Me, Myself and Inspiring Stories

Every student gets to hear inspiring stories of successful people. There aren’t one or two but so many successful people in this world and they all have their own stories. If you observe them closely, you’ll find a pattern they follow. Usually, the stories start from the successful man as a poor infant with only one of his parents alive. The story then moves to the child’s education where one of the two possible situations would come up. The child either pursues excellent education in dire economic conditions of his/her family (like studying under street lights!!), or the child is not interested in mechanical study and eventually becomes a school dropout. From there the story continues on the lines of how the student managed money for education; what he did for living; how he made right decisions; how he made use of opportunities and how, in the end, he became a successful person.

Ever since I was a kid, I used to listen to such stories and feel motivated. A story a day will make sure that I don’t keep my books away! I still go agape when I imagine the struggle in dreadful circumstances that these great men have gone through in their lives, to come out as a highly respected successful individual.

Let’s look at some examples. Ramanujan lacked the basics for living, Bill gates was a school dropout, Steve Jobs was a college dropout, Narayana Murthy was once struck by poverty, Dhirubai Ambani started reliance with Rs.15000, Lakshmi mittal was poor and a part of unmanageable huge family, Rajini kanth was a bus conductor, and our own ARR... needs no introduction.

All these stories were inspiring alright; but every person who becomes successful has this kind of story behind his/her achievement. And normally, we all are awestruck by it!!

This is where some serious questions run into my head. Do they all lead to a stereotype “successful people had to win some very hard battles in their lives”? All stories have the same base which is one or more than one of the list - poverty, lack of good education or education in bad monetary conditions,” striving to live” years, and other equally grave conditions. At a level, this really irks me. Such stories have literally stopped motivating me for the simple fact that I too am going through an important phase that’s going to decide my life and want to be successful! And if only hardships at younger age can bring light to the great future, then I don’t see any bright light glittering at even the farthest point I can see from here.

I never had formidable monetary problems. Education was bad but I am not a school dropout. I am not struggling for food or shelter and I have my own room with lot of space. I have taken numerous bad decisions in my life. I have carelessly overlooked many opportunities. And now I am sitting and writing this post wondering what the theory is behind big achievements because we have never heard (or at least I have never heard) of a successful man who was far from poverty with almost comfortable school life. Such people have always been a tiny dot and financially, either well-situated or troubled; more often the latter. How so ironical!

I do understand that success (in whatever form) cannot be achieved if we do not fight for it, and that you can never get to the top overnight on a smooth ride. But now I am saturated with identical “success stories” that I cannot endure another one of them starting from tortured childhood to terrific adulthood.

Miles to go!!

God Bless

Back to blog because of Rehman!!

I should say that I was too busy to blog all these days and even decided that I will not until something good happens to me. But now, even though no good has happened to me yet, I am feeling extremely happy that A.R.Rehman has created history…. and that has made me post in this almost deserted blog.

Slumdog Millionaire bagged 8 oscars for which makes me feel very good and the fact that ARR has bagged “2” makes me feel even better!! Apparently, a major population of India is happy and some, say like Amitabh Bachan, would keep it down at a level and say “yeah ok.. u got Oscar.. very good.. congratulations.. bye”.

Following the release of this film, we heard various comments about why one should not watch this movie. This is how I would like to respond to all those comments which started from Amitabh Bachan.

“The movie shows India in Bad Light. Movies that show India in bright lights deserve more recognition.”

Very correct. The movie definitely shows the dark sides of Mumbai. But what do you mean by movies that show India in bright light? Bollywood movies are competing with each other in “skin showing department”. All the directors and producers are busy finding girls would expose to the maximum for money. Tamil movie directors are interested only in commercial success (except for Mani Ratnam). Malyalam movies have no luck. Kannada movies have bad actors. Telugu movies… oh please. So people who make that comment, first tell me which film shows India in bright light and then speak about slumdog millionaire. I think that’s a comment that has no base.

“Why should we let a westerner make a movie in India that only shows India in bad light”

I read this comment in some news channel’s website; I don’t remember which one, though. But think about it, it’s not difficult to create a slum in London and finish the movie there (it would have only cost them a little more money). But beyond all that, there have been so many movies that has displayed India’s poverty, slums etc etc… but nobody questions those. We all sit and watch the film and say..”wah, it is an inspiring movie”.

It’s true that this film has won all its recognition only because a westerner has directed it. So what? If an Indian had directed this film, it would have been completely in Hindi and by releasing it abroad, he would have targeted only the Indians living over there. So obviously, it would not have got recognition. And if this movie had to go as an official entry for “foreign film” category in Oscars, our politicians would have made a mess out of it.

I am happy that now, because of danny boyle, an Indian film has won accolades and ARR’s talents have been recognized completely.

“By displaying the Indian slums (or western stereotypes about India) deliberately, Danny Boyle has attempted to make it appeal to the western audience and thus win awards”

So do you mean that we should not show on the screens, the western stereotypes about India? I don’t care whether Danny had a big plan or not. You like to watch all bollywood top stars and their hot air on screen rite? So the director gives you that. Probably that’s what even Danny did. If people in the west think India is all about poverty, then you make an impressive movie to disprove it. The movie shows only “whatever is there” in India. So if that bothers you so much, then stop carping and do something about the stereotype. Change the way India is. Make a difference (like what I am trying to!!).

There have been so many other comments as well and I think the negative reaction to this movie started only because Amitabh started it. He started it, his fans propagated it. Sometimes I am forced to think that the whole bollywood is “J” and that’s probably why there have been a lot of negative reactions.

Bollywood film makers, please stop begging girls to expose on screen and make sensible movies.

People, who don’t want to watch the film coz of the bloody blah blah, please get back to your senses and watch it like a movie.

ARR, you rock man!! You are THE GENIUS.