Keep Off the Grass

                                                           

         
Well. It has been sometime since I have written something. I have been wondering all the time whether I could write whatever that comes to my mind, But I am not sure I have endowed with those attributes. Writing is always a task that needs some passion from within. Some would have their own passion to go about that continuously but for me it is a momentous act. When I feel something and I wanted to write those, I lost that moment in the lethargic work of searching, opening and logging in the laptop and finally writing. The very thought of doing this feel like bullshit and anyways I would console later with myself that whatever I might have written would be a bull shit anyways. So, that's not a big deal and use that time to kill myself by having a fag than writing a shit and killing others.

Was reading the book Karan Bajaj's 'Keep off the grass'. The story of an American (Indian origin) in his mid twenties and a wall street investment banker leaving his job and came to India to seek happiness or find the underlying meaning of happiness. I was attracted by the first topic of the book itself 'The inherent meaninglessness of life'. Fuck, this is one fantastic adage for life. Although I have the same opinion about life but how could these fucking writers articulate their thoughts so perfectly and majestically and whatever the adjectives.

Samrat, the American banker turned IIM-B student want to find something that is always elusive and missing in his life. Isn't it for all of us the same thing, we always whine about that that some thing is missing in our life? He was always for the game since he boarded the flight from Kentucky, be it accepting the Grass from his co passenger and get stoned while driving through the busy roads in Bangalore or making friendship with the geek cum heavy stoner cum 'don't give a shit' attitude Sarkar or be it the patriotic, philosophical and ironically practical Vinod, the Ex Army officer in the IIM. The adventures and the foolishness of these 3 (Samrat, sarkar and Vinod)  makes the book.

The other characters in the book are mostly the Sarkar's IIM fellow students whose attitudes are Grades following, getting high profile jobs, pleasing the professors, shoving the book down the arse all the time and not knowing what is happening outside the world. Some what the book revolves around only 2 things chase Kaanja, take it and get stoned and do the idiotic or thrilling rides (I would prefer it as thrilling as I had done so many in life, of course not by having marijuana but after drinking, and every time I came back and woke up, I had thought no more craziness until it happens the next time) and blame the system for all the unhappiness around you.

The book is an enjoyable and a light read and many of us would relate our thoughts with the book's many articulations. I was so shocked when in a page, Samrat was telling to Sarkar '...see. I feel like I am not belonging here. I don't think I am belonging anywhere and I don't know whether it is because I am an American and brought up by Indian style in home so that I end up in belonging nowhere. Sometimes I feel like I am out of the cosmos and not mingling in and seeing everything from outside and I don't feel any love for anything. Ma, Pa, Friends, Family. I don't love anything and anyone. I am just living just like that'. These are one of the things I could relate to myself.

The book ends in the grasses (real grass as in garden) of Ruskin Bond, the very great Bond. Some how he convinced Samrat by answering the question of Samrat's 'Why is he living in India even though he was born British', 'The sense of belonging is the true happiness'. Fuck That!!!! I think I have  to travel through Himalayas and fuck random gypsies and get stoned almost all the time and after that also I don't think I would feel whatever you have told Mr Bond. I would preferably get a BJ with my GF (FUCK, this itself is a big task for me as I have to first find a girl and make her my GirlFriend and ask her for a BJ) and this itself making me sleepy. So Happy Night Guys. Happy Deepavali!!!!
Have a blast with whatever way you wanted to be.

And please keep off the grass!!!!!

காதலும் கடந்து போகும்

                                                         

'Kaadhalum Kadanthu Pogum' is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen which leaves me spellbound once the film is over. It depicts the most difficult things in life like unemployment, betrayal, love, ambition in a gentle and subtle way.

Yazhini is an ambitious engineering graduate who wants to live her life in her own independent way. Katiharavan is a foolish goonda who had been in jail for 5 years to protect his gang leader. When the cross roads of their lives meet, there evolves the naked raw emotions between them which people would take it as love, friendship or anything. Do we need to really define these emotions? I would probably leave those feelings as such.

The sole companion for Yazhini who has left her home and living in a unknown place is her next door neighbor Kathiravan. He was with her when she herself doesn't know that she needs someone as a companion. By being tagged as a rowdy she was initially skeptical and fearful about kathiravan. But when they started to talk, she came to know that he is very good at heart. she began to love this new feeling of her for him.

Kathiravan's ambition is to open a bar with the help of his leader. After all, he went to jail for him and he is expecting that he will help him by getting the license to open the bar. But, kathiravan started to feel that he was used by his leader as he is always procrastinating about the bar matter. He was wary about his girl next door Yazhini when she was moved in. By some curious and funny incidents they became close. He really enjoyed her talks when she was drinking and he was on cloud nine when they slept together after the booze without knowing for themselves. When Yazhini was asking him to come to her home and to fake as a network manager, the movie becomes more emotional. The dialogues and the scene in the temple between them in her home town is exceptional. Nothing special yet simple and splendid.

The relationship between people, either be a boy with a girl, a girl with a girl or a boy with a boy or whoever with whoever, will always start without having a definite name tied to them except the blood relationships. But for the sake of society and civilization, we are giving the name for the emotions like lover or friend or companion and then we would try to restrict our emotions to them based on the name that we have given to the relationship. Is it really necessary? When Yazhini was having drinks with kathiravan in his room, I don't think they have defined a relationship between them. Sometimes it is very good to be foolish and let the things happen its own way.

kathiravan has to fake like a interview candidate so that Yazhini would reach to the interview place in time and would take up the interview. The dialogues about the 'Opportunities in life' when he was caught faking the interview candidate is well written and is well executed by him. He has to choose between his own life and the life of a goonda under him. The decision he made and the implications of that decision and whether Yazhini got the job or not and whether they are happily married or not is the climax of the movie. Or whether all these things really happened or simply a dream.

The last scene of the movie is the best scene when the lead characters are smiling together for some unknown reason. What is the name of their relationship?  Do we really need to care about it? What is there in the fucking name? Let the viewer contemplate what they want to?

 Let the thread always dangle in the air and if we try to tie it to somewhere, one day or the other, it will always break off. Borrowing the words from Arundhathi Roy, "The civilization created the Love Laws that lay down who should be loved. And how. And how much.”  Let's fuck that and untie all our threads. Kaadhalum kadanthu pogattum.