CHERISH with HARISH

This is a write up which featured in MBICEM's newsletter (my graduation college). Mbithec was the theatre group we had there. Our group started it and it is still going strong. Here we go... Mbithec Diaries “O re Chik chik, Chik o re sa…” The theatre group from MBICEM had taken part in the Inter-college Street play competition in Dilli Haat. This was when we were in the old campus at Nizamuddin. The group realized in Dilli Haat that before doing a great play, they have to be a GROUP first. A theatre group anthem was necessary. We had this breathing exercise where we would stand in a circle and say O re chik chik, chik or re saa. We composed, we sang it together and the journey started. We did not win at Dilli Haat, but Mbithec was born. Mbithec was nothing else but MB icem The atre C lub. “…Dekho humko, ayega maza…” We had decided to meet four times every week at 8 am. We would come early and continue doing things which was more of fun and nothing els...

So when I sit back and go through the books and thoughts I was lost in, it is quite crazy! I happened to be stuck in situations which kept making me question the unquestionable! Questioning someone is a good thing, but before you reach the stage of questioning, you nee to know the data really. You see, it is always nice to know the facts well. It won't help you win an argument or a debate, it just helps you grow. When in Ahmedabad I came across this book called 'Debating Gandhi' which is quite an interesting read. It is a nice compilation by A. Raghuramaraju. It consists of essays by known scholars, Gandhians or anti-Gandhians. but nice read it is. There is a chapter called 'The assassination of Gandhi' which talks and questions the killing of Gandhi. Was killing him the ultimate thing? Raghuram Ghodse or nathuram Ghodse as we know him, was a very educated Hindu himself. Hailing from Pune, a konkanastha Brahman took up this job of killing the 'Father...

So the story behind this video is slightly funny. This is how it goes... We were taking part in the '48 hour music video competition' at Kala Ghoda arts festival. They gave us a song and asked us to go and shoot n edit a video in 48 hours. So, Sangram, Sukriti were all set and we shot, animated and edited this video. But our house (in Jogeshwari ) was quite far from the venue (Colaba). So in the process of fighting traffic jams and other related issue we were 2 hours late. And our video was never accepted! So, here it is- the music video we came up with. We thank all our actors...and all of us too! (Sukriti, Sangram and me- we were the JOINT effort!)

"...Abey cheeni chahiye yar!" Shouted Vishwajeet. It was about 11:30 at night and I was not sure whether there would be shops open. We were both working and all of a sudden we had this wild craving for chai. It was mid monsoon, and Mumbai was happy showering its pleasures on its people. I looked out, it was still raining. So we took our umbrellas and started searching in the darkness. The shops close to our house had shut down, so we had to contemplate about the next option and we continued walking. After searching for about half an hour we came to this shop, which was about to shut down. Vishwajeet saw it in time and in no time, we had got a kg of sugar. The shop shut and we walked back to our place with joy. I can cook most of the edible things but when it comes to chai, I always like someone else to do it for me. Vishwajeet's room is right next to the kitchen. He took the sugar inside the kitchen and I went and started working in my room, waiting for the ch...

I had just reached NID and what I saw was a broken main gate. Yes, there were things going on with respect to increasing the main road area which was in turn cut down on the 'chai-gate' and the main gate area. But this is how it looked now, may be it would change once it's done. I took my bag and I walked in. So, this is the first trip I have made to NID where I have no work. Literally no work at all. So, why was I in NID then. The plan was simple- to meet Saheb to do some research on the documentary I am planning to work on in the next 6 months; to get the DVD covers of my dip film ready and consult Reuben (a friend) for the design, to meet Pravin and talk of a new project in Ahmedabad. As I had just figured this list of what to do in the city, I was in the city. But as I take a walk across my campus, there are things changing. There  are innumerable new faces whom I do not know as of now, there are structural changes happening in the campus which make it look differe...

क्या गलत था, और क्या सही, क्या बड़ा था, और क्या छोटा, इन्ही उलझनों में तो फंस के रह गयी, मैं और तुम, तुम और मैं। आज भी हम यहीं देखते रहे, कि क्या-क्या है तुम्हारे पास, और क्या मेरे पास, और इसी में सिमटी रह गयी, लड़ाई तुम्हारी और लड़ाई मेरी। बस इसी लड़ाई में, फंस्स कर रह गई, सोच हमारी, ज़िन्दगी हमारी। क्या मेरा, क्या तुम्हारा।

That one day I prayed and prayed, in the far off lands I know, I saw that enchanted temple, I just saw that enchanted temple. I concentrated harder, and the visuals became clearer, of that pure enchanted temple, so clear, so true. I closed my eyes harder, I breathed with so much ease, I saw the enchanted temple, with more clarity and honesty. And then, passing through, all the channels of concentration, came Ma's voice, "Harish, come for dinner..."  And I opened my eyes, in shock, I was back in my room, with all the everyday things, around me, above me. I got up and left for food, I sat down with Ma's and Pa's love, tasty was the food, indeed, but I just could not take out, the visuals and the thoughts of, the enchanted temple...