50

Dear Readers,

                     While reading Descartes, I learned that 'pursuit of science should be dispassionate'. This one sentence made me feel nebbish in spite of years of research in my field. Profound thinkers have such power of reorienting your entire system of thought with their classical masterpieces or at least, ask fresh questions to your accomplished conclusions.  

                    All this while I used to hold that the story of unfolding of human civilisation has a very important premise on man's nature or his immediate environment. It is his interaction with the surrounding that shapes and in turn is shaped by evolution of the specie. It is not this strand which seems to be problematised.  I was basing my research on the Thar desert. What unnerves me is the humble acceptance of the fact that at times, I drift away from the scientific line of inquiry due to my strong filial sentiments with the land. This infests  my arguments with prejudice, at times. 

                  I resolve to overcome this emotional shortcoming. A probable solution can be to pick up an alternative field area. This would free my mind from any predilections and I can focus on the peculiarities of that specific geographical zone although the whole exercise would entail considerable effort and vigor. The second option which is more enticing, exciting and challenging would be to continue with a cautious distancing from bias and imposing a Spartan spirit of disciplining upon my thinking mind. Who knows, a Thermopylae ambush waits around the corner....!   

49

Dear Readers,

                    Oh! what a world it is of the script-writing and cinema stories. You must have heard oft the phrase 'food for thought' but, here I am, gorging on some delicious and mouth-watering 'food for soul'. It seems that I am on the threshold of what awaited me all these years. A heady mix of dreaming, visualising, story-telling and narration ornamented by the glitzy and sublime form and structure designed by stalwarts of the profession.

                       These days I am reading lovely scripts of block buster movies authored by canonical scri ptwriters that have earned renown for their remarkable use of language and imagination. Woody Allen's Annie Hall  and David Franzoni's Gladiator (the first original draft, not the adapted one) are being taken to task at present. What makes the entire exercise interesting is the scene by scene dissection of the movie. eg. for all this while, whenever I would watch the Germania battle scene from the opening of Gladiator, I would swell with emotions (typical response to exquisite Veer Ras literature) and have goose-bumps over my body. Now, when I see the same scene over and over again, I take into account the details worked out by the pen that were actualised by the production. What a job these people do?

                         The art lies in a thorough presentation and documentation of what you see and later, with the aid of your representation, would want others to see as well. It takes story-telling to an all-together different plane in the sense that you are holding a mirror to the audience. The writer assumes the role of the director. This would be a thrilling experience for any novice to the art of writing. In anticipation to several such orgasmic high-points, I retire to reading these pieces and hope to learn how to paint a picture with words....... 

48

Dear Readers, 

                     Such is the charm of leisure that one feels that he is on top of the world. Those careless times when we are immersed in our thoughts and tend to forget every iota of our shiploads of worries and tensions.  We learn to relish the minute pleasures that life has to offer. Be it the quite times spent in moonlit nights, a crisp walk on a fresh morning, a sensuous sun-set on a sea-shore or watching an IPL match with friends and a crate of beer.

                   This last of the 'minute pleasures' that I enlisted in my doze of gyan is supreme. There are thousands of lessons learnt and imagine the heights of utility, all of them while relishing the pace of time (in other words while you while away time). One sees the wonders of the phenomenon called life. It is learnt that in order to maximise pleasure, one has to detach himself from affection(to enjoy uninterrupted bliss of beer and snacks, one should raise himself above cheering for one specific team). One should draw happiness from the smiles of the multitudes of fans and smile like Buddha at every show of athleticism. 

                     My fellow brethren, all I want to point out is that watching an IPL match after a hard day at work is an experience that can lead you closer to moksha provided you acquaint yourself with the 'art of watching'. Take a dip in the deep sea of mysterious and inviting amusement. More on this in the upcoming posts. Till then, indulge in cricketing coquetry......   

47

Dear Readers, 

                     After waking up from a long slumber stretched over a fortnight(a consequence of lethargy that engulfs one after being awarded a doctorate), I suddenly spurted into action today and decided to start working on a film script. I called a cousin of mine who is an actor at Mumbai to ask for some directions. He suggested some important do's and don'ts and gave an impressive reading list.

                    Syd Field is one big name when it comes to learning the art of script writing albeit, the American way. I found that his work is a lot about form and structure and does not really inspire you to create. Nonetheless, there are some strong points to coach oneself in the art. He gives you a base to start plotting. Yet, every now and then you detect short comings which accrue out of the western idiosyncrasies and challenges offered in weaving out an 'Indian' story. 

                          There is a long way ahead as I have to go through writings of Woody Allen or Tarantino or some other giant like Billy Wilder or some yet another genius. The question that comes to mind at this point is that who are the prolific writers of Hindi cinema and more importantly, how is their work obtainable? Until and unless one does not get closer to the roots, any attempt at writing a story with a soul would turn out to be abortive......