Fiction : Purple Gift Wrapping Paper

 

For as long as we can remember Granny wrapped gifts in purple colored gift wrapping paper. In the 90s Navneet Publications had come out with a series of colored paper and the purple one was Granny's trademark. She lived on the outskirts of the city with Mamaji ( in Indian families the mother's brother is called a 'Mama'. The 'ji' is added for respect). His work was confined to the outer areas of Mumbai and we loved taking the train to Panvel from Borivali once every three months. It was a band of cousins of different age groups and our only incentive was Granny's bombil fry (Bombay Duck marinated and fried) and the gifts. 

The gifts were not the usual ribboned brightly wrapped presents, just an array of purple colored boxes with our names written in neat handwriting. The wrapping was near perfect. Mamaji used to tell us how when a gift was incorrectly wrapped, Granny would take the trouble of rewrapping it. And extra gift wrapping paper was always bought or ordered in advance. The kirana store below the building stocked the age old paper just for one old buyer in flat no. 302. (Sometimes we wondered what would happen if Navneet stopped the production of the paper!)The boxes would be arranged on a table in a linear fashion with the youngest one going first. Sometimes a new entry in our family would mean giving up the coveted first position. We didnt mind that after a while, because well, who doesnt like getting gifts and that too thrice every year!

When we were toddlers, those gifts would represent the world for us, because it felt like Christmas three times a year! As age caught on, the gifts were a mere formality and even though they would be keepsakes, sweaters, books and hobby materials, we would open them merrily for Granny's sake.Gleefully tearing the wrapping paper, smiling at Granny for the gift, at times morose over the choice of gift and at times happy. In our blissful ignorance and our obsession with worldly delights we forgot the hard work that went into the process of creating the gift. And more than often we 'forgot' the gift on returning home. At times we were so preoccupied with the gifts that we never said a 'thank you'.Our feelings never went unnoticed by our keen Grandmother. 

The gifts represented Granny's personality more than her generosity. There were never dolls for girls and trucks for guys. Even though she was born of a different generation, she never believed in toys that came with predefined roles for anyone. It was more utility based than style based. And each gift had her personal imprint on it. Even when she was 75, she continued to create these gifts. At times out of wool and paper and at times out of a local bookstore. I got odd things like Granddad's diary containing pages with some accounting info, sweaters and when she would have bouts of illnesses we all got letters of advice. Wrapped in envelopes that that were gift wrapped! The last time she gave us the gifts was before her 80th birthday. She was too preoccupied with her illnesses. And we remember pleading her for the past five years, to stop this quarterly exercise. However we never knew that those gifts would be the last of the lot. Somehow in her illness and her life she knew what was coming. Which is why one December morning when we were at her house, waiting for the customary gift giving ritual she made it clear that the gifts were to be opened after a week. We werent sure about the reason for that, but we assumed that there was more to the gifts this time. The younger ones were discussing whether there would be more gifts this time and plans were being made to exchange stuff if they didnt like. The older ones including me were more apprehensive. Eventually, we opened the gifts one week after she passed away. It was the same old paper that was being used for so many years. The same linear order . This time,however, all the boxes were of the same size. We wanted to open the boxes to treasure this particular gift and many other forgotten ones. And some of us wondered, what she would have left us as her last gift to us. 

When we opened the boxes we found a handwritten note that read..."The gift of happiness is for those who unwrap it"

In her death Granny gave meaning to all the gifts over the years and to our lives which had more or less become complacent around the gifting ritual. It was never about the gift, but the thought of our joyous faces that made her work harder towards each gift. More than that it was about keeping it real and keeping it purple.

Roadies Hell Down Under--Episode 2

Someday in the near future, one of the participants of the Roadies is bound to sue the producers--unless they have signed a written contract that binds them from any legal solicitation. (I am surprised how no braindead, high on moral justice imbecile has raised a PIL to ban the show. But then, dimwits do that with art exhibitions, Deshdrohi , Rushdie and HBO late night movies!! )

Last season, in one of the earlier episodes the male contestants were made to strip. The task was held in a quiz show format where the girls were asked GK based questions and the guys would remove one piece of clothing from their body in case the girl's answer was wrong. This year the format was similar, but every wrong answer would result in the guys being hit by a rod(functioning with the help of a spring) between their legs. Not only was this downright vulgar and cheap, there wasnt any apology from the producers with respect to this incident. The possibility of someone being injured was high and there was a clause that allowed the guys to skip out of the entire task, but it would result in them losing 'immunity'--which means they could be voted out by the rest of the participants. None of the guys, left the task halfway through. All this torture was done in full display of the girls who had the audacity to giggle through the entire operation.As much as I hate cheap thrills like this, I have to admit that the way you let yourself be portrayed defines you. The producers can take a stand by saying that we gave them the free choice to leave and it was told that the show will be more difficult that previous years in terms of physical tasks. In which case, the participants had an open choice. They chose to stay and bear the pain rather than be a victim of a vote out. I am wondering who is more desparate--the producers for TRPs or the participants craving for fame through the show.  But what amazes me even more is the fact that this reality show has lasted for six straight years and each year it becomes bigger than the previous years. The Indian audience does crave for Tamasha. Especially when the variety of individuals on the show represent the young, yuppie and lets-get-rich-quick crowd.

What's Wrong with the Indian Media!

Have we lost our sense of identity or our sense of vocabulary? Why is the Indian Media associating every happening in India with that of the West? We have already had India's 9/11, India's Enron and now Dev Verman is being called India's Federer!!I take that as a personal insult to the tennis great. Either the media has no sense of analogy or they have no new words to coin. And why is Slumdog being called a triumph for Indian Cinema? Just because I make a Hindi film in Iran, does that mean that Iranian cinema has arrived in Bollywood? Why do we please so easily? SRK presented an award, so India has arrived?Sometimes we take things too seriously to realise that we have a long way to go !!

Roadies Hell Down Under

Roadies 6.0 Hell Down Under kicked off today. This time there are a total of twenty Roadies which were promptly reduced to fifteen after an interesting team work based task. Over a period of time, I have believed that Roadies is about beauty and drama and TRPs. Today's episode confirmed this. The team with the more beautiful looking people were kept back when there was a clear cut indication that the other team had won. 

However its  a way for the producers to keep the show running and a way for the contestants to make a quick foray into acting and modelling.The last season saw two pretty girls Shambhavi and Anmol being kept in the game till the very end. There was an episode where Shambhavi was to be voted out and via a luck game, over a roulette wheel she was brought back in. The better part of this reality show is that the audience is no party to any decision making and most decisions are respected. Which means that voted out contestants stay voted out, till they arent brought back via a wild card entry. Its also worthy to note that this show has been going on for the past six years, which says a lot about its popularity. Other than playing at the usual group dynamics and human emotions of a typical reality show, it asks contestants to perform difficult tasks. The tasks and the vote out section are the interesting bits of the show. I personally like Samrat Kaushal this year. However, whether he can survive the politics of the show, remains to be seen.

National Anthem

This video played in Fun Cinemas yesterday, before the movie. Its directed by Bharat Bala Productions(directors of the Vande Mataram video of A.R.Rahman) and overwhelms us with patriotism. More so, with the realisation that we owe so much to the brave men, fighting in the most severe and inhospitable battlefield on earth. There is a shot in the video where a line of soldiers is standing in attention position and two soldiers are holding the flag to prevent it from flying away. Its funny how we remember the overdose of human junk..namely rakhi sawant and her headaches and other media circuses, but not a single name of a brave martyr. And how we need a shock and awe treatment from terrorists, to remember Kamte, Salaskar, Unnikrishnan and Karkare. Indeed sometimes we play to glamour and sensationalism.

Boule De Suif by Guy De Maupassant

I say, the ways of Guy De Maupassant are wonderful! The way he writes short stories is akin to the way Emily Dickinson writes poems! Both have an incomparable style and presence. And long after you have read or recited their work, they come back to haunt you like Kenny G or Yanni tunes. 

My first encounter with Maupassant's work was via a story telling English class. After a regular bout of unit tests, our English teacher decided to have a light session, diccusing our favourite stories. My friend, narrated, 'The Necklace', by Maupassant. I loved the story instantly, but to my dismay, he didnt know the author.Years later I picked Maupassant, because, mental voracious reader friend, K, used to roam around in college with a thick book of short stories by Maupassant(how jealous I was of that!!). When I reread 'The Necklace', the English class came rushing back to me. 

And then I read 'Boule De Suif'.When Maupassant wrote this story he was an instant success. When you read 'Boule De Suif', you will applaud the generality of the story and the perfection of the narration . One of the toughest things to do is to write a short story. A novel, can have twists and turns, and by the time you write the climax, you can pretty much fit everything into place. A short story needs to end at the right moment. And I personally believe that you can either write a short story, or you cant. 'Boule De Suif' is a story set in the background of the Franco-Prussian war, during which Maupassant worked in the military supply corps and this formed the setting for many of his stories later on. The story begins with ten travellers fleeing the town of Rouen(occupied by the Prussians)  to Le Havre. The travellers include Boule De Suif(roughly translated as a large lady), a prostitute, and nine other members --the strict Cornudet; a shop-owning couple , M. and Mme. Loiseau; a wealthy upper-bourgeoisie factory-owner and his wife, M. and Mme. Carré-Lamadon; the Count and Comtesse of Bréville; and two  nuns. The remaining members of the carriage are characterised in such a way that they represent nobility, middle class ,lower middle class and people of God. Due to Boule De Suif's reputation, she is ignored and talked about through a large part of the journey, but sees their colorful side, when she presents a picnic basket full of food to the others. The members become more talkative and comfortable around her presence. On the way, to Le Havre, the carriage stops at the Totes village and the travllers decide to rest at the local inn. They realise that they have stepped onto Prussian territory and will be allowed to leave, if Boule De Suif sleeps with the officer. At first, the passengers are furious at the arrogant request and support the prostitute. But later on they use logic, religion and melodrama to convince her to give up her dignity for the sake of their lives. She gives in to their pressure and the travellers resume their journey. For the remaining journey the travellers shun her and refuse to share their food with her, the way she did with them.

In many ways, the story is a mirror of so many of the real world aspects today. How we meet people who shift gears, once their work with us is over. What is interesting here is that Maupassant, doesnt feel the need to please the reader or give a rosy ending. In fact he is also known to have written some very very depressing stories in his time. He however, has a keen eye for human behaviour. The plight of hard workers in the face of revolutions, how the lower echelons of society remain oblivious to the roles of nobility( the current financial crisis?) in making decisions. Its amazing to see that human behaviour transcends generations. Surprisingly the degree of behaviour also remains the same, irrespective of your levels of education and upbringing. 

Its Maupassant's human observations that hold 'Boule De Suif' together, and as you read story you realise that there are so many reflections of the story in modern society.So while the passengers may have convinced Boule De Suif to give up her dignity(another debatable term!) for the safety of the other nine, the bone of contention is the hypocrisy on display and the way the entire gamut of society , represented by the characters, displays similar degrees of that vice. There is that extra question of whether a prostitute's dignity is worth measuring or if a prostitute has a right to refuse anyone. Then there is a shade of propaganda and how it can be moulded to suit a situation. How the human mind can be made to believe that giving up one's principles is the work of God(brainwashing young men for the work of God is a reflection of this trend).Maupassant makes us realise that no matter how far we go and what tools we have...when stripped down to desparate situations and bare essentials we are all the same. If you want to read 'Boule De Suif' goto, this link at ReadPrint. They have the most generous collection of stories and novels online. 

 Legitimized love always despises its easygoing brother--Boule De Suif