The Sunset Limited - A Review

Recent movies all have a protagonist and an antagonist battling it out over plains and mountains, in rain and snow with modern technology at their beck and call, with the antagonist trying to end the world and the the protagonist trying to save it. It ends with the the world safe and the protagonist in the hands of his love.

This movie steps away from the norm, it relinquishes action, and instead fills it with substance. The movie is a debate between black and white. With themes varying from religion to death to existentialism to perception and the purpose of life. It is a philosophical movie which is not everyone's cup of tea.

Black represents the theological, religious force who tries to save White, the scientific, agnostic professor from committing suicide.The entire movie is a one act play and takes place in the setting of a room in the downtrodden parts of the city and is a debate between Black and White. The movie progresses slowly from theme to theme, employing humor and domestic activities to indicate transitions. Each conversation can be taken independently or as part of the whole. It also tantalizingly hints at the happening of something paranormal that has lead to this conversation.

The narration of the movie is such that the audience is forced into the thinking the pros and cons of each argument made and comparing it with the values they hold. This is especially true when the movie steps into the high momentum discussion on existentialism. This slow paced movie ensures that there is always a gap after a high intensity debate so that the implications sink in and these pauses prove very important since that allows the required time for contemplation. It leaves the viewers changed.

It is a must watch movie for anyone who is philosophically inclined and wants to watch a movie that stimulates them mentally instead of pumping adrenalin. For my comments on the content of the movie, please keep reading

 --- Spoiler Alert ---

The Essence of Teaching. Lost?

India is a country with vast potential. The key to unlocking this potential lies in the hands of the few who guide and teach the younger generation. This is a realization that seemingly has not reached the population of India since teaching is still considered a fallback job, never a job that is to be aimed for.

Premier Engineering Colleges in India pride themselves on their faculty being Phd scholars who do their own research alongside teaching students. This promises students an opportunity to get wider exposure to the courses they are pursuing and to gain a deeper understanding regarding their subjects should they decide to do so. As a student at one of these colleges, from first hand experience, i can say that this is not the case in India.

There are several reasons, the teacher is forced to teach irrespective of his interests. The subjects he teaches are not  always related to his field of study. The only reason he teaches is so that he can earn his paycheck. The researcher loses his focus and time, the students don't gain any advantage in learning. Added to that, there is a lack of motivation from the teacher. It is everybody's waste of time.
In a country like India, there are several languages spoken and getting a Phd does not necessitate the learning of English which is the medium of teaching in these colleges. This means that the teachers at these colleges are forced to teach in a language which they never learnt their subject in nor can they communicate effectively in. These scholars are also reluctant to waste their time learning English since that is not what they are interested in, they would rather spend that time doing their research.
Combining the language barrier with lack of motivation of faculty means that transfer of information in classes is marginal at best.

The Truth Chamber

It was a particularly humid day at Johnson Grammar School and the 21 students of the International Baccalaureate program were complaining about it as they went about cleaning the classes after school hours. This school had a unique custom to make its students more responsible by making them take care of the classes and keeping them stocked. This was facilitated by each class having a president, a vice president and three committee members who were answerable for the class.

 As the clock struck 6, as the shadows loomed large, a shrill low pitch noise was heard from a corner of the class. This piqued the curiosity of everyone in the class and they all moved towards that corner. As they were advancing, the sound suddenly changed its tone from a low pitch to a deafening high pitch series of squeaks forcing everyone to cover their ears and at that instant the doors bolted shut, the windows suddenly went dark and everyone was left in pitch darkness. All the students immediately started screaming at the top of their voices and banging at the doors and windows hoping to find a way to escape, a few of the girls huddled together weeping and asking to be able to go home. A few others tried to use the benches to get to the ventilator but even that was shut tight. They were stuck!

After half an hour of hysterical wailing and screaming, the students had settled down to their fate and decided to wait and hope for a rescue from the outside. Suddenly, a eerie yellow light filled the room, it was coming from the corner where the noise had come from earlier, then, as they watched a throbbing globule of light floated into the air in front of their eyes and a metallic voice came from within “Welcome to the Truth Chamber, only those among you who can pass the challenges without lying shall survive”

Musings of a stargazer

The night skies, vast in its size, magnificent in its vastness, haunting in its magnificence is a sight that sends people into a trance to learn as much as they can about it and has been doing so since ages untold. The mysteries and stories of the stars transcend all boundaries and unite the sentient across the entire planet, across ages and for all we know, across galaxies. Its influence on mankind far exceed the technological advances made to try to unravel its mystery, it provokes us to think on a far more basal and philosophical note than most other stimuli.

As i gaze into the far reaches of space lying on the lawns in front of a temple, looking at the stars blinking at me and wondering at the message they wish to convey. I wonder how many people have looked up at this very same sky in search of answers, filled with hopes or in desperation. The sky is filled with patterns of stars, not constellations, but ones made by my own mind searching for sense among them. Everyday worries and thoughts ebb away from my conscience and a sense of calm and contemplation take their place. The actions of one person in this vast universe among billions of other people on a rocky planet far out in space seem inconsequential and meager at the sight of the majesty that surrounds us.

Cultural contrasts

"One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train."
Morihei Ueshiba 


International travels tend to be an experience to cherish and learn from since its usually the first time we come across cultures distinctly different from ours. More so when that country is a country that is not frequented by people from your own country. One such country that i visited is Laos. This little known country has so far been overlooked but has incredible potential. 

The first thing noticeable on the drive from the airport is that the people in this country do not believe in rushing around to accomplish tasks, they take their time and work effectively. Being from India where a walk along a main road in Mumbai reminds you of rabbits scampering in a hurry at the sight of a predator with people in a perennial rush, The rush to get from one place to another,to accomplish something, to leave a mark, the chance to slow down did feel good, but what is more amazing is that people in Laos are happier than people in India, not having to worry as much about accomplishments. The pace of life at Laos is undeniably better and healthier than that of India

On staying for a while, i realized that in Laos, women truly run the country in all but name. The society is seemingly matriarchal with women manning establishments and running companies, again a marked departure from India where women have only recently started coming to the fore and where women security is still an issue. The freedom and security possessed by the women in Laos if allowed in India could possibly turn India into a much more stable and efficient state.

Besides these major differences, the people in Laos have system of living which is reminiscent of the older Indian system of living where people living in a community gather together and talk in the evenings, a very simple and peaceful way of life showing how technology can and does coexist with normal social interactions given the right inputs. 

After the visit to Laos  i went to Bangkok and the culture shock was huge. The huge difference in pace, the sudden increase in visible population, the traffic, the integrity of people. People in Laos are more honest than the money minded madness in cities like Mumbai and Bangkok and makes me realize its better to be happy and live a simpler life than to run around frantically trying to achieve something.

"Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast - you also miss the sense of where you are going and why."
Eddie Cantor 

Tinted Glasses

"The history of the world is not one big book, but several small ones"
No event recorded can ever be recorded in all its glory with every shred of thought that went into making the event . Even what little of it is recorded is based on the perception and bias of the writer, since it is upto him to decide what to record and what to leave out. So, the question arises, why do we read books when we know what is recorded in them is tinted?

A single event has several ways to perceive it. For example my very act of writing an article could be perceived as boring and ordinary by people who regularly use the computer or as an extra-ordinary feat by an il-literate person. This difference stems from the surroundings that the people are exposed to.
Every book, every article of any event is one such perception of an event, it is the point of view of one person, the author.

The author, even if he tries to maintain an independent opinion on the subject unconsciously calls on his upbringing when he tries to frame his thoughts. For example, an Indian author trying to describe the Indian way of life from a visiting tourist's point of view will unwittingly use a few terms that lie well outside the vocabulary of most tourists, simply because those are used frequently in his interactions

The simplest but not very time-saving way of going about this is to read as many books as possible about a certain event. Since, every book you read paints your perception of an event in its own tint, reading several books, each with their own distinct tint will paint a reasonably accurate picture of the event. The problem with this is, fairly obviously, the number of books that cover the event should be fairly large and should each have a different perception making it very time consuming.
The other solution which is much more challenging is to take a book, preferably of one who has attempted to remain objective about the event ( again, tough since events that are worth recording usually tend to bias people either for or against is ) and deconstruct the book within the psyche of his mind. Meaning that we first have to analyze the thoughts of the author through the rest of his books and using what is learned through that, attempt to workout the content of the book that isnt biased. Easier said that done.

Or as they say, let bygones be bygones, forget the event, pick up a fiction, play songs and let the world go round.


Music to listen :

Inspiration

'' Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. ''

To the inspiration of this blog-

You possess in you a spark which if you let grow is capable of unleashing an incredible lightning.  Don't lose it in the chaos you are in.
I need an inspiration.  ;-)
Keep writing!

 
''I never really sit down to write. When I'm moved, I do it. I just wait for it to come. You just hear it. I can't really describe writing. It's in my head.''
-Lenny Kravitz