Saturday, November 13, 2010

Ringing Rings

Spoiler Alert : Recommended only for people who have heard about the topic concerned, viz. The Lord of the Rings.


If there is one story I would love to tell my grandchildren over a camp fire, it would be The Lord of the Rings. I am simply mesmerized each time I come across those five words in unison, and every time I forge the story over and over in my head, every detail, every scene, every character. Now I know in the "Age of Hogwarts", there is but, little space for Middle Earth, and it is in this space that I find myself, separate from the Potter fanatics and quite distinguished from the rest. Its not just the movies, but the books, the maps, the prologue, the after words of J.R.R. Tolkien that takes me on this fantasy journey across the Shire, over the Misty Mountains, wading across the Auduin and onto the battle-plains near Mordor. Frodo is the first person along with Sam who come in my mind, bearing the luggage of a heavy task of destroying the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Gandalf with his re-avatar in pure, flowing white, and along with other brave warriors stand up against the most fearful Dark Lord Sauron, in hope that one hobbit would do his assigned task and put and end to this war.

Why the fascination? Well lets just peep into the mind of the master himself. When Tolkien came up with this idea, it all revolved around one thing and one thing only, a golden inscribed ring. The characters followed simultaneously, in a singular channel of ideas, but that one ring became a legend in itself. It was not only desired by all beings in the story. but I am sure many of us in the real world would have turned Gollum for it. Such is its awe, unlike any other fictional object. Even Dan Brown's Holy Grail or J.K. Rowling's Deathly Hallows or perhaps even Herman Melville's Mody Dick [no pun intended] enticed us so much. I am sure it would have lured even the greatest of mythological and fictional antagonists and protagonists; after all who could say no to ultimate power, the power to command every living being, the minds of men. No one could deny it. So it is perfectly logical that the Ring has grasped me along with it. The more I think over it, the more I want to have it. Call me mad, or a freak, but you should know better what it is like to have a want, an insatiable one too. No I am no psychopath and don't intend to be. But what it gives me is creativity and imagination which I might have lost in my day-to-day activities. At least I know now that Frodo and Gollum would still be fighting over the ring on Mountain of Fire, and that no matter what happens the ring will always be immortal in the pages of eternity. My mind is ringing with music, deep dark music.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Barack "Show-bama"?

When the roof of your house starts collapsing, you try to hold it up, or even run out for cover, and since its not only the Senate's or the Congress's roof that is under consideration, but potentially the White House too, Obama might just be trying to do both and well, in comparison to others who have tried, he might be doing a pretty good job. This weekend we were glued to our T.V.s not because of another terrorist attack or a Tendulkar hundred, but because of the first African-American US President arriving in India. Now, the question is what does he want from us. Well, he did promise to visit the largest power in the world not elected to the United Nations security council when he was elected, but now it seems that the spark he grabbed almost two years ago is long lost like Shangri-la. After the recent loss of trust in the American voters, Mr. Obama has come to tread on international waters trying to swim with a blood wound, with sharks all around. No, I am not disrespecting any of us here in India, but it seemingly doesn't feel appropriate for Obama to drop in like this with his popularity rating suffering an all time low. Sure, it would bring some very fascinatingly wanted changes and propositions, but wouldn't these things been even more fruitful when they would have arrived from the man who actually made us believe that "We Can". Where is the "Change we need" now? Strong slogans, equally weak shouts. Not since Bush Sr. has USA witnessed another president not get re-elected. Heck, I seriously doubt that a majority of us even bother about the two members of the first family. We were predicting Sachin's next 50th century for fate's sake! As Jay Sean puts it, 2012 might not be the end of the world, but a certain Hawaii-born half Kenyan is staring down the drain, and unless he decides to issue a major cover for that song in the form of a strong economy, he has no option but to. Frankly, that is the only thing remaining that Barack Hussein Obama can bring change to which he needs, and that even after all this commotion, Yes he can? The answer as they say is blowing in the wind, and in this case it might just be an off-season hurricane.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Wheels of melancholy

Loneliness does stuff to people. Its like going on a one-way ride to the end of the world, there is no return ticket. Sometimes i get pushed into this state of mind very often. But then i think there are only a few people in the world who don't fall prey to such tricks the mind plays on you. you have two choices then. One, follow your mind, see where it takes you. It maybe a path of sin and suffering but, it may be a path with no bumps at all. Or you can play dumb and revolt with your own conscious, refuse to believe that the mind can be right. But then this might lead you somewhere you never wanted to be. reality would seem futile,dreams become a fascination. the more you revolt the more you lose yourself to the mind's control. after all. it is the same mind that gives you the idea to revolt, and as we know, there is not a parasite as an idea. it feeds not on blood, but on soul, on purpose, on dreams. it makes you believe that some things are much more important than the others, that they must be achieved at all costs. we fall into the mind's trap each and every day. we want materials. all of us. food, cloth and shelter are things that are there in our brains by default. the mind enhances these three basic wants into subjects much more complex and radical, it is something that develops our mind. food was needed to extinguish hunger, not over-feed and glutton. cloth protected us from weather and sight, not created lust in the eyes of the observer. shelter protected us from long term hazards, but now we have towers and towers of space, and none that can be left void. why is that? is it because we have allowed ourselves to be pedestrian victims of a greater power? the answer lies in each of us, the way we control our minds. some minds are so powerful that the senses of sight and sound, even though fully functional, are just embroidered as accessories in our bodies. others are much more successful in controlling their minds and as a result have mutated into beings that can listen to another important part of the body, the heart. The object driven and fueled by emotions, unlike the mind which is fueled by want. interestingly some have even achieved a further level of control and can salvage decisions based on mind and heart both. that feat is possible only with a clear conscious which many of us fail to possess as the mind will not allow us to own such a quality, as it simply lives off an unclear conscious. but until we change ourselves we cannot control the mind of others. how can we give directions to lost travelers, when we ourselves need a compass? nor can we show the way to those who already know where they are going. what we can do is follow them, but only after knowing if the path is right or wrong, and that is a decision only a heart can make. hence we take our first step towards achievement of complete salvation, the unity of heart and mind.