A tale of love, pain, fate and acceptance.

The human mind is truly a wanderer. I get a call from  an old buddy, and very soon we go back to our school days and the unforgettable picnic during our tenth standard.  Soon after the call ended, I kept thinking about the great time we all had and then it reminded me of a story that I told a few of my friends during the long bus ride that day. I was raving about the new movie "kuch kuch hota hai", which in my belief, was a crime to miss.

The movie featured two of the most beautiful actresses, Kajol and Rani and I had been right there - first day first show. 3 people in love and a great story worth telling for years to come - no surprise that the movie became a blockbuster and earned Karan Johar immediate respect.

The most complicated of all things on earth are human relationships and the three actors gave us a real life portrayal of this. I have vivid memories of the scene when Kajol is about to leave; Shahrukh and Rani are trying to make her stay back in what seems like a half-hearted approach. The memories are vivid because - yes I admit - I cried. I am sure many in the audience cried. If you are someone who truly values people and relationships, that scene will rip you apart.

I then come back to the present and the first thing I do is play that "oh so painful" song - "tujhe yaad na meri aayee". Kajol's expressions alone should have deserved her an Oscar. The lyrics are touching and more so when you add the magic touch of Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan.

I can't help but wonder, how do people write so beautifully. Language kindles the fire of emotions in human beings. Some are blessed to craft it expertly and bring out their best. The lines below are enough to tell a tale - a tale of love, pain, fate and acceptance.

Tujhe har khushi de di
Labon ki hansi de di
Zulfon ki ghata lehraayee
Paigaam wafa ke laayee
Tune acchhi preet nibhayee
Kisi se ab kya kehna
Tujhe yaad na meri aayee
Kisi se ab kya kehna


I have nothing more to say, but to think - what happened to movies like these. They don't make them anymore. Perhaps, there is no place for a script like this in today's era. Or maybe there is - just that the filmmakers don't realize it. Either way, we the audience stand to lose.

The 24 hour day – let's stretch it

5000 years ago, a day had 24 hours. 50 years ago, a day had 24 hours. This day is the same and the period ahead will probably continue to have days of the same length. Now, that is all about time. What about human activity? 5000 years ago, human beings spent their time hunting. 50 years ago, human beings were reaping the benefits of the industrial revolution that had occurred a few centuries ago  and at the same time, were welcoming the advent of newer technologies. Their pastime included movies, music, travelling, sports etc. It will be fair to say that the human race had more activity 50 years ago compared to a long bygone era. 

This guy had something precious - leisure time

What about the present day? An article somewhere said that the past 50 years have seen more scientific/technological developments than the past 5000 years. Yes, we have a lot of activity today. A couple of decades ago, we used to go to the movies, watch TV, engage in sports among other things. Then the internet happened. Part of our 24 hour day had to be shared with computers to read e-mails and browse the web. Around the same time, mobile phones sneaked into our lives and another part of our day was dedicated to making and attending phone calls. Then, social media raised its head through the sea of the internet. Yet another part of the day would be occupied. Yes, the time we had to socialize in person, catch up with friends everyday, play games, watch TV is now compromised – compromised to developments around us. So far so good. What about the future? No, not the next 5000 years, but merely the next 20-30 years.

Our new 'close companion'

Developments, technological or otherwise, will accelerate but our day will continue to have the same length. How will we accommodate our “mobile phone” time and time spent on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterset, apps, games etc.  all in a single day? The answer in fact is really easy. We will adapt. We will adapt to all the changes that our environment brings upon us. We are already doing that. Oh yes, that also is the beauty of the human race. Didn’t Charles Darwin say – survival of the fittest? We are the fittest. Respect us, appreciate us, envy us – we are the human race.

If you are into your mid-twenties and above, remember the time you spent playing on the ground, or the time spent moving around with your friends in your neighborhood, or the time you had with you to do nothing. Yes indeed, we had time.   Rest assured, that will never happen again, not just to you but to the kids of this era and the next. In our quest to retain social acceptance and FOMO (fear of missing out), we will continue to embrace anything that comes our way that will eat yet another part of our day. We will compromise, we will sacrifice all the good moments that we can have in meeting people face to face and spending time together. We are the human race – perhaps no so enviable after all.

Our everyday environment

There is one thing that Darwin must have missed when he talked about adaption. He may not have thought of forced adaption or over-adaption.  We have come a long way now, so comfortable with and married to our gadgets that this is a point of no return. Studies have shown that people worldwide are sleeping less than they used to. In the years ahead, we will sleep even lesser.  Long live gadgets, social media. Long live disruptive innovation.

As I reach the end of this article, It struck me that I missed something that occupies yet another part of our day. Our job – the increasingly long working hours. Someone once said that with the advent of computers, human beings will work lesser.  Now that is the height of sarcasm!!!!!

The house that Jack built and the changing times

In 1964, one of the most influential figures in popular music in America, Bob Dylan, released a studio album. That album talked about societal change and to this day is recognized as among his greatest works. What better name to an album that talks about a shift in culture - it was called - The Times They Are a-Changin'.

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As an ardent fan of Fred Savage, I just completed watching another episode of The Wonder Years. It talks about Jack Arnold (Kevin's dad) and his struggle to keep the gen-next in his family aligned to the values he has brought them up with. The episode focuses on the emergence of live-in relationships - this is early 1970s in America and a major cultural shift looks certain.Kevin (Fred Savage) is a mere witness to seeing his sis in a live-in with a guy that seems nice (perhaps only Kevin feels that way), while Jack sees his world crashing down.

While Jack tries to make his daughter understand that he cannot let this happen, he is greeted with the  unquestionable argument that in the society then, things were changing. As a viewer, you cannot help but feel  the pain that societal  change inflicts upon the elder generation. This is bound to happen as long as the human race exists.

A sign of Changing Times - Image source: myepisodecalendar.com

The family returns home, leaving the stubborn and 'with-the-times' sis behind.  All Kevin can do back home is to look at his parents hugging each other, eyes moist. The look on his face shows only two things - confusion and helplessness; a state of mind that cannot differentiate between right and wrong.

In the background, music plays. A song that is so apt to the situation here. Kevin's expressions and Bob Dylan's bitter truth make an impact that we as viewers will remember for a long time to come.

Excerpt:

Come mothers and fathers Throughout the land  Don't criticize What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters Are beyond your command  
Your old road is Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one If you can't lend a hand  
For your times they are a-changin'
 
The line it is drawn And the curse it is cast  
The slow one now Will later be fast
As the present now Will later be past  
The order is Rapidly fadin'
And the first one now Will later be last  
For the times they are a-changin'