Long time no see.
Raj: "हे Simran, चाँद निकल आया "
Simran: “कहाँ ?”
Raj: “वोह देखो "
This past week was terrible, and the next week is even more terrible in terms of work. Three assignments, two midterms, two full days of classes before the midterms, class until 8, a Chicago trip, and household work—I am already getting tensed. How will I cope? I didn't have the time to read even the newspaper—I was just skimming through the news. When work piles up, I feel helpless and lonely. But what else can we do? :) That may be the purpose.
I don't have much to write about, though. I have to send emails to so many people. I haven't responded to their mail. U, M, A, A, C, R, and D...I must mail M. I just keep postponing. She sent me a long message on Facebook. She wrote such beautiful mail that I read it every time I logged onto Facebook and shed a tear. Solitude has switched places with perpetual loneliness. Why can't everyone be happy? I hope people find real happiness and remove the masks they wear. I remember what Anuradha's mom told her in The Last Song Of Dusk, "in this life, my darling, there is no mercy."
I am also trying to make peace with the tyranny of distance. Some say distance makes the heart grow fonder. But it is right when they say: Out of Sight, Out of Mind. The hardest thing is just to convince yourself. I will like I always have.
I absolutely love organisational behavior class, in other terms, it is also called the human resources. It is more of psychology. This week's topic was conflict resolution. How do you resolve conflict in a team? During the discussion, someone said that sometimes working with a rude and demanding boss who ridicules you is good, as he makes you tougher. Look at the military; people are tough there because of disciplined bosses. Then, someone pointed out that the military also has the highest suicide rate in the world. People get so affected psychologically that they get emotionally stunted. I totally agree with this. I just cannot work with a person who mocks and ridicules continuously. Prefer to be direct in communication rather than adopting negative ways to motivate. But I love this class. I also learned something called the Icarus Paradox. More on that class later.
Icarus was a figure in Greek mythology who fashioned some wings out of feathers and beeswax to escape an island. So enamored of his new found ability to fly, Icarus ignored warnings not to fly too close to the sun. Upon getting close to the sun, the beeswax melted, his wings fell off, and he plummeted to his death. This tale forms the Icarus Paradox: The same thing that had made Icarus successful is what led to his downfall. In his overconfidence he had become blind to the dangers of flying too close to the sun.
And do watch this video. It is a discussion on the life of Yash Chopra conducted at Brown University. Barkha Dutt and Rachel Dwyer talk about him. Rachel Dwyer is one of the most respected voices in Hindi cinema. She teaches PhD students at Oxford University doing their thesis on Hindi cinema. Isn't it fascinating that one of the experts on Hindi cinema is a foreigner? She writes such brilliant insights on Hindi cinema. I am considering doing some courses with her if possible. I will write to her. But the only thing that stops me is money. How will I make a living out of it? Can I teach cinema? Neither am I a good critic (think more from heart) nor a good teacher? So how will I live? I get withdrawal symptoms sometimes. I still don't know what I want to do, but reading and writing about cinema comes very close. In the video, she talks about Yash Chopra (she has written a book on him), his life, and his upbringing. I love the part of Silsila and Lamhe. She also says there were different Yash Chopras - one of the Dhool Ka Phool, one of Deewar and Kaala Pathhar, and the third of Darr and films afterward. Barkha makes a fascinating point that his films were based on romance, but in essence, they also explored the darker side of love. Extramarital affairs, getting married to the wrong person, falling in love with your mother's lover. Rachel makes an equally fascinating point that his films made us think about what we would do if we were in their place. In Darr, he made SRK a stalker, yet the audience was rooting for him. Brilliant. I love such people. I have seen only half of it. Will see it completely. Here is the link.
Got to run...more later.
Dialogue of the Day.
Simran: “कहाँ ?”
Raj: “वोह देखो "
— Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge
P.S. — Who would not fall in love with Raj? He is such a charmer.
