy from the roof they are working on. But, by giving legal advice on how to shelter the money - received through inheritance - from paying taxes, Andy saves his life and even wins free alcohol. This scene triggers a chain of corruption within the prison such that every other guard and worker employs Andy to manage their financial matters. It reaches to such an extent, that guards from other prisons also arrive to take help from Andy's financial and legal expertise. Even the warden isn't spared. 

Andy is the banker of the prison. Funny, how he was mocked in the beginning for being a 'smart' banker who killed his wife and still got into prison. To cite exact words of Hadley -  'Why should I believe a smart banker like you? So I can end up in here with you?' Isn't it ironic that Hadley was the first customer of Andy in the prison? And Hadley is the one who protects Andy from any violence and harm. The humour!

Another major corruption that is brought to light is the siphoning off of money by the warden to a fictional person's legal account and how it is the warden who has the most amount of dirty money running under the place. Yet, it is Andy - the convicted murderer, the sinner who needs rehabilitation - who uses the profits of this money to build a library and helps get other dozen guys their high school diploma. 

The narration is ripe with irony but is portrayed through such moral detachment and triviality, almost like a smart joke, that the point hits straight at home.

But, this ain't a corruption movie, you see. 

This is a prison movie and prisons are so much more than that. 

Want to know more? Stay tuned for the next posts.

 

 

No Crooked Leg, No Bleared Eye by Queen Elizabeth I

[vandanahjugnarain63]

No crooked leg, no bleared eye,
No part deformed out of kind,
Nor yet so ugly half can be
As is the inward suspicious mind.

No Crooked Leg, No Bleared Eye is an obscure poem which was written in Queen Elizabeth I’s ‘French Psalter’ or ‘Book of Psalms’. This poem is an insightful epigram which consists of four verses and which mirrors the Queen’s contempt and distrust in the members of the court. The title echoes a physical deformity as the ‘crooked leg’ and ‘bleared eye’ metaphorically symbolise the deformed inner self of an individual. The ‘inward suspicious mind’ of the individual is compared to a diseased and deformed part of the body. A ‘suspicious mind’ is normally one which is tormented, frustrated and irritated by its surrounding. This disturbed state of mind leads to destruction, complication and loss. From my perspective, the Queen might be warning individuals against the destructive forces of the ‘suspicious mind’, as suspicion leads to a negative perception of life.

A place I call HOME.

[priyaljain]

A place I call HOME.

 

Different people. Different perceptions.

Varied conceptions. Mixed emotions.

A place of beauty,

Called ‘the Switzerland of India ‘.

Where is it?

Where is it lost?

Has it ceased to exist?

O Dear, please help me find my HOME.

It sends chills down my spine,

To see a place of such immense beauty,

Turn into a place of homicide.

How can the people be so heartless?

How can they kill their own fellow mates?

Have they gone insane, or

Have their minds gone of the rail?

God, help them!

They have lost their senses.

Save them,

Or else they will kill themselves.

This evening

[priyaljain]

 This evening

 

Look around, what do you see?

Red and yellow lights flickering.

What do you hear?

Sound of the unmelodious horns blowing.

Am I lost? No I am not.

Just stuck amidst the smoke,

With no hopes to escape.

Time just flies by,

And, Ah! I sit in this car

Waiting for the lights to go green

Waiting to escape theses roads,

 And reach to a place calm and composed.

To a place where I belong.

A place where my heart belongs.

WORDS

[priyaljain]

 

WORDS

 

Hey..!

Are words always required?

Can’t expressions do the same job?

And what about the photographs?

Don’t they speak a lot

And touch one more?

They can break you.

They can mend you.

They can do everything...

Everything to you...!

Just a click...

A click...

By a person

Of a person

Can transform a person

To a changed one.

 

The Great Mix

[sashaabraham]

I'm back for my final post on Romeo x Juliet! Let's now look at the differences and similarities between the play and the anime. First of all we have the major difference of an orphan Juliet dressed as a boy named Odin and the ruling house as Montague. In the play the Capulets and the Montagues are hostile families and allies to the ruler of Verona, Prince Escalus. In the anime we see that Escalus is not a prince but a magical tree that keeps the city floating. Then of course we have the ball scene where in the play it is Romeo that goes to a ball held by the Capulets but in the anime it is Juliet that goes to a ball held by the Montagues. We also have changed characters like Tybalt who in Shakespeare's play is Lady Capulet's nephew but in the anime he is Lord Montague's illegitimate son. In addition to that we have characers in the anime that did not exist in the play like Cordilia, Fransisco, Curio and Hermione. Although there are major differences of characters from the play, it helps the anime in its dramatization and add to the plot. It automatically becomes theatrical. Other major differences are Juliet's discovery of her destiny which is to devout her life to the Great Tree Escalus in order to save the city and her appearence as the' Red Whirlwind.' Another yet interesting difference is that of the flowers used as the symbol for the two houses which is not mentioned by hekespeare in the play. The Iris represents the House Capulet and also for Juliet's kind and innocent heart. The Rose stands for the House Montague and for Romeo's love and passion.
Moving onto the similarities, the most obvious one would be the concept of undefinable love between Romeo and Juliet but the rivalry of their family's stand in the way. They're love is ever eternal and the tragic death of the two. Both the play and the anime is dutifully able to portray the emotions of Romeo and Juliet. Benvolio acts as the peacemaker in both the play and the anime. We have a love struck Romeo and a rather confused Juliet as seen in both.
Apart from the differences and similarities, we can now look at the elements of magical realism. The floating city, Pegasus Steed, magic tree and the spell all so perfectly blend together in the anime. After all, what is anime without some magic and unnatural phenomena? The idea would have been bizzare if it were there in the play but makes sense in the anime but that''s what anime is all about. In the end, despite all the drastic differences and touch of magic both the play as well as the anime successfully captures the hearts of the audience. I hope that now you would be interested to go watch the anime and I recommend that you should if you are an anime lover. Trust me, you'll enjoy it. 

Peace out!
Sasha Sosha Abraham
1633154

THE FRUIT SELLER FROM KABUL

[debosmita2209]

This is a story written by Rabindranath Tagore about 20th century Kolkata . The story is about a bond of friendship between a fruit seller from Kabul and a little girl named Mini.
The fruit seller, Abdur Rehman Khan came all the way from Afghanistan leaving behind his wife and daughter to sell fruits in Kolkata. During those days these people from Kabul used to come to Kolkata to earn money and it was only at the end of the year that they went back to Kabul to meet their families. Mini was a cheerful and innocent girl of five years who had a curiosity about the world and unlike the society of those days, the protagonist (who is also the father of Mini) never stopped Mini from anything. One fine day, the fruit seller was walking through her colony when he saw her . He came near Mini to talk to her but she ran away. Abdur Rehman was tall, huge with a thick beard. He looked scary and carried a huge bag with him. In those days , parents used to refrain their kids from talking to these people by saying that they kidnap kids by putting them inside their bags. Mini’s father was an open minded person and made mini talk to that ‘kabuliwala’ (fruit seller). Mini was a chatterbox. She loved to talk. Every afternoon Abdur used to come to her house to talk to her . He used to give Mini raisins and dry fruits for free but the protagonist preferred to pay the price. Abdur was a father of a girl whom he had left in Kabul. She was just like Mini. He missed his daughter alot and it was Mini through whom he could see his daughter . Mini filled up the incompleteness in his heart with love and joy. Mini’s mother was not very fond of the friendship between them. She was scared cause Abdur looked like one of those kidnappers who used to flee away with kids but the protagonist never stopped Mini from talking to him ,even sometimes, he used to chat with him aswell. Mini’s father understood how much Abdur missed his family especially his daughter. Months went by, and it became a routine. Everyday Mini used to wait for the ‘kabuliwala’ and when he came she used to shout with happiness “ kabuliwala ! oh, kabuliwala!” . The story took a turn when one fine day Adbur got into a fight with a person who was supposed to pay him money . That person bought a afgani shawl from Abdur and kept on postponing the payment . When Abdur lost his temper he punched that guy. This led to imprisonment of Abdur for eight years .
Life went on. It was eight years later and Abdur was freed from the jail. He went to mini’s house. It was Mini’s marriage . Abdur had nothing to gift her , no money , no fruits , nothing. Mini’s father could not recognize him in the beginning . But as soon as Abdur gave that known smile , he recognized him. At first the narrator didn’t allow him to meet Mini. Abdur became emotional and showed him a small , old paper on which a handprint was there . Black charcoal hand print of Abdur’s daughter . The author understood what it meant . He called Mini who failed to recognize Abdur and went back to her room. Abdur’s face became all teary when he realized that his daughter has grown up and it’s time for her marriage as well. It’s been eight years and his family must be waiting for him. But he didn’t have money to go back. Realizing this Mini’s father cut off the budget of lights and other decorations of the wedding and gave the money to Abdur. He gave the money so that he can return to his hometown and give her daughter a good marriage . For mini’s father Abdur’s blessings to Mini mattered the most . Being a father he could understand Abdur’s love for his daughter whom he didnot meet for ages !
This story shows the lives of two fathers . Abdur left his daughter and family in Kabul to earn money in Kolkata . He found happiness by talking to Mini who was exactly like his daughter . On the day of Mini’s marriage the protagonist understood the pain of how it feels to live without a daughter since he knows that Mini would soon belong to some other family . That little girl Mini, grew up . The protagonist gave the money to Abdur so that he can finally meet his own daughter. Both of them were in pain. Abdur’s pain of not being able to meet his beloved daughter for so many years and the author’s pain of saying goodbye to his daughter, Mini after so many years.
I chose this book because the story is different which has a different kind of bond between people. The story is short and if you start reading you wouldn't know how quickly it ended. Tagore portrayed the love between a father and a daughter and the transfer of the same kind of love to a little girl. The story is brief, simple and fascinating . Everyone should read this book . Its heart touching and will leave a huge impact in your heart.

(no subject)

[anisha123]

Anisha Maitra
1633124
English Honours

An ignored dynamic character.

The Mahabharata epic mostly gives its importance to two female characters - Draupadi and Kunti. Women being emblematic of tradition and culture, the Kurukshatra is raged among the Pandavas and the Kauravas, ignited by the vastraharan of Draupadi who was the wife of the five pandava brothers. The Kunti-Karna conversation, that takes place before the Kurukshatra, is also considered to be very important and an important part of the Mahabharata. Many novels and many perspectives have been based on these two characters mostly and it is mostly controversial. Different authors have different perspectives. Different people belonging to different regions of India have different set of beliefs. Some even believe in different versions of the Mahabharata.
However one character that is mostly ignored by most people is Karna's second wife- Uruvi. Uruvi was the Princess of Pukeya and in Kavita Kane's novel " Karna's wife" she is portrayed as someone who is strong, intellectual and witty. Uruvi is aware of the hardships and the consequences of getting married to Karna. But she feels immense love for him, and despite her father's warnings, she chooses to get married to him. She is ridiculed and mocked by the society for choosing to marry an outcast, who was already humiliated and rejected before once by Draupadi on the occasion of her Swayamvara. However, Uruvi acts ignorant to what anyone thinks about her and embarks on a happy life with then man she loves. Her character is similar to that of Savitri in Toru Dutt's poem "Savitri ". Savitri is too portrayed as someone independent and as someone who does what she wills to do, as she too chooses to marry Satyavan despite being warned by her father and Narayan of his demise which would take place a year after his demise. Through Uruvi's eyes Mahabharata is portrayed in a feminist perspective as Uruvi unlike other wives has the confidence to contradict her husband Karna, and to raise her opinions and beliefs. Upon knowing about the assault of Draupadi and the role Karna played in it, Uruvi chooses to condemn his actions and raise her voice in the novel. Thus, there is a tint of anachronism in her novel, as the novel portrays ideals rooted in feminism. What is also very intriguing about the novel is the way in which Duryodhana, or the evil has been portrayed. Duryodhana has not been portrayed by Kane in a negative light. Rather it might make one question their earlier thoughts on Duryodhana as a very negative character in totality.