A Trip to Mars

An exciting film always remains in my mind for a long period. It usually evokes creative thoughts in my mind, and sometimes causes wonderful dreams. Inception was an example for this. The crux of the film remained in my thought process very long time. Watching dreams with dream itself as the main theme was usual thing for me during the Inception era. I had written even a post with the same substance.

Recently another film also made me watch related dreams. The film was Gravity. I watched it twice, and it was such an awe inspiring spectacle. In the ending scenes, the scientist played by Sandra Bullock landed on earth in a circular shaped container. My dream went like this.

A space ship is travelling from the Earth aiming Mars, and I am one of the travelers in it. The ship is similar to the one we see in the end portion of Gravity. A spherical one, dark coloured, providing movability. It is completely sheltered from objects in the space, not even a meteor could have broken it.

Gravity (2013) Film Poster

After several months long travel, we finally landed on the Mars. At first we couldn't say where was we landed. From the floating motion of the space ship, we could gather that we were landed on something liquid like. If we open the door of the shelter, we could straightly stepped into the liquid. What if the liquid was too deep? We were not able to deduce the properties of the planet Mars. Whether it is hot, humid? What if the liquid we landed on was boiling like hell? What if we all would be boiled in that hot water?

If we need to return to earth, first the space ship had to be placed on a strong terrain, not on something liquid like. So, without being not able to open the door, or not able to return, we all trapped in the planet mars.
After I woke up from the dream, still I felt that we were all living on planet Mars in limbo state.

Murphy’s Law

Happy Christmas and New Year wishes to all!

Today I want to write about Murphy ’s Law! What is Murphy’s Law? It is an adage or witty saying that people usually take as true as they have seen its application in their own lives in one way or the other. If giving a definition is necessary, the Murphy’s Law has been stated as 'Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong!'

'Anything that can wrong, will go wrong'? What is that? Well, I was expecting that question. I first happened to hear about this curious law some years back, even before I started blogging. That time, the person who initiated me into blogging had written a post with the same title, and then I also thought it was true, especially since I am a pessimist, yes! I also believe, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, especially when we madly need a situation in which everything comes right.

I can just cite an example to explain this theory. Suppose you go to college (or office) everyday by your scooter. You daily start your journey from home at a routine time. Your scooter is your best trustworthy companion, it never puts you in trouble, and you had never faced a situation in which you are stuck at road side because of any malfunction from your scooter. But this evening your professor asked you to come class the next morning one hour earlier, as he had to complete his portions a bit faster since semester is coming to an end. The professor had already noted you, since you had failed many times in that subject. So, in case you do not attend his class, you will be facing some earthquakes.

But, you are not worried, you plan to be awake in the morning one hour earlier and set alarm accordingly. But alas! the next morning the alarm failed to ring you on time, and you have only a few minutes to get prepared. You complete your bathroom affairs in haste, skip your breakfast and jump upon your scooter just like a warrior on horseback, and kick on kicker, but, there is no response. The scooter is not working, may be due to empty fuel tank or any other technical problem. May be due to an unknown wire in its complicated mechanism that lost its joint. But you have no time to waste! You run to the nearby bus stop. You know a bus that goes through your college door, which has a stopover in front of your house. You look at the watch, which shows 8:37am, yes the bus will be there in five minutes. You wait and wait, but no buses come. You don’t know what went wrong. After fifteen minutes waiting, you plan to go a pinion ride by requesting someone coming that way on a two wheeler. No one responds to your waving arm. At last you get someone’s lift, and it is the noisy scooter of the fish merchant. You travel with him, and he drops you at a point where you need to walk five minutes to reach your college. 

You practically run, and reach your class room.  The class has already begun, and the Professor looks at you with his furious eyes. You apologise and enter the class room. Everyone’s is preying eyes fall on you with an impish smile. The professor comes close and asks you to show him the last days note. You search in the bag; all books are there, except the one your teacher has asked. 

I can see you everyone is smiling. Yes this is a typical example for Murphy’s Law. Now you all are agreeing with me that you also have faced the same situation many often. 

Last week, when I was spending some moments with my friend, I mentioned Murphy’s Law. My smart phone has trouble in displaying the messages. When I touch on the message option, it appears and closes automatically in one or two seconds. I said my friend that I have this issue, and touched on the message button for a demonstration. The messaging option opened and we waited for some moments to see it automatically closes. But nothing happened, it didn’t close. That’s why I say, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

I said about Murphy’s Law to some of the artists at my third short films location (yes, currently it is happening). When I explained it with the help of the aforementioned examples, everyone was smiling and nodding in an approving manner, admitting they too had faced it many times. By the way,have you seen the space film Gravity? Yes,they say Gravity has some application of this wretched theory.

A Confession

It’s been a long time since I wrote anything about my past days. I think you know how much eloquent is me when my topic of writing is about the early days those were at the brink of forgetfulness.  But, I think at least through this useless chronicling of my mesmerizing olden times, I can keep my fading memories alive.

This time the story is about a person whom I met when I was in Trivadrum during my initial days there. He was very funny, and dominating with some leadership qualities. I think I have told you about my admiration for taller persons, germinated during my growing ages when I was treated by others as a short guy. We both became befriended very easily and smoothly, and at the end of everyday, we used to have our evening jaunts together through the city in the process of acquainting with its many newly found curiosities.

Let me come back to the story. After our months long staying together, we both parted, but the contact was active. We used to meet each other, whenever he came to the city, and at one time, he had forcefully got me out for a ride during my office time, while he was on his occasional city visit. That time his purpose was to buy a cute little puppy from a pet shop located at some distance.

By that time he got married, and our attachment was getting faded. Our calls became very rare and less frequent. However we were connected through occasional mails, and seemingly meaningless activities through social networking sites.

On one night, when I was fast asleep, I was woken up by my cell phone ring. I had developed a habit of waking in the early morning, when my hostel mates were sleeping, in order to go on with my routine gymnasium visits. So, early to bed, and early to rise had somehow become my life policy, (though I rarely follow that policy nowadays).

I stretched my arms to get the cell phone in my half sleep state, might be the Non-REM state, I think I might have been sleeping without seeing any dream. Seeing my friend’s name on the cell phone, I attended the call, thinking what hell had made him dial my number at that unnatural hour. The time was between 1 and 2AM, so you can imagine what a sleep loving young man might be thinking at that time.

I could hear him breathing heavily, but I failed to identify whether it was because of tension or happiness.

“Why brother? What happened at this hour?” I asked without hiding my irritation.

“Boy, I have become a father. My wife has just given birth to a baby girl. Oh she is so cute little one”, he said while struggling to get breath.

“So? So what? Is it the time to call me to tell such simple matters? You call me at this hour to say such silly things?” My voice was very rude, though I didn’t realize it.

 “Yeah man, you are the first one I call up to share my joy. Only your face came to my mind”, he said apologetically. 

I doubt whether I had congratulated him. But that call didn’t last long. I cut the call, and returned to get back my lost sleep. Only the next morning I realized the serious mistake I made while treating my friend. It took a lot of time for me to realize how valuable my friendship was for him.

My friend, I don’t know whether you remember this. My deed was indeed beyond forgiveness. But, still I am wholeheartedly apologizing for the mistake that I committed. Please forgive me! Won’t you?

Adieu Sachin!

Today, the Indian sports icon Sachin Tendulkar retires from International cricket. It makes me sad, just like every Indian and many other cricket lovers around the world. Though his retirement was inevitable, I am sure everyone will be missing the cricket legend as we know that Sachin will not bat for India anymore as he has been doing till today.

I was a boy when I happened to notice the name Sachin frequently appearing in the sports columns of newspapers during the 90s. Being a person with no affinities towards sports, initially I failed to recognize the charm that every Indian perceives behind the name Sachin.  Cricket was just a meaningless act for me, but it was Sachin who diverted my attention towards the game, towards the excitement and unpredictability hid behind each ball that was thrown to the batsman at crease by a bowler at the other end.

Sachin Tendulkar

Later, I too started to watch cricket, not for watching the game, but just to see Sachin playing it. When he was at the crease, it was a relief for us. All Indians put the burdens of high expectations on Sachin’s shoulders. And he many times, single-handedly carried those burdens and lead India to victory in a great chunk of first class cricket matches.

I had noticed my pulse was beating terrifically while watching a game. I counted and found it was nearing hundred. The occasion was when Sachin and Australian fast bowler Glen McGrath came face to face for the second time. When they encountered for the first time, it was McGrath who claimed the victory. He dismissed Sachin when he was yet to take his first run in the match. So, the second time, they met, expectations and curiosity were at high rise. But as a person, who disliked the dominance of any bowler on him, Sachin punished McGrath in the first ball itself for a gigantic sixer. Though he could take only 21 runs or something in that match, the vigor Sachin displayed was enough to overcome the dominance of McGrath.   

I know we might not be seeing him playing again in the international games. No chance to see the shots that dispelled to the boundaries through his marvelous ground shots. I loved the way he hit fours rather than his sixes. Those terrific shots were magical. I was lucky to see him getting the first ever double century in one day matches. Back then I was a journalist, was watching the game in TV live in order to update the live scores in the web news portal for which I was working. Don’t remember how many times I cursed MS Dhoni(a great player, of course) for not giving him the strike to complete the double century, when India was at the winning side. But, the caption I prepared was ready in the heading section, and I needed just a single click to publish it.

Now, I don’t watch cricket much. Being not an ardent admirer of cricket, watching the game on TV never had given me pleasure even in the winning matches. But I remember, whenever I enter a place where TV was switched on with live cricket streaming, be it a coffee shop, a bar, my home, or a friend’s home, I used to ask, Has Sachin bat, how much he scored? I know everyone would have asked the same question on many instances. After this, we will not be asking this question. But I doubt without remembering Sachin, or making a brief mention about him, whether I would be able to pass any game after this.

Attached below is a collage I made using my pictures and Sachin's. I know it is a stupid comparison, but still..

Thank You Sachin for enriching my boyhood days and youth with your mesmerizing shots, sportsmanship and personal charisma displayed when you were at the crease. Thank You for being the emotion of millions of Indians.