May 10, 2008 | 02:46 PM
Do we need to make any sense ? Lecture on film at North Western University in Chicago
Was delivering ( I guess) a lecture on film at the Northwestern University in Chicago. This was a film history class and I am one of the most film illiterate people I know on the planet. By the time I got to be a film maker it was too late to catch up. Yet the students and I had a very interesting session. We plunged straight in to the ideas of 'not knowing'. How do you approach story telling without knowing the outcome. How do you completely surprise yourself. Is any art, including film making, an attempt towards exploration of the unknown ? For if it is not, then it is not art is it ? How do actually go out and try NOT to make sense, but allow the inherent tensions that exist within that exploration to surface, the inherent contradictions within you to surface, and these contradictions then begin to tell the story. Or some semblance of a story. Something emerges that you cannot take credit for, for the film had, or the story had it's own organic being. The story and you meet not in the realm of sense, but somewhere outside in the largesse of the universe where the story is not trying to make sense but is somehow provoking thought processes that have so much contradiction in them that they make sense and do not make sense at the same time. Like a boiling pot - with somehow sense coming to the surface but disintegrating into 'no sense' and sinking back, merely to give rise to the illusion and a tantalizing glimpse of sense again, only to fall back again into no-sense. Like all great poetry. Leaving the viewer/reader to connect the dots to try and create something of logic or of sense in it all. Or not.
May 04, 2008 | 08:45 AM
Is this a dream I live in ?
" Is this a dream I live in ?" you asked me as we travelled in the car back from your tennis lesson. "But how would I know, for the word 'dream' does not come when I am really dreaming. What happens when I wake up ?" I was completely taken aback by your question, for you are still just 7 years old. Taken aback because for centuries the mystics and the wise ones have been grappling with this question. Except they may not call it a dream. They call it Maya, the illusion. Life is an illusion. It means the same thing.
Problem today is that many philosophers and mystics look down upon the 'dream life'. Like 'because it is an illusion, therefore it is something silly'. Not to be taken seriously. No my love, life is to be taken very seriously, for every thought, every action, every moment, every passion dissolves into a great churning that is your life. What is called your karma. And your karma is the connection between your universal self, your atman or soul, your god self, or anything you would like to call it, and your 'maya self', or your 'dream self'. It is what you experience when you wake up !....
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May 02, 2008 | 01:11 PM
Global Food Shortage, who are we kidding ? It's your daily starbucks that could be causing it !
Just came back from New York, where every paper is talking about food shortage, and the scepter of the US having to hoard food. In a country where it is impossible to eat your way through one serving, and where the biggest battle is not against terrorism but against over eating, it is a difficult idea to comprehend. And what did Condolizza Rice mean when she said part of the problem is a change in the eating habits of a more prosperous India and China. Like the world's problem are increasing because we are eating better or living better ? That is not true in any case, except for a mere 5% of India's population. But lets get this right. There has ALWAYS been a world food shortage. Since I can remember in any case. People in the US may not have noticed it, and those of us living in India, China, Africa and elsewhere may choose to avert our eyes to what is staring us in the face, but we have always been surrounded by people that live in a constant state of malnutrition and starvation.
So what do we mean when we say that prices are rising and food riots are breaking out ? What we mean is that something has gone wrong in the supply chain. That somewhere people have started to profit more from the supply chain, and somewhere people are hoarding. THAT THE PRICE OF FOOD HAS GONE OUT OF THE RANGE OF MOST POOR PEOPLE. But who controls that price, and if it is market forces, who controls those market forces ? Certainly not the individual farmers.
April 28, 2008 | 07:03 PM
New Media : How are we exploring the net ?
Just added the category for New Media. Our world and the way we interact with each other is changing. Social behaviour is changing because of it. So we should be sharing points of view on it. In Asia Internet surfing is increasingly done on cell phones. It is estimated that in India 65 % of the basic internet usage is done on the cell phone. We seem to be jumping the PC technology straight into mobile technology. But in rest of Asia, for completely different reasons, the same is happening. In Korea and Japan the internet download speeds are faster than the rest of the world with more killer apps available. In the US the Iphone has spurred huge use of the interent on the mobile device. But how will this be paid for ? This is a very interesting article on the challenges faced by the Google type advertising models
http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2008/tc20080427_580014_page_2.htm
April 27, 2008 | 06:28 PM
Faith, Prayer, Mythology,
:) says :"i am surprised that you put mythology above PRAYER and FAITH !"
faith, prayer, mythology gods and goddesses are all ways to keep going beyond your sense of the individual self - they enable you to break out of the prison of individuality, the prison of the mind, and allow something much deeper inside you to connect to something far more expansive. More expansive emotionally, more expansive instinctually , more expansive spiritually, and more expansive creatively.
We call that being in touch with expansiveness an awareness of the universal self, of being in touch with consciousness, or even being n the presence of God. So being in CONSTANT touch with either Myth, or Prayer or Faith, almost with every breath is what I am talking about. That being n constant touch is what mystics have called the 'state of being in constant and universal love'. And it is so important not to make this 'being in constant touch' become too specific.
For there is something 'breeze like' about the infinite. The more you turn it into finite ways and methods and laws, the more you try and make them logical, the more you look upon this as methodology, the more you are turning the potential, the constant whiffs of breeze, the 'presence', the attitude , the unknown emotional feelings of the spirit, into dogma and a set of rules, or a method. In those cases the very Myths you are using, the very faith and prayers you are using turn finally into rules, dogma, obsession and then excuses and weapons for destruction and conflict - as we see religious conflicts all over the world. Shekhar
April 24, 2008 | 07:19 PM
Will McCain decide between Obama and Clinton ?
Have you noticed how the Democratic party has shifted from 'Between Obama and Clinton, who will be the best next President of the United States' to 'which one of them can beat McCain' ?? Senator McCain has (as I previously predicted on this blog) come in from behind and taken advantage of the political bickering between Obama and Clinton. The two are acting as if the is not a race for the Presidency of the United States, but a high school election. Personally I think the world outside would love to see Obama as the next US president- for it gives a great message that the US is going to once again open it 'liberal doors'. I would love to see Obama as president
However, given the economic situation in the US, the war in Iraq is no longer the major pre-occupation of the people of the US.....
Continue reading "Will McCain decide between Obama and Clinton ?"
Mythology and Culture : Open Forum
Where do our fundamental roots lie ? In Culture or in Mythology. Is our culture defined by our Myths, or is it the other way round ? Or is one inseparable from the other ? Can I, for example, live in completely different culture, adapt to that culture, and yet my being is incomplete with my own mythology ? I personally have been able to constantly adapt to other cultures (I am a gypsy) , but when I wake up in the morning I reconstruct myself from the night before by delving deep into my mythology. Not prayers, nor faith. Just Mythology. I guess being in NY and being part of a completely multi cultural experience in film making, where the other directors are Japanese, Chinese, Russian, French, - this questions begs discussion. Any takers ?
April 22, 2008 | 09:27 PM
Are Ghosts and Spirits real ?: Filming in the presence of Anthny Minghella's Spirit
Koizen asked : you have opinions of Astrophysicist, gods, spirituality...why not Ghosts... spirits ? Koizen, I actually do not disbelieve in ghosts or spirits, nor do i subscribe to the fear factor associated with ghosts. I believe we live in the constant 'presence' of consciousness of all beings and thought, including our own consciousness too. But none of that is defined or individual. It is all interconnected and formless. However any passionate desire to 'feel' that presence will create an individuality of that presence in the form we imagine. It is not 'present' in it's individual form, till our desire, fear, passion or love creates around us that individual presence.
Take for example the filming of New York I love which I recently completed. It was the last script Anthony wrote before he died. And just before he went into hospital, he asked me if I would direct it. I was looking for guidance in the shoot. To interpret his script. To understand what he was looking for. I knew it was impossible to shoot the 7 page script in two days, but I had to achieve the impossible. In the end there is a film with some of the most beautiful images I have ever shot. In the end there is a short 13 minute film that inexplicably moves people, without being able to define the film. The only way I could have done this is by being guided by something outside me. And my belief is that I was being guided by Anthony's spirit.....
April 18, 2008 | 06:50 PM
left right left right, and so life marches on in two conflicting brains
As I look back at my life, I have been accused of being impractical (I am), a dreamer (I am) a wanderer (completely), the famous comment 'you treat life like it was just play' - yes I do. 'Act your age' - I can remember forever. People have said I have an over active imagination (yes, completely), that I should be more serious about life (I agree, but I do not know really know what they mean). The point I have been making is that while I have always accepted these accusations, I have lived under the burden of guilt of all these accusations. I have consistently tried to change them, but neither have I been able to change myself, nor have I been able to be free of considering myself somewhat an irresponsible human being...
Continue reading "left right left right, and so life marches on in two conflicting brains"
Shia Lebouf, Julie christie, John Hurt in New York I love you
So I finished filming my episode and have delivered the first rough cut. When I arrived in New York just a few days before the shoot, we had no cast. But as we went through the lists almost as if by some act of destiny or magic my first choices were not only available, but also willing to fly from all over the world to come and shoot with me these two days. I think this was as much out of incredible respect for Anthony Minghella's last script as much as it was for working with me. I do ot need t say anything about the talents of actors like John Hurt and Julie Christie. They are a pleasure to work with and have consistently performed outstandingly over the years. With John Hurt it was a double pleasure as we became incredibly good friends when we were both n the jury of the Marrakech Film Festival. But the surprise was Shia Lebouf...
Continue reading "Shia Lebouf, Julie christie, John Hurt in New York I love you"
April 16, 2008 | 02:11 AM
Priyanka visits Rajiv Gandhi assasination accused in prison
I was really surprised and would say moved when I read the Priyanka Vadera ( nee Gandhi) went to visit Nalini in prison- one of the accused in the assasination of Rajiv Gandhi. I have never met Priyanka nor do I know what transpired except that Nalini has made statements of how much she now respects the Gandhi family. Apparently Sonia Gandhi herself had asked for clemency against the death sentence on Nalini because of her (then) five year old baby. Priyanka apparently went to get closure for herself on her father's tragic and brutal death. I guess I find this act of forgiveness and redemption not only very moving, but also that there was absolutely no attempt to make political capital of this visit from India's most political family.
Water Film Festival : support it if you can please
Dear Shekhar
I have been volunteering as project co-ordinator for an international water film festival titled Voices From the Waters. The first edition was held in Bangalore in 2005. The second was held in June last year and it is still continuing as a travelling film festival across cities, small towns and institutions across the country. It has been concieved as a platform without any defined boundaries celebrating the blue gold and building awareness. The next edition of the festival is scheduled for September 2008. I have attatched below the call for entries. We would be extremely grateful if you could help spread the word or even offer us suggestions for the festival.
Please refer to the website http://voicesfromthewaters.com/ or any further information. It would be great for any help you could offer.best of luck,
peace,
siddharth
April 14, 2008 | 07:40 PM
hey mr. time man
hey mr time man
i got your number
i took away your sickle
and pulled off your hood
and found myself
staring back at me
wanna dance
mr time man ?
April 13, 2008 | 10:19 PM
Larry King and the how to live longer. How about just play ?
Happened to catch bits of the Larry King show last night on how to live longer. My friend Deepak Chopra was on it - though he did not seem to get too much of a chance to speak. The one thing no one mentioned was community. That people that live in harmonious communities, or fulfilling relationships have healthier immune systems. Deepak did mention the idea of toxicity being not just about pollutants, but also how relationships can also be toxic. There is enough research now to show that loneliness is a great cause of loss of immune system and therefore the onset of disease. In modern society though, we see isolation almost as a pedigree to success. Almost masculine.
For those of us that come from in India, remember the word 'Mehfil' ? I remember my boyhood being spent on my bicycle going to friends houses and shouting at their windows to come and play. Play. That is what keeps harmony in communities. Play is what keeps relationships together. Play is how we defuse stress and tensions. Play is what keeps the immune system alive and healthy.
April 12, 2008 | 10:59 PM
Time, love, eternity, is 'emotional time' real time ?
The perceptions of time change so much even though we believe that 'time' is fixed. For the greatest measurement of time seems to be our life spans. And ageing. We even call what happens to our bodies as we age the 'ravages of time' as if time was this train that chugs along at it's unchangeable pace, and everything seems to revolve around that pace. And yet we keep trying to slow down that train, hoping that we will age slower. In fact by living healthier (or trying to !). And often because we savour the situations we are in and never want them go away. And often blame time for those anticipations and situations for going away. So time at best is a perception that is based on the situation we percieve we are in, or how healthy we feel. Time sits so heavily when we are depresesed for example, we say. So why do we give time an 'actuality' like a precise ticking clock that reminds us of it's tick tock every second. Imbibe upon time a 'a law pf physics' that is completely unchangeable, but every moment are perceiving time completely differently depending upon the current state of our minds.
Did you say to anyone that you will love them forever ? My guess is that if you really felt it, and if your being was engulfed into that one statement - then you really did sense the the word we call eternity. I have loved you through eternity and will love you eternally. Suddenly all perception of time for that moment has disappeared. The clock does not tick any more. In the holding of that one hand, in the harmonizing of the two breaths, eternity has been sensed.
So where are we at those moments ? ......
Continue reading "Time, love, eternity, is 'emotional time' real time ?"
Deepak Chopra, Einstein and questions of Infinity
Deepak Chopra and I have so many conversations about consciousness and the nature of existence, mostly me searching and looking to him for answers - so sitting in his office in NY one day, we decided to ask someone to record the following rambling conversation. But there is interesting stuff in it.
April 06, 2008 | 06:43 PM
The Rev Patrick Davies
When as a flippant boy I went to learn accountancy in London, Pat Davies took me under his wing. He determined to look after me and help me find a more serious side of myself ! I don't think he had enough time to do that, for he left to take up a job as a financial director in Australia. I then heard the news that Pat had a change of heart, or should I say a revelation of his true calling in life. Pat decided to study to be ordained as a Catholic priest, and entered the church and a monastic life. Though monastic, Pat's spirit of adventure never left him. He remained an extremely active person and travelled the world in the cause of healing and peace. Especially in Africa and South America, where he used his inherrent organizational skills to work for hospitals , schools, and even as part of the 'truth and recconciiation' effort in South Africa. Finally he came back to London and took over a diocese very close to Soho. I remember Pat as a tough squash opponent, and the camping journey's he took me into the rugged parts of Scotland. And so you can imagine my sorrow to learn that his body is giving up and he is readying to take on another journey. I want to share with your Pats letter to his friends and family, and to the members of his diocese informing us all .......
Continue reading "The Rev Patrick Davies"
End of thought
a thought came
a thought passed
and I thought
to observe that thought
as a thought came
a thought passed
and I thought
a thought
that left a memory
of thought
and I thought
of thought memories
of billion thoughts
and a thought came
and a thought passed...
the sun went down
dream time came
ahhhh
April 03, 2008 | 05:48 PM
In search of water
Every year, over 500,000 children in India never reach the age of 5 because of water-related diseases like diarrhea, gastroenteritis, hepatitis. Over 300 million Indians have no access to toilets. Already, 224 million Indians live in water stress. About 70% of irrigation needs and 80% of municipal water supplies come from groundwater sources. However, depleted aquifers and lowered groundwater tables mean that this is no longer sustainable. It has been estimated that by as early as 2020, India’s demand for water will exceed ALL sources of supply.
Can we make a difference? One individual thinks so. And one organization is supporting him in his mission for the cause of water. On April 26th 2008, Sharada Prasad will start a 19,000 km Motorcycle Ride across India. The objective of Sharada’s ride is to discover what water means to people across the country. The problems faced by people with respect to water are different in different parts of the country. Support him by going to ;
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/k2k/
April 01, 2008 | 03:33 AM
From self to no self
It's a yo yo. From flying free in the midst of exhilirating creativity, knowing that the being is going beyond the limitations of the self - the limitations of perceived and imprisoning sense of individuality, and knowing that all things take care of themselves, a knowing that lies beyond reason for there is a trust in the Universe. Like the deepest, most passionate feelings of love, where all else falls away. Like a veil of dark mist that is lifted from the eyes, like a cage that both imprisons and oppresses the mind has opened and the being steps out into exhilarating freedom. Where all observation is free flowing and interconnected, where no thought is imprisoned into structure, and passes as easily as the next one comes, like wisps of breeze that that touch and flow away... an exhilarated creative state of accessing the creativity of the universe. Creativity, Faith, God.
Continue reading "From self to no self"
March 29, 2008 | 10:07 PM
New York
I go to NY today to shoot Anthony Minghella's segment of the film., New York - I Love you. I go there with a heavy heart and with some unease. Apprehension. I am going to give my daughter a big hug before i go.
Bandit Queen - director's commentary
As they are re releasing the DVD of Bandit Queen in the UK. I decided to do an extensive director's commentary on it. And I sat there and cried as I watched the film after almost 10 years. What happened to the director Shekhar Kapur ? Where did he get lost ? Bandit Queen has such subtext, such detail, such an emotional and innovative way of telling a strong story. Without having to resort to great directorial flourishes. The actors were great, probably the best I ever had. Ashok Mehta, the DP was great, and I rue the fact that he and I never worked together again. The editing was so acute and incisive, and unfortunately Renu Saluja died far too young. In fact wherever she and I disagreed, she was right, as I can see in the film now. The Music by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was so evocative and emotional withput being intrusive. Almost spiritual. And he died too young.
Why ? Because I worked completely in synch with the writing. with the music, with filming, wit the actors. We were all one team tethered to each other. Because there were no creative pressures from above. Because this was my most instinctual film. Because i did not try and prove anything to anyone. Just shot the film from the heart . And the film was made in utmost humility. Why ? Because all of us worked in trust, in faith and towards a common vision Will I be able to bring that humility back to PAANI ? God, I hope so. If I am half the director that I was in Bandit Queen, PAANI should be a wonderful film. Please try and hear the director's commentary on Bandit Queen. I promise you, it will be worth it.
