Real super heroes….

I was at a filming site, courtesy of a family friend. It was the filming of a song, which are an integral part in Indian movies. They play a major role in entertainment and also in making the flicks intolerably long sometimes. The protagonist of the movie was played by a very popular star in this particular regional language. There were loads of his fans waiting to get a glimpse of their idol. The star was the centre of attraction on and off the camera there. I also had this rare privilege of having a photograph taken with him much to the envy of others who were refrained from even getting close to him.
I was at this filming site for a couple of hours and observed very grossly the procedures of film making. The confusion was compounding at every passing minute and the director was yelling on his microphone to bring some order around the place. It had not sunk in till then the reason for such a big hustle in this tiny make shift studio place which was setup. It did not take me long to realize though! It was this huge conglomeration of technicians, artists and casual laborers that added to this disarray. I then became present to the hardships that the supporting crews have to go through to make a movie. The actors as always get all the attention and help. The producer and the director are always tracking every breath of their lead face to make sure he is pampered and happy. They are always at the core of every action at the site. Unsurprisingly they charge a fee that would be more than my dream lottery!
The stark contrast was the manner in which the second rung technicians, artists and casual laborers are treated. I saw the dance troupe which danced with our lead artist on the song. It mainly constituted of wannabe actors who just hang around the film industry’s hub waiting for their destinies to have a paradigm shift to get them an opportunity to have others dance around him. They were dressed up in glossy outfits ready to take orders on the sets. They don’t mix around with the main cast of the movie and I could see their submissiveness and inferiority complex they carried. It almost looked like they were ostracized from the main crew. How many of us who watch Indian movies tend to realize the co dancers in the songs and give due credit to their participation in making the song viewable? I must admit that I never did and maybe I will never be able to do it. Well partly to blame are the camera angles that focus on the lead of the movie. Actually I would use this as a safe excuse!
The next were these bunch of men designated as the “light boys”. They hung like trapeze artists on high ceiling grills and weak make shift ladders. The safety of these workers is in an utmost pathetic condition. They hung precariously from these high positions with only Aether (Greek god of air) to his rescue if he was to fall asleep up there.
These were just a few examples I have illustrated here to give you all the tip of the iceberg. The others like the trolley pullers who help the cameraman give you those unbelievable shots under a waterfall, the cooks who don’t have enough to eat themselves, and the beautification artists who cover the pimples of our gorgeous heroine all face the same scenario.
Guys, the next time you are at the cinema to watch your latest crush on screen or your macho man beating up the baddies, please realize that there were armies of under privileged people who make these super heroes.
Wanna watch a movie tonight? I have invites for a premiere!

Divine ignorance!

India is a land of various religions and their network of related casts and communities. This large scale religious diversity also has its share of controversies. The latest one to hit the wrong notes in the divine sections is the issue of the “Paryaya” among the ashta mutts in South Canara in Karnataka. Paryaya is a coalition setup between the eight mutts in the Udupi region with this very diplomatic way of sharing power to run the affairs of the Sri Krishna Temple in Udupi. The stumble block to the smooth transfer of power has been that the succeeding administrator, Sri Sugendra Teertha swamiji of Puttige mutt has violated an unwritten code of conduct to be followed by the seers. The apparent mistake is that he traveled abroad and crossed the seas in order to do so. I cannot see another way of getting to the US without crossing the Atlantic Ocean. It is called the Samudra Yana. The controversy still lingers on and a solution is yet to be reached. But the only thing that has not stopped is the war of words between the successor seer and those against him. Their spats in public has not only damaged their reputations but also reduced their following and credibility. The seers of these mutts are the guardians of the brahmanical knowledge base. It is a very ironical to see people of apparent high level of intellect behaving in such a mundane and atrocious conduct.
I do not see why such a trivial issue like traveling abroad should come in the way of worshipping the god and take over the reins of administration. We have seen one of the most respected, broad minded and the face of Hinduism to the world, in Swami Vivekananda who traveled abroad to make his epic speech in the World Parliament of Religions way back in 1893. No person with a sane mind can make a mockery of Swami Vivekananda’s visionary knowledge and ideas. The young scientific minds of this country would argue as to how crossing the seas can make an individual impure or not fit for the act of worshipping the almighty who according to the scriptures and other popular philosophies is supposed to exist everywhere.
It is high time that we break the shackles of these kinds of unexplainable, unscientific and mindless thinking patterns and move on to become more practically oriented. That is exactly what happened in the 12th century when soci-spirutual leader like Mahatma Basaweshwara accomplished this herculean task. He strived to break such nonsensical ritual practices and caste divides to unite all people under an umbrella of a philosophy which focuses on practical and productive living which also had spirituality interweaved into it.
It is disappointing that a community that is known to be the intellectual cream is tight lipped at this kind despicable conduct by their gurus. I am surprised to see that eminent personalities, social thinkers and Gnanapeet awardees like Sri Girish Karnad and Sri U R Ananthamurthy who always had an opinion about anything under the sun are now in hibernation about this issue.
As India moves to be a world power, our religious leaders should also adapt to the new living patters of their followers and not create such unwanted and ludicrous controversies which do not contribute to the growth of our society. Spiritual leaders are seen to be role models, and this kind of public altercations by them sends a wrong message and sets a negative example. I would like to quote Sir Charles Darwin who said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”
Seers are you listening?