Indian cinema arrives

As I have often surmised, the marriage between Internet and TV has almost been solemnized and the two have already given us many babies: apps that give us access to quality international, national and regional content.  

What a relief from TV's old affliction: K-serials! 

From among the few that I have seen recently on these apps, two offerings from Indian cinema are setting the tone for others to emulate: Tumbbad (2018) and Sonchiriya (2019).

Tumbbad is all red and fiery; a superior take on mythology and greed set in an obscure rainy Maharashtrian village.  The locations, cinematography, story, acting, music, production values are all first rate.  It even has a moral that it delivers without being preachy.  Background score by Jesper Kyd and Ajay-Atul's music are exceptional, especially the title track.

Sonchiriya, a sordid tale of betrayal and tragedy among dacoits in the ravines of Chambal is gritty and hard-hitting.  All the cinematic virtues I have listed under Tumbbad are applicable to Sonchiriya too.  

I have to also make a special mention of Badhai Ho for taking up an unusual subject such as late-life pregnancy, and delivering it well.  It's easily the best of mainstream Hindi films in 2018.  Terrific performances by the supporting cast: Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao.  Surekha Sikri outshines everyone (she deservedly got the Best Supporting National Award, 2019).

On the other end of the scale, there was that expensive turkey which I was unfortunately dragged in to watch in a multiplex, shelling out hard-earned but easily-wasted money: Zero.  

Had I had my way, that's exactly the amount and time I would have spent on this thought-disordered fantasy that neither entertains nor delivers any message.  

Sample this: a wheelchair bound genius cerebral palsy afflicted scientist (which in itself is an unrealistic take on Stephen Hawking since CP is associated with mental retardation), rides her wheelchair in a red wedding sari on American roads to meet her dwarf ex-boyfriend who has just won a ticket to Mars aboard a misspelt NASA rocket.  Enough said!  Zero is easily the worst film of 2018.  Can't believe they spent 200 crores on this drivel.

So, what sets apart good Indian cinema from bad?  There is no secret sauce that works all the time, but comparing the above films, I could glean the following:

• the will and vision to execute collaborative efforts bringing together great professionals across all areas of film-making, regardless of the box-office outcome of these ventures
• painstaking pre- and post-production work, such as script, story, screenplay, locations, production values (post-prod work in Tumbbad apparently took > 2 years)
• authenticity of story-lines and settings: Indian culture/society depicted with realism; not the usual pseudo-western take on urban India
• both Tumbbad and Sonchiriya DO NOT have egoistic super/hyper-stars with legions of blind fans nor any undeserving star-kids who need to be showcased to the world over and above the supporting cast and script 
• both revel in quality film-making undertaken for the sheer pleasure of the craft

And it shows. 

Mainstream filmmakers, watch Tumbbad.  This is how all Indian cinema should be made...

Image sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58398243
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58034304

Book conversations: Sky-clad (including interview with author, Mukunda Rao)

Mukunda Rao, author of Between the Serpent and the Rope, presents the extraordinary life-story and message of one of India's most charismatic female saint-poets, Akka Mahadevi.  

Apart from Akka, Sky-clad provides the accounts of illustrious female saint-poets of India: Meera, Andal, Lalleshwari, etc.  It also provides a historical glimpse of the foundation of Virashaivism by Basaveshwara and the movement's probable guiding force, Allama Prabhu.

This unique form of bhakti movement incorporated the worship of Shiva in an impersonal and/or Linga form, whilst striving against varna/jati restrictions.  While Basavanna's personal god was Kudala Sangamadeva, Allama Prabhu's was Guheshwara, and Akka's Chennamallikarjuna - all different manifestations of Lord Shiva.  The ultimate goal of these and other sharanas was the same: aikya, anubhaava, sunyata, moksa, nirvana, enlightenment or the natural state.  

Rao writes about Akka's early life, her struggle with the unnecessary marital bond that she is forced to accept due to the machinations of a smitten Jain king, Akka's flight from the bondage when her husband is unable to observe her conditions of marriage, her trial at Kalyana by Allama, her spiritual quest, and her attainment of aikya at the Srishaila caves.  Sky-clad ends with a collection of Akka's vachanas.

*****

A major part of the book is dedicated to the agony of separation and yearning for ultimate dissolution with the god-principle that is inherent in bhakti philosophy.  Even though Akka's nakedness when she exits the marital bond and wanders in search of her istadevata is looked down upon by some of her contemporaneous saint-poets, we find through Rao's writing, that the transcendence of gender limitations and social strictures is a common theme in the writings of even male saint-poets of the time, including Basavanna.

Sex, gender and sexuality are assumed to be fixed.  This notion of fixity may pertain to the physical sex, but gender roles and sexual orientation are very fluid and characterized by wide variations in their expression.

Other writers (referenced below) have pointed out that regardless of the physical sex of the vachanakara, in madhurya bhava form of bhakti, the androgynous nature of these saint-poets is evident in their vachanas.  Consider these examples from  male vachanakaras (ibid.):

When I saw him,

I forgot the eight directions, O mother,

O mother, mother

When I got him to speak to me

My entire body broke into sweat

What next O mother?

Today when Mahalinga Gajeshwara

Is embracing 

I have forgotten

To embrace him...

What next, O mother?

And:

In my great rapture

Of making love with my darling

I can't tell myself from the world.

While making love with my darling

I can't tell myself from my darling

After making love with Urilingadeva

The god of the burning member

I can't tell whether it is me, him

Or something else.

Further, this fusion, confusion and inversion of gender roles is also dramatized in Jayadeva's Gitagovinda in which Radha is shown dominating Krishna (ibid.):

Driven by love's fever

Radha rode her lover

Trying to dominate him...

This theme is also reflected in female vachanakaras' works: Remavve, the spinner saint-poet is quoted as saying, 'Other husbands are above; Mine, below.'  And Akka herself wrote (ibid.):

I will capture 

The Foe of Kama

O Basava

Thanks to your grace

I will capture 

The Moon-wearer

O Basava

Thanks to your grace

I will create obstacles

For the extremely licentious lord

Channamallikarjuna

And mate with him

As if we are not two.

*****

I asked the author about these and other topics of interest covered in Sky-clad.  Here are excerpts from the email interview with Mukunda Rao:

1. To begin with, I was a bit unsure of some of the dates mentioned in the book.  Firstly, in the introductory pages, the date of Bhagavad Gita is given as 100 CE.  Is this the date the Gita was first documented?  Because the date of the Mahabharata war has been variously given as 950-3102 BC, and if the Gita is part of Mahabharata, it would be much older than mentioned.  Secondly, in page 35, the Aihole temple is credited as the first Jain temple, pre-dating Hindu temples.  I am assuming this is only in Karnataka?  Because elsewhere in India there have been much older temples dedicated to Hindu deities.  Even within the Aihole temple complex, which has Hindu, Buddhist and Jain temples, the date of the Jain Meguti temple is given as 634 CE, whereas the Ravanaphadi cave temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is said to be constructed in 55o CE.

MR: Dates or 'origins' are always controversial.  However, the truth of the matter doesn't necessarily get enhanced because it's older.  I am not a scholar, nevertheless I do necessary research and try to be careful in what I say.  The Mahabharata was in oral form for centuries before it was written down.  The time frame traditionalists offer is suspect; Mahabharata, I think happened after the Buddha period, also its composition.  Statues, figures and paintings of the Buddha and Mahavira seemed to have appeared centuries before the Hindu temple culture grew and spread widely.  Perhaps 'Linga' was much older, not Lord Shiva with a crescent moon in his hair.  Anyway, I don't want to hold on to these dates; tomorrow there may be new findings and we stand open to corrections.

2. Regarding Meera's bhakti there is mention of viraha - the pangs of separation, which is expressed in her numerous songs.  You have written that in this type of bhakti, the bridge of separation between the devotee and deity is never crossed.  However, according to the recorded biography of Meera, she is said to have merged into the image of Lord Krishna in the temple at Dwaraka.  Meera's sari is said to have appeared on the Lord's idol, indicating the final union.  Can this then be taken as proof of the ultimate dissolution?

MR: It is said even Andal merged with the deity.  This only indicates the intensity of their bhakti.  Bhakti is relational, thought it has within it the great urge to transcend the duality.  Only a few lucky ones cross the bridge.  This is not to privilege some bhaktas over others, but only to point out the nature of bhakti and its spiritual consequences.  I have tried to follow more their poems rather than legends.

3. In the sections on bhakti, and body and gender, you mention about gender issues and feminine beauty as impediments to spiritual progress.  While the Freudian theory of penis-envy has been rejected by later day female psychotherapists, I was wondering if there could be an opposing theory at play in male sharanas who identify their gender as feminine when it comes to expressing bhakti towards the male God.  Could the male spiritual aspirants be envious of women's Janani status, and therefore yearn for fulfilment from a higher male power?  It is also interesting to note (from the book referenced below) that Maya, the evil that separates the devotee from the deity is mostly construed as female by almost every seeker, but Akka Mahadevi has described it in the masculine gender in one of her verses (ibid.).

MR: You have a point and an interesting one.  Sexuality and its experience seem to play a significant role in shaping the language of bhakti.  Male bhakta could be envious of female bhakta.  Vagina is a receiver, so male bhakta may want to be that receiver receiving love, grace and jnana!

4. We tend to have a hypocritical attitude towards matters of sex, in that we act as though it does not exist, and brush all matters related to sex under the carpet, even though our growing population suggests otherwise.  Sex is certainly considered to be an impediment to spiritual progress by almost all religions.  In this context, it is very interesting to note the explicitly sexual connotations that are present in Akka Mahadevi and her fellow sharanas/sharanes' poems.  Akka talks about going "cuckold my husband with Hara" and "fornicating with Shiva" (ibid.).  Are these sexual connotations to be taken literally?  Did the bhaktas really aspire to have actual physical contact with their chosen deity?  Are the erotic carvings on some of our temple walls giving us a message of some sort, perhaps relating to the importance of sex in spirituality, something that we have failed to realise?

MR: How is actual physical union possible?  Only the yearning for union, which is the yearning to transcend duality, is expressed in sexual terms.  As I say in the book: 

The strong sexual imagery in the last vachana is actually indicative of the deep yearning for mystical union - the expression of this ultimate union, or the great urge to self-transcendence, is in physical terms.  The physical becomes the heart and soul of the metaphysical.  In the way of bhakti, the poet joins the bodily experience with the transcendental so that the spirit speaks through the flesh.  For, the body, as Akka would say, is not only the 'house of passion' but also the 'home' of the Divine.  So the physical continues to be the base, even when, at some point during this journey, her Lord Chennamallikarjuna, with 'white teeth' and 'matted curls,' metamorphoses into nirguna, or the aniconic one, who has no attributes; and finally, into the nirakara, one with no name or form.

5. In page 75, you talk about Allama Prabhu, Jiddu Krishnamurti and U G Krishnamurti's pathless path, wherein they reject the notion of accumulation of knowledge and performing sadhana to attain enlightenment.  Is there no meaning in seeking guidance from a guru, which is considered to be an essential prerequisite to progress on the spiritual path?  How does on conduct oneself in life if one is a spiritual aspirant desirous of attaining enlightenment?  Is luck the only factor that results in one progressing from anubhava to anubhaava?

MR: The need for gurus, sadhana and jnana is quite necessary, or at least the necessity is there in every quester's life.  We need all these tools when we start the journey, but somewhere along the line, they drop off one by one and one is on one's own.  A genuine quester cannot be dependent on a guru forever, and a genuine guru would certainly want to release such people from the circle of his influence.  In other words, what we know is that that state of being cannot be brought about by an act of will, or engineered, or replicated, through any method or sadhana whatsoever.  At best, sadhana can prepare the ground and yet there is no guarantee.  The search cannot bring it on, only the end of search, if at all.  But then of course, there has to be a search for it to be abandoned, the search which ceases with the realization that the very search is the barrier.  It is the realization of the mind that it cannot solve the problem it has itself created in the first place. 

Intense anubhava takes you thus far but no further; for anubhaava to happen we let go all anubhavas!  Rest is luck or grace or whatever that is, we have no clue.  I called it the 'second missing link,' that which catapults one into the natural state of being.

 

*****

To me, the overarching message of Akka's life is this: one has to transcend norms and remain resilient until the goal is achieved.  Akka transcended physical inhibitions and social strictures as she set out on the spiritual path, and demonstrated amazing resilience in standing up to societal barbs and naysayers until she achieved her ultimate goal of aikya.  This is something each of us can learn from, whatever the nature of our individual goal.  

Rao's account of Akka Mahadevi's life and message is highly recommended reading for spiritual aspirants in general, and for those seeking to know more about one of the most fascinating female saint-poets of India.





Reference:

Androgyny and Female Impersonation in India: Nari Bhav, T. Mukherjee & N.R. Chatterjee, Niyogi Books, First Edition, 2016.  Chapter title: The Soul In-Between: Gender, Androgyny and Beyond in Bhakti Poetry, The Example of the Karnataka Veerashaiva Tradition, H.S. Shivaprasad, pp. 71-82.


Image source: 

https://www.amazon.in/Sky-clad-Extraordinary-Life-Times-Mahadevi/dp/9386850850

Book conversations: The Dhoni Touch

I had said that Dhoni must be the avatar of Cricketing God after he tormented RCB throughout IPL 2018 - CSK's comeback year.  

This book by Bharat Sundaresan tells us exactly why he is that avatar.  

While the Dhoni biopic gave us details about his personal and cricketing journey, this book by Sundaresan is less about Dhoni's cricketing acumen and more about him, the person; his enigmatic personality, character and mental state.  In effect it is a nice case study of a very different kind of cricketer, one who has given us his own brand of cricket.  

However, Dhoni the person, remains elusive throughout the book since he never grants the author the coveted one-on-one interview.  Instead, what he grants is access to some of his close confidantes that he has allowed into his inner circle over the years; his bosom pals, army colleague, ad director and selector.  Just these, not even his family members.  So Sundaresan has the unenviable job of piecing together Dhoni's personality traits from third person accounts, so that a cohesive picture emerges, however incomplete it is due to the non-participation of the man himself.

Nevertheless, what emerges is no less fascinating.  We learn that Dhoni is a self-made man, who never really set out to be a cricketer, but excelled in it nonetheless.  He is supremely confident in his own abilities and decisions, which he makes with a full sense of personal responsibility.  

He keeps thing simple, in the sense that he only controls the controllables, and understands that not everything can be fully achievable.  This leaves him free from mental clutter that can cloud his decision making ability.  It also helps that Dhoni has an uncanny ability to observe everything and everybody that is in his peripheral vision.  Apparently, he can also accurately read situations, and people and their intentions.  In that respect, he is an able if unconventional leader of men - a quality that has made him - thus far - India's greatest captain in all formats of the game.  

I also gleaned from the book that Dhoni possesses an outgoing and active type of personality, in that he is very much a movement kind of person and is fascinated by motion: that of the body, or anything that moves the body.  This might explain his deep interest in football, the rigours and manoeuvres of the army, his lightning quick reflexes behind the stumps, and riding bikes: 'Do you know the feeling of riding at 225 miles an hour and the breeze hitting your chest?' as the man himself asks.  

Dhoni also enjoys taking risks, which explains his penchant for leaving the run-chase till the last over when he seals it off with a six over long-on - leaving us breathless and squirming in our seats.

This is not to say that Dhoni is extroverted in any way.  Indeed, he is known to be a very private person who is relaxed only with his inner circle of close friends and relatives, and absolutely abhors media interactions.  

This is what I have gathered from The Dhoni Touch: even though Dhoni's first love was football, it is hardly surprising that cricket ended up being his prime vocation.  Cricket, as we know is a complex, complicated, unpredictable and enigmatic sport, and so, it emerges from this book, is Dhoni's personality - cricket and Dhoni probably attracted each other.    

This is implicit in Sundaresan's summing up of the Dhoni personality towards the end of the book:

A man who was not born to be a cricketer but became one.

A man who was not born to be a captain but became one.

A man who was not born to be a legend but became one.

A man who was born to be an enigma and will always remain one.

Let's hope that this enigma will continue to don the India blues for a long time to come and give us many more breathless moments.  

Picture source: https://www.amazon.in/Dhoni-Touch-Unravelling-Enigma-Mahendra/dp/0143440063

India's got #MeToo

We know that India's got talent... oodles of it, both within Bollywood and outside.  

Now India's got #MeToo...  

They say everything happens at the right time.  Ten years ago, when the said actress was sexually harassed, had she made her revelations, they may not have had such an impact as they have done now.

(I am, of course, assuming that the allegations are true; but that's something the courts would have to decide.  But the very fact that the issue has been brought out by one individual is to be welcomed.)

Now that cat's out of the bag, we need to make the most of it.  Thank goodness that #MeToo happened in Hollywood - indeed, for a change, that's one good thing that needs to be welcomed to our shores.  

Let's hope the movement gathers steam here too and more sacrosanct skeletons tumble out of the hitherto locked up Bollywood cupboard.  

Indeed that cupboard was so tightly shut and its inhabitants so much in denial about the transgressions of the high and mighty that it was all bordering on a collective psychotic state.

Even now that the issue is finally out in the open, the reactions have been reflective of this psychotic state.

The glorious superstars of Bollywood have completely denied to comment on it, or to even acknowledge that such incidences could occur in their hallowed citadel.  These are hypocritical, self-serving, fake superstars who are only thriving in the industry due to the blind adulation of their equally psychotic fans.  

One hopes that at the very least, the other women of the film industry finally find their long-suppressed voice and come out in support of the movement.  And not only women, men who have been abused should come out too.

There was a recent post on social media that showed a battered face of a goddess with the tagline that went something like this: 'For the next 10 days the country that abuses its women will celebrate female power' (with reference to Dussehra).  Sad, but true!

One may be super talented and highly regarded, yet guilty of sexual harassment at work place.  Like many of the other legal directives, the Vishaka Guidelines exist mainly on paper, with companies loath to fully implement them, and employees blissfully unaware of their existence.

Now that the #MeToo Ravana has been dragged out kicking and screaming into the spotlight, here's hoping that the #MeToo movement drags out more such Ravanas from other citadels too: sports, politics, corporate and yes, even medical field.  

Then there can be the collective burning of the #MeToo Ravana effigies, which would light up this year's Dussehra like no other.  

Primary image source: 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ravana_fizzles.jpg  
Pete Birkinshaw, Ravana fizzles, #MeTooIndia text added by by blogger, CC BY 2.0

The coco-nutty professor

A Harvard professor has gone on record declaring coconut oil to be "pure poison."  

That's it for you Keralites.... you have been consuming poison all these thousands of years!  Now that the good professor has declared it, you will soon be extinct.

Apparently professor's nutty video has gone viral... it might as well have gone bacterial.

For it is typical of the toxicity and condescending attitude western academicians have towards all things eastern.  This stems from a deep level of ignorance of the frogs in the western well for whom there isn't anything worth considering outside of their own narrow well.

Even if coconut oil were to be rich in saturated oil, to declare it to be pure poisonous is... well, rich, coming from the society that loves its Coca Colas, Pepsis, McDonald's and KFCs. 

Sugar is poisonous.  So is alcohol.  So is smoking.

Driving is hazardous.  So is flying.

Eating meat is unethical and unhealthy.

Yet people go about merrily indulging in all these on a daily basis.

In India, it is inconceivable to imagine life without the coconut tree and its many products featuring prominently in daily affairs.  

From cooking to hair oil to rope making to fuel to religious rituals to even carrying you on your last journey to the crematorium, the ubiquitous coconut tree is as useful, versatile and sacred as the cow.

Coconut oil has more fat than lard, the professor says.  But we haven't yet arrived at the most perfect health-friendly food suitable for the entire population... research is ongoing. 

You can't gulp down bottles of olive oil just because it has more PUFA.  Oil is oil.  Use it sparingly and judiciously.  Whether it is sunflower, safflower, olive, canola, groundnut or coconut oil.



Image source: https://www.prevention.com/beauty/a20428276/coconut-oil-cures-for-your-skin-and-hair/

Re Osho: book & film conversations

Was Osho killed?  Murdered by the US government?  

That's the thought that remains with you as you finish Osho's 'autobiography'.  Although Osho has been credited as the author of Autobiography of a Spiritually Incorrect Mystic, it has been put together by his followers.  I was interested in finding out about the life of the man behind all those seemingly outrageous opinions and meditative techniques.  And it makes for a fascinating read.

Equally fascinating, and some might say, titillating, are the 2 Netflix documentaries on Osho: Wild Wild Country and Guru: Bhagwan, His Secretary & His Bodyguard.

From these readings and viewings, the philosophy of the most charismatic spiritual leaders of our times becomes apparent - somewhat.  It is not possible to glean his entire thought process and methodology even if you happened to be a close confidante.

Perhaps, in many ways, it is meant to be that way.  Spiritual mystics are meant to be inscrutable and unfathomable - one of Osho's methods was to shock/titillate his followers into some kind of awakening.

Hence you find him, at various times, being jovial, being disinhibited, being cantankerous, lashing out at religious practices, advocating dynamic meditation, advising followers to have sexual contact with each other, owning a fleet of Rolls Royces, using drugs, etc, etc. 

But at no other time was his controversial philosophy debated, abhorred and targeted more than during his disastrous stay in America.  This is addressed very well in the 2 documentaries, especially in the 6-part Wild Country. 

One can't help wondering, in hindsight, why his secretaries ever select this place for his commune?  Did they honestly believe that the conservative Christian local population would put up with such practices as personal meditation and sexual expression (as opposed to repression)?  

Promptly, the Americans - both the general public and the legal/administrative leaders - reacted as they continue to do towards anything that they see as a threat to their faith, culture and nationhood (remember WMD?).  They came down like a ton of bricks on the nascent community with multiple legal proceedings and forced Osho to agree to flee US.  

His commune did not help its own cause with its in-your-face attitude and infighting - mostly by Osho and his two groups of close confidantes.  When it mattered most, Osho himself could have practised silence, as he most often did in his commune.  But he came out with allegations against his secretary, Ma Ananda Sheela, which opened the doors to the final, decisive legal proceedings.  

What's not shown in the documentaries (but is mentioned in the book) is that Osho was hounded by the US, and had to move from country to country after his legal settlement in US because he was denied asylum wherever he landed.  Sadly, he experienced this even in India, thanks to the bullying tactics by the 'Policeman of the World'.  It is particularly disgusting to know how the US president arm-twisted the president of the one country that did give him asylum - Uruguay (by threatening to impose sanctions), and compelled him to expel Osho.  

As if that weren't enough, it is also said that Osho died from the effects of thallium poisoning carried out by the US state during his incarceration in US jails.  I wouldn't be surprised if the Vatican influenced the US government in persecuting Osho, as later media reports speculated.  

Coming to more positive findings from my Osho study.  Osho's philosophy struck me as being crystal clear with regards to what matters and what does not in spiritual life.  This is evident even from his early life experiences.  In the book, he gives a vivid description of his enlightenment moment.  

There are also hilarious anecdotes of how the child Osho confronted a Jain monk at his grandparents' house with unanswerable questions; and how he conducted his classes when he later became professor at a college - very informally and irreverently, much to the chagrin of his exasperated principal.  He also gives rational explanations to most of his seemingly outlandish whims and fancies. 

Osho dedicates a chapter to understanding mental health issues, as they are studied and practised in the West.  He says, 'Sigmund Freud introduced psychoanalysis into the world.  It is rooted in analyzing the mind.  It is confined to the mind... The goal of Freudian psychoanalysis is not very great.  The goal is to keep people normal.  But normality is not enough...'  Instead, Osho advocates standing out of one's mind - or ecstasy, or transcending the mind itself.  

Broadly, I agree with two particular philosophies of Osho: his critique of organised religions, and the need to address repressed emotions and sexual impulses.  

Osho is unsparing in his criticism of organised religions; none of the major religions of India and the world escape his irreverence towards them.  And here's the thing - his criticism does not feel exaggerated; indeed one would be hard-pressed to come up with an acceptable counter-argument to his criticism.  Basically, Osho advocates stripping Faith of all its unhelpful coverings - rituals, rigidities and falsehoods - leaving only the spiritual core that really matters. 

For repressed emotions, he advocates (among many others) a meditative technique that involves 'boiling up' oneself through rapid breathing, letting go of pent up and repressed emotions through crying/yelling/thrashing out, and finally observing a period of silence.  

He rightly points out that it is only after these repressed emotions are sublimated, the mind becomes conducive to meditation, which requires stillness and silence from within. 

 

Some of the other Osho gems that I picked up from the book are given here:

On learning:

• Why is every language called the mother tongue?  Because the mother speaks and the father listens - and that's how the children learn.  That's how I learned.

On living life:

• Once you are ready to say, "I don't care about respectability," then the society is absolutely impotent to do anything against your will.

On religion:

• All holy books are corpses, dead flowers and nothing else... Truth, the living truth, has to be discovered by each individual by himself.  Nobody can give it to you.

• The moment truth is organized, it becomes a lie.  An organized religion is nothing but a hidden politics, a deep exploitation by the priesthood.  They may be shankaracharyas, imams, rabbis, or popes - it makes no difference.

• True religion has no name, it cannot have any name.  Buddha lived, Jesus lived it - but remember Jesus was not a Christian and Buddha was not a Buddhist, he had never heard of the word.  The truly religious people have been simply religious, they have not been dogmatic.  

• ...Christianity has not developed the science of meditation in any way.  It has remained a very mediocre religion; so is Judaism.

On meditation:

• Enlightenment is a very individual process.  Every person passes through different phases, because every person in many lives has gathered different kinds of conditionings.

• You cannot do meditation, you can only be in meditation... Dhyana is dropping all contents of the mind and just being.

Osho's message:

• I am an incurable dreamer.  But I can say to you that whatever I have dreamed in my life, I have managed it without doing anything.  Just a proposal to existence.

• Be in the world, but don't be of it.  Live in the world, but don't allow the world to live in you.  That's my message...

So, here's what I have to say:

Osho may have been killed.  But Osho-hood continues to thrive, and draw in adherents by the millions; his message lives on.  You can adore Osho; you can hate Osho.  But ignore him and his message at your own peril.

Image sources: 

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61695TrLHJL.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a8/Wild_Wild_Country.png

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BNTYwMTg0NTk0N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTMwNDk5Mw@@._V1_.jpg

https://realization.org/img/osho.3.1500.jpg

IPL 2018: hits and misses

This year (2018), one expected a lot from IPL since there was a general rearrangement of teams following the big auction.  One would have thought that we would get to see a more balanced contest, instead of the same old teams dominating others. 

Guess what happened... the same old teams dominated others!  CSK and SRH continued in their merry way, in spite of the former coming back after the two-year hiatus, and the latter losing its Aussie captain due to the ball tampering row.  Even more familiar: RCB continued its woeful run in the IPL.

Here's a low down on this year's edition; the hits and misses; the good, bad and the ugly part of the annual cricketing event that fills our summer holidays, and that we have come to love so much.

That is, if you leave out the doubters and naysayers.  They are usually bothered by 'commercialization,' 'match-fixing,' 'loss of purity of cricket,' and what not, all conjured up and exaggerated to vilify India's sporting sensation.

I ask them these:  When was the last time an Indian sporting event garnered so much global attention?  When did foreign players ever show so much interest in an Indian sporting event, so much so that getting picked in the auction is a matter of pride and fortune for them?  When was the last time, a rattled global (read mostly English) cricketing community pour out so much vitriol towards an Indian cricketing phenomenon, a sure sign of their underlying insecurity and jealousy?  

That's right... NEVER!

So peeps, take the chill pill, sit back and enjoy the cricketing action.  As with every other sport, there are bound to be the bad apples that are up to no good, which of course does not mean that the other players, the game itself, or the fans, should pay the price.

Here are my observations from the 2018 contest, some good, some bad.

Good

• Even though the usual suspects dominated, the two best teams in this year's tournament - CSK and SRH - made it to the finals.  It was good that the other lesser teams did not sneak in due to some fortuitous twist in the tail.  My tweet:

• The very fact that the broadcasting rights were given to Star Sports was good.  Great escape for the viewers from the hideously incompetent presenters of Sony TV (bar one or two).  Star's Mayanti Langer is such a welcome relief!

• If going away from Sony means Sidhu would also not be a part of the team - he wasn't on Star this year - then all the better for it.  It's better he sticks to entertaining the political dynasty.

• Star came up with quite a few innovations this year: the dugout commentary, star commentators playing street cricket, etc.  Indeed, Star had lined up as many as 30 commentators throughout the tournament, most very good with their comments and opinions (especially my favourite, Harsha Bhogle).

• The addition of DRS is good in terms of reducing umpiring errors.  Perhaps IPL can innovate further by adding more technology to get decisions right, and to enhance the viewing experience. 

• The one-off women's IPL match.  Let there be a tournament just for the ladies!  Too bad, the people of Mumbai kept away from this game. 

Bad

• The cheerleaders: To me, IPL is all about good cricketing action.  I care very less about the celebrities or the non-cricketing entertainment.  Don't get me wrong - I've nothing against the girls themselves.  It is the concept that I am dead against.  Consider this: each time a player (a man) hits a six or takes a wicket, the women have to get up on the stage and dance in skimpy clothes.  Has nobody - especially the feminists - considered the sexism inherent in this cheerless act?

• Promotions: I am afraid, Star Sports has fallen prey to the familiar temptation of publicizing its other programs during the cricketing action.  So we had characters from the Star serials inflicting themselves on the hapless audience.  They got to sit in the front seat along with some Star Plus contest winners and gesticulate madly to garner attention.  On one occasion, 'Himanshu' from Khichdi was doing his trademark hand-over-head wave, and Bumble (David Lloyd) who was commentating, asked incredulously, 'What did I just see there?!'  These Star characters were part of the awards ceremony also, in keeping with the godawful Star Parivar Awards... ridiculous and redundant.  Star, please get rid of them!

• Star has also fallen prey to the age-old Doordarshan tactics of cutting to the action just as the ball is about to be delivered by the bowler.  It has to cash in during the ad-break, you see.  I tweeted about this, but to no avail:

• Consider this irritation: you are blissfully watching a game, you are trying to concentrate on the action and the commentary.  Suddenly, the resident stadium-DJ bursts out with something that sounds like, 'aaayyeeeeEEEEEEEEE!!!!,' to which the audience responds by shouting.  Then he continues to holler like a man on Ecstasy, raising the (already increased) decibels in the stadium.  It gives you a splitting headache!  I tweeted to Star Sports about this mid-match, and I would like to think that the DJ was muted out during that particular match:

But the shouting DJ returned in the later matches, and continued lunging it out in the rest of the tournament.  Please Star, in the future, stop this atrocity on the TV audience, at least!

• I still feel that there is a case for 5 overseas players in a team.  This way, more international players of quality will get a chance instead of warming the benches.  And, the Indian youngsters will have to compete harder to make it to the playing eleven, which can only be a good thing for the national team. 

• I also feel that there should be an earlier start to the second games of the day; say 7 p.m.  If the games start at 8, then the conclusion may be delayed by interruptions such as DRS reviews, checking the boundary/catch.  Many games this year went on till midnight.  I believe starting early was discussed before IPL began, but MI had objections to it, since the people of the city-that-never-sleeps can only watch the games late in the night.  But I say, one city does not make up the country.  We do have to get up the next day!

So there you have it... the highs and the lows.  You'll find more lows in the lists above because I want IPL to get better.  I hope that IPL goes from strength to strength, turning its harshest critics into fans and followers.

I want it to be the first to innovate, rather than catch up with what other leagues are doing.  So, pink balls, more technology, early starts, more overseas players, less non-cricket entertainment, women's league are all welcome... hell, even mixed men-women IPL, why not?!

Image source: https://www.essentiallysports.com/ipl-scams-history-t20-cricket/