Poetry, that is performed

I recently stumbled upon this amazing group of people (on Facebook) who run Spoken Word Poetry workshops: Airplane Poetry Movement is active in Bangalore, Pune and Bombay. Their Bombay chapter hosted a workshop last Saturday at The BirdSong Cafe in Bandra. With little experience in slamming and a great amount of excitement, I landed in this dreamy, quaint little cafe. Met a bunch of lovely people. Disturbed the traffic outside the cafe with our practice sessions. Performed spontaneously in front of 20 beautiful people in the cafe, who were generous enough to give attention to us (and also clap enthusiastically), rather than to the yummy hot chocolate on their tables. This one of a kind experience left me with a feeling of high, that feeling of high you achieve only by following your passion (in my case, being engulfed in words). Here's the poem I performed there in a perfect setting: rich aroma of coffee and the smell of rain, mingling at dusk. Damn! Some cliches are just beautiful! ♥

I remember a time

When little achievements mattered

And dreams were not so easily shattered

When there were innumerable fights

But no cold battles!

When love was for real

Whether in luxury or in tatters

I remember random moments and things mundane

Each curve of your smile, also the unsaid pain

I remember each try, the failure and the cries

I remember the ethereal twinkle in your eyes

You may not know the magic it holds

In a world that’s bent on crushing souls

Didn't you know?

Didn’t he belong in your arms?

Didn’t you feel at home in his?

Didn’t you believe when he said he loved you?

Didn’t you blush at the way it sounded?

Didn’t you know it wasn’t a chance meeting?

Didn’t you know he’d set your heart fleeting

With myriad thoughts and emotions galore

Didn’t you know he was all that you longed for?

Didn’t your heart miss a beat, as he called your name?

Didn’t you realise your worlds becoming the same?

The Lunchbox - A dose of awesomeness

The tagline of The Lunchbox asks - Can you fall in love with someone you haven’t met?

The answer is an emphatic yes! The movie not only tells us the story of this epistolary romantic relationship but also makes us part of these people's lives. Nuanced performances, a love that is extraordinary in its most ordinary form, this Lunchbox satiates us with the delectable dish of human emotions of loneliness, nostalgia, love and hope!

Replete with eloquent silences, it speaks louder than any melodramatic movie and its characters reach out to us in more ways than one. The movie's protagonists are ordinary people and their mundane lives. Repetition, routine, monotony, loneliness, disillusionment and nostalgia are pivotal and persistent. The characters get etched with such intricacy in our hearts that we can relate to their simple day to lives and struggles. The introvert Saajan, played by Irrfan Khan is awe inspiring. The depths of emotion that this man can make one feel are beyond expression. He’s mostly quiet and particular at work. An old man about to retire, coming to terms with his lonely life. A loner. It is only when he interacts with Ila (Nimrat Kaur) that we get a sneak peek of the different dimensions of his character – a man with inner conflicts. Nostalgia gets the better of him as he misses his dead wife, recalling the days when he would stand outside smoking, looking at his wife through the window while she laughed watching ‘Ye Jo Hai Zindagi’ on television. We too are hit by nostalgia as we get glimpses of the old world charm through letters (sigh), old TV series on DVD, songs played on Auntie’s cassettes, present throughout the movie.

In stark contrast to the introvert Saajan is his junior Sheikh (brought to life by the awesome Nawazuddin Siddiqui). His intruding ways and annoying presence in Saajan’s life is frustrating initially. Gradually, as his character unfolds, he turns into the most endearing character in the movie. His relationship with Mehrunissa - his girlfriend (later wife) is beautiful. I loved the part when Saajan asks him for how long have they been married and he answers nonchalantly with an innocence only natural to people who can love with all their heart, saying that sometimes it seems it’s been 25-35 years of togetherness, while at other times, it seems like they just met yesterday. Sheikh might appear cheesy to some, but all I saw was a man dripping of honesty and affection. It’s natural for an orphan who paved his way out in the big bad world to long for the love of a guardian or a mentor he can refer to as family. The friendship that the two men develop later is achingly beautiful. Words don't suffice when I think of the sequence when Saajan is sitting in a taxi, about to leave from Sheikh's wedding (and later for Nashik). You can only know what I'm talking about if you've seen the movie.

Ila, the young housewife who’s trying hard to revive her marriage by taking extra effort to cook delicious lunches for her husband with the help of her neighbour auntie. We never get to see auntie. We only hear the lovely distinct voice of Bharti Achrekar who helps Ila with cooking as well as relationship tips. Ila is troubled and disillusioned but still full of hope. She wants to live in Bhutan as the country seems as a promise of happiness (because her daughter was taught at school that Bhutan had something called Gross Domestic Happiness instead of GDP). She finds a confidante in Saajan, a friend to share her agony, a person who understands loneliness, whose words comfort her when there’s nothing left in her life to look forward to.

The movie showcases Mumbai in a very significant way. The daily life of a city dweller, the struggles, the aspirations, locals, dabbawallas, middle class families – these are all aspects that bring the movie to life in very subtle ways.

What I loved the most about The Lunchbox was the end. Unexpected. Abrupt. One is left craving for more and smiling with a sense of wonder. Ritesh Batra’s debut is a heartwarming experience and certainly one of the best movies this year.

Living a Dream

Dedicated to the two most wonderful people in my life...

"No matter what the end is, my life began with you"

Not everyone is as blessed as me. I consider myself one of the luckiest persons on earth. I for one, always believed in following dreams and listening to my heart. Not because I was born with the innate ability to understand what it is to follow your heart and what pleasure it is to chase one's dreams! It came to me because I was born to such amazing people...who did not just teach me how to live but let me choose how to live. They did not show me where to go but, were always there as a guiding light whenever I found myself lost! Saying that I love them or admire them or adore them; just isn't enough. No matter how good a writer one is, sometimes words don't suffice!

You must be wondering what made me feel such things all of a sudden! That's because I'm just soooo happy and contented with everything that life has given me so far. I'm living my dream. It is through consolidated prayers and wishes that today, I'm basking in the glory of this moment. The realisation that I'm now doing something that I always wanted fills me with immense joy and gratefulness. Journalism, writing, Bombay; these were all a part of my dream... There's still a long way to go! My dreams nurture in your faith. Keep that trust in me forever and I shall always make you proud at every step of my life. Sunshine comes in all beautiful forms. For me, it is that glitter in your eyes, which gets instantly reflected in my smile :)

Thanks for letting me soar high. Thanks for believing in me. Thanks for all those moments when you let me learn the nuances of life. Thanks for all the affection you shower on me.

A lot like Love

Like storming shadows
On a moonlit night
Like the magic of a mischief bite
Like the vibrant rainbow sky
Love, and its alluring heights!
Bid adieu to that flickering light...
Over the glittering sand of the seashore
I walk in deafening silence
And pretend to hear you no more...

REWIND

I remember a memory
I play it again in my heart
I remember that smile
Wish I could just pause there
But the memory is rolling
And moves to another part
I remember those tears
And my heart rips apart!
But the pain is also transitory
Like the smile, it also disappears into the past
Then I smile; the past is gone, yesterday is over
And it has certainly made me stronger
Thoughts come for a while
Belief is what remains longer
I still cherish memories and rewind the past
Now with a conviction that Love is what always lasts...