हमिदाबाईची कोठी

A cold chill went down my spine when the announcer proclaimed that this is going to be a 3-act play. It was close to 10 in the night already, I had to wake up early the next morning and drive 300 kilometres. So this better be good i said. And good it was. 

इंतजार का नाम हि जीवन है बेटी. किसी को पैसे का इंतजार किसीको मोहोब्बत का, तो किसीको मौत का इंतजार. Hamidabai was played by Neena Kulkarni (I am told it was originally played by Vijaya Mehta). She is a तवाइफ़ (courtesan) who is way past her prime. An idealist of sorts who will not adapt to the changing times, nor will allow others to do so. She thinks it is "cheating" to sing and dance to Filmi songs but when asked by her daughter शब्बो (played by Manwa Naik, and originally by Neena Kulkarni herself) if not paying the बनिया is also cheating, she just laments about hard times and avoids the question. It is ok to cheat the grocer but not the teacher. But cheating is cheating. Unfortunately this is a highly acceptable form of double standards in our society. Somehow we think that someone who works to earn money is less respectable than someone who does 'selfless' work.

मेरी अपनी जबान ही नहीं हैं। जिस के साथ बात हैं उसकी जबान ले लेता हूँ। माँ बाप अपने बच्चे को कुछ दे न दे। जबान तो देनी चाहिए ना? सत्तार is played superbly by Jitendra Joshi. An orphan who works as a pimp but aspires to work a more respectable profession and settle down with the love of his life. He hates his life's circumstances but is powerless to change them. We are always taught that we can be whatever we want to be. This character shows just how hard that can be.

मी लग्न संसारासाठी नाही संरक्षणासाठी केलंय. After marrying the local gunda शब्बो tells this quite frankly to her white-collared lover (who is too scared to marry her because she is a daughter of a courtesan). Here is one more character which fails to change her life's circumstances. But in her case it is perhaps due to her own stubbornness. She is not willing to leave or sell the Kothi which is the last memory of her mother, even at the cost of marrying a brute who she does not love. Why people give more importance to the memory/expectations of dead people, even more than their own dear life, is beyond me.

As it is obvious i was more interested in the characters than the plot. Perhaps because a plot where idealist clash with the opportunist is not very relevant today. It is a hangover of a by-gone era. We are all opportunists now :D

Spoiler Alert: After the first act was over i casually remarked that all women characters in this play are going to die one by one. And so they did. I wonder if the writer was trying to say something with this..

Why write reviews

I have realized quite recently that honesty is undervalued. And it is rare. Even in casual conversation, let alone carefully crafted blog-posts and articles. It is easy and most times very convenient to say things which will impress others than what we truly want to express. If you offered me a choice between smartness and honesty, i would have picked smartness any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. Chicks dig it! But i guess i have reached a level of maturity (read, age) where impressing girls, though extremely desirable, is not the only thing that occupies my mind. And perhaps experience has also taught me that no amount cunning, stunning, trickery, smoothness or smartness, can make you a likeable person.

So even if one does not posses scathing insights on a subject, even if one does not posses flowery and eloquent skill with language, one shall strive to be true to himself and write honestly. And perhaps another one shall like reading it.

I try to write reviews about any new book, play or movie that i come across. Not because i want to judge that piece of creation. I doubt if anyone can do such a thing. But you do not improve at anything, or gain anything from an experience, unless you put some mental and physical energy into it. Writing a review makes you think about the experience once again, and that is where part of the learning takes place.

So write on and send me a link, would love to read it :)

Arbhaat Short Film Club

The venue was full before i got there. And i was on time. Umesh and Girish Kulkarni talked about films, short films and film making in general. I was amazed by the quality of Marathi that these guys converse in. It was obvious that they love the language and making films in it.

Mani Kaul's "Before my eyes" was a visual treat. Serene and majestic Himalayas and the Kashmir valley. It is supposed to be an iconic film, but yours truly been an average guy that he is, got bored midway through it. It was just beautiful depictions of nature from start to end. Umesh Kulkarni later described it as a poetry of visuals. आपल्याला साध्या कविता कळत नाहीत. हे काय कळणार? But the music was superb. There was a haunting piece in Dhrupad for most of the second half. The director had used a very nice ploy where the background music of one frame led to the object of the next one. While i was pondering over which instrument was used to render this soulful piece, the screen was filled with a young European girl with silver hair playing the cello. Sitting in a simple wooden houseboat, gliding on the smooth sparkling waters of some lake in Kashmir.

The girl who played the cello almost 34 years ago for this film, was present in the audience yesterday (This was no coincidence of course, she was invited). She talked about her learning Dhrupad with the Dagar brothers and leaving her country to live in India for all these years. People have such interesting lives!

I was utterly humbled by "Three of us". Directed by Umesh Kulkarni and having the most unusual cast, it stuck a cord with the audience. I had no idea that simple people, average looking people, can be so beautiful. This was a day in the life of a middle aged person with a severe deformity living with his ageing parents. You begin by feeling sorry for them but as you get to know them better you realize that their lives are not so different from ours. We might feel  better off, but perhaps if we put all our happy and sad moments on a balance sheet, it will not look too different from this family's accounts. I had read somewhere that permanent life circumstances like marriage, where you live, a disability, income level, do not affect your day-to-day happiness that much. Perhaps it is true.

"Kaatal" was another well made film. It won a lot of National Awards this year. But more that the film i liked what came after it. An interactive session with Yogesh Pawar (Best Director), Abhimanyu Dange (Best Cinematography), Alok Rajwade (Male Lead in Kaatal) and Prana Pethe (Female Lead in Kaatal). The audience asked the usual silly questions but these young guys handled them extremely well. The film is a bit arty and has a somewhat ambiguous ending. People kept asking the makers what _exactly_ did they want to express. To this Alok suggested that we, all of us, always want something definite, exact, unambiguous from most things in life. But the truth is never so. It was a slam dunk.

Will you help improve traffic in Pune?

We often say that people in Pune have no traffic sense. We do not follow even the most simple rules like stopping behind the white line at a traffic signal. But this is not entirely true. There are people trying to improve the situation. I have seen them stopping behind the white line, directing traffic at congested intersections, helping the traffic police. These people understand the advantage, benefit and the critical need of having a disciplined traffic. The problem is that they do not have any authority. They cannot effectively nudge others into becoming more sensible drivers. This policy aims at, among other things, enabling such people.

Remember, crowd behavior (which includes traffic)  is about critical mass. You do not need to convert everyone on the road. Most people will do what the guy next to them is doing. Currently this critical mass is tilted towards aggressiveness on the road. But if it sways towards more responsible behavior, that will quickly become the default and there will be a drastic improvement in the driving conditions in the city of Pune.

Background
The Pune Traffic Police facebook page has close to 30,000 subscribers. People used to report traffic violations and the Traffic Police would respond with the action taken. This received extremely enthusiastic response from the people initially. But the Traffic Police could not keep up with the reported violations and it eventually lost momentum.
The critical time for a new rule, is the 'breaking in' period. Some rules like P1/P2 parking, wearing seat belts, were monitored and violators fined effectively when they came into effect. Now they have become second nature to most people and do not receive a lot of oversight.

Policy Goals
It aims at making the general public a participating entity in the implementation of traffic laws, as opposed to be being just the affected party.
It aims at lessening the burden of commissioning and managing the non-capital aspects of traffic management by providing a mechanism to involve private players and volunteers in checking traffic violations.

How it works
This policy applies to traffic laws like, stopping at red light (behind the white line), not parking in no-parking zones, not going the wrong way, etc.
City will be divided into number of sectors (by clubbing together electoral wards or some order more sensible way).
Private agency (or private citizens) will have to collect photographic proof of vehicle breaking a law.
A central database (website) will be provided to upload the photographs and other details like Date, Time and Location. A Phone Application (Android/iPhone) can also be developed, which will make this whole process very fast and simple.
Chief responsibility of traffic police will be to recover the dues.
The dues will be adjusted according to number of violations in that sector. Higher dues for sectors with higher violations. (This will give an incentive for private agency to record more cases of violations, and for public to violate less.)
People will be given a chance to contest the fines in a special tribunal, comprising of Traffic Police, Corporators and NGOs. Basic verification of photographs is not very costly (softwares are available). The fixed cost of verification will be borne by the losing party.
Private agency will get an assured sum plus a commission on dues collected.
Contracts will be for a limited period (say 2 years) and bids will be called for each sector separately.

Benefits
Economic incentives will bring in a lot of manpower and resources into traffic management.
Adaptive pricing of fines will give people an incentive to follow the rules and urge other people to do the same.
As collection of dues is strictly out of private hands, there is no danger of misuse of power.
A basic fixed remuneration will ensure that private agencies can maintain operations even when violations are low.
Because there is a price for false appeals, appeals will be less hence process will be more efficient and fast.

Limitations
This policy does not help with immediate resolution of traffic jams, parking violations, etc.
If the values of fines and also the fixed benefit to private agencies is not proper, it can lead to non-profitability for private agencies or extortion for violators.
If the tendering process is not open and transparent, it can lead to cartelization and corruption.
Not effective for violations which are difficult to record (like honking, etc.)
If people feel animosity towards the private agencies, it might lead to clashes.

Sunset Clause
This can be implemented for a period of 6 years. It can be scrapped if the overall traffic sense and discipline has improved to a sustainable level.

In Conclusion
Though this is not the solution to all traffic problems, if implemented properly, this can lead to improvement of conditions for all the stakeholders.

(This was originally written as an assignment for the GCPP course.)

Pune 52: A prank film

Someone told me this is a suspense thriller, so i have to be honest, i went in with the wrong expectations.

It starts off like a crime thriller, deserted road, heavy downpour, a figure in a black trench-coat moving silently between the shadows. But that was pretty much it as far as the suspense in the movie goes (by the way, that figure turns out to be the detective returning home from work).

The makers of this movie were all respectable people who have made great movies in the past. So I started watching full of concentration trying not to miss anything that is offered on the screen. We even shushed some people who were passing comments and having a merry time.

Me: Why is everything so slow? didn't the reviews say this is a fast paced thriller?
Myself: Be patient. They are building up the plot for a thrilling twist.
Me: Why are the dialogues so, common place? This is boring.
Myself: Shut-up. It takes real talent to show the commonplace. This is sublime movie making.
Me: Why is it so dark? Why are they focusing on irrelevant things? Why is the camera shaking continuously?
Myself: You are so un-intellectual. This is all part of new cinema. Just watch and be awed.
Me: This is so absurd that it has started becoming funny. Nice. The audience has started having fun too.
Myself: You guys are stupid idiots. Just see,  everything will spectacularly make sense at the end.
Me: I am sleepy again. Wait. What? That's the end??
Myself: ... Do you want ice-cream?

If you are a person, or know a person, who has seen this movie and liked it, please please comment. I would be very interested in knowing what's the deal here.

Pune International Film Festival

Are German films about war? Are Israeli films very smart? Are French movies about love? South Korea, oh they have films there?

We typecast when we don't have the time or inclination to really understand someone. Films are no exception. I used to typecast films shown in such festivals as - short, no songs, non-stupid, most likely having an abrupt vague ending. But that is also not accurate.

This year i chose almost at random. And that turned out to be not such a bad ploy. You see, when we choose too carefully, we see what we already like.

Epilogue (from Israel): People who are passionate in their youth, what do they look like when they are old? I have a feeling their old-age would be lot worse than average people. Passion without energy must be excruciatingly painful. An old couple, living alone, in a society which has changed since their days. They do not understand it nor are they relevant in it. A slow existence filled with memories of the past and none to share them with. Throughout the movie i tried to find someone to blame for this. The government, their kids, degradation of social values, something. But there is really no enemy here, no villain. Old age can be hard and painful and lonely. So, one especially sorrowful night, they decided to leave their old-age behind. I thought it was a happy ending.

Inspector Lavardin (from France): The theatre was almost empty. Generally people space out in such settings, but an elderly uncle came and settled right besides me. Perhaps he didn't like watching movies alone. I don't like that either, so i didn't mind. This turned out to be a murder mystery. Uncle had an habit of stating the obvious. "oh there is blood on his shirt - oh she has a knife - i think the bar-owner killed the priest - no maybe the nurse is the killer, she looks cold". We all play this game, in our minds of course. I, like many others, boost of my ability to crack the case before it is revealed. But time and again i have realized that i cannot do it with foreign films. I don't think the reason is that they are more clever or cunning than us. Perhaps the real clues are not in the plot or the logic of the movie, they are in the characters. Those subtle things that they do, or don't do, that strike you as odd for no apparent reason. But when you remove the cultural context, you are lost. Anyways, this film was delightfully fast, funny and simple. Loved it.

Rosa (from Poland): This was a harrowing tale. Even the few slightly happy moments had a ominous thumping music in the background. Extreme circumstances like war, show the real you. Some pillage and plunger and rape and loot. Some protect and build and love and forgive.

Home for the Weekend (from Germany): The elder son who cannot get out of his father's shadow. The father whose ego is linked with helping his son and perhaps keeping him forever grateful. The younger son who is always treated as a minor turning out to be the most mature of the lot. This is a family story. Beautiful acting and superb settings. Almost every family drama that i see has one core element at the root of it. Our inability to let go of the people close to us. Our expectations from loved ones are always a mix of what is good for them AND what is good for us. But we always glorify the former and deny the existence of the later. Such it goes.

Barbara (from Germany): It is not easy to be a good person. We expect a lot more from someone who delivers. A person who simply pretends to be good can only do it so far. A doctor can save a patient with accurate diagnosis, sit by her side till she recovers. But can she forgo her own freedom and a bright future for that of her patient? This film is about someone who could. Would you give up something that you truly desire, for someone else? I respect people who can do that without regret. But i will not think ill of someone who doesn't to that either. I believe we have a right, first and foremost, to better ourselves in which ever way we can. If some of us decides to put others ahead of themselves, that is a brave decision. There should be no morality associated with it.  But like films we need to typecast people too.

I am twenty (from India): This was a 'Films Division ki bhet' black and white documentary. They were asking twenty year olds what they thought about their country and their future in it. There were people who were very hopeful of the future of India some who thought that it would soon go to the dogs and most who did not care for either. There was a young farmhand from Punjab who had no clue who the President or Prime Minister of India were but knew who the District Collector was. Talk about the British legacy. There was a girl who when asked what comes to your mind when you think of India, she said, queues. Queues for bus, or ration, or admissions. Talk about the Licence-Quote-Permit Raj. Very few people have wider view of the world than their own immediate circumstances. Apparently this documentary was done on 15th August 1967. When India was twenty. 

Explorer (from India): Another documentary from the black and white era. It was a cacophony of images, none lasting for more than 3 seconds. I thought it was a prank film.

Partner (from India): Obviously this was not part of the Film Festival. Perhaps after the weirdness of parallel or tangent or whatever cinema they call it, i needed some time with Sallubhai and Govinda. We put it on as a background entertainment while we had a couple of drinks with friends. There were some funny dialogues sometimes. But i did not like it much.

विश्वविजेत्यांना 'इनाम ' देण्याच्या विरोधात

[Cross-posting my translation which originally appeared on the Indian National Interest. Thanks ashlya for correcting the शुद्धलेखन]

ही राजामहाराजांच्या जमान्यातील पद्धत करदात्यांच्या जीवावर चालू ठेवावी का?

एक बलाढ्य राजा त्याच्या रत्नजडीत सिंहासनावर बसला आहे. कवी, कलावंत, खेळाडू त्या भव्य दरबारात आपापले कौशल्य दाखवून राजाचे मनोरंजन करत आहेत. राजा खूष होऊन कधी सोन्याची नाणी, कधी जहागीर तर कधी चक्क राजकन्येचा हात दान म्हणून देतोय. गळ्यातील मोत्यांची माळ काढून एखाद्या गरजू माणसाला देताना आपण अनेक चित्रपटांमधून बघत आलोय.

काळ बदलला आहे. भारत आता एक घटनात्मक लोकतंत्र आहे. पूर्वीच्या राजामहाराजांचे होते तसे आता आपल्यावर कुठल्या नेत्याचे अथवा पुढार्‍याचे राज्य नाहीये. आपल्या अनुमतीने बनलेल्या नियमांनुसार ह्या देशाचं कामकाज चालवण्यासाठी निवडलेले ते केवळ आपले प्रतिनिधी आहेत. मन मानेल तसा खर्च करायला देशाचा खजिना ही काही त्यांची वैयक्तिक मालमत्ता नाही. आपल्या कराचा निधी हा फक्त आपण मान्य केलेल्या गोष्टींसाठी वापरण्याची त्यांनी जबाबदारी स्वीकारलेली असते. हे सगळं बरोबर असलं तरी फक्त कागदोपत्री आहे. सत्यपरिस्थिती अशी आहे की सरकार आणि नागरिक यांचे घटनात्मक लोकतंत्र आणि स्वतंत्र नागरिकाचे नाते नसून ते राजा आणि त्याची प्रजा असेच आहे.

ह्याच 'इनाम' देण्याच्या मनोवृत्तीमुळे आपले राज्यसरकार विश्वविजेत्या क्रिकेट संघावर रोख बक्षिसे आणि जमिनींचा पाऊस पाडतंय. कुठल्याही क्षेत्रातील विलक्षण कामगिरीची नोंद घेऊन त्याचा पुरस्कार सरकारने केलाच पाहिजे, पण तो रास्त पद्धतीने करायला हवा. विश्वचषक विजयानिमित्त भारतीय क्रिकेट संघाच्या बक्षिसासाठी भारतीय करदात्याचा एक पैसासुद्धा खर्च व्हायचे काही कारण नाही. इतर अनेक महत्वाच्या कामांसाठी त्या पैशांची निकड आहे.
अशा बक्षिसांची एकूण रक्कम ही राज्यकोषाच्या तुलनेत नगण्य आहे असा युक्तीवाद ह्यावर करता येईल. हजारो कोटींच्या व्यवहारात काही कोटींचं काय कौतुक? पण असा विचार करणे म्हणजे मूळ मुद्द्याला बगल देण्यासारखे आहे. जो नेता असे पैसे वाटून भारताच्या विश्वचषक विजयाचे चार शिंतोडे स्वतःवर उडवून घेतोय, मुळात हे पैसे त्याचे नाहीत. ते पैसे जनतेचे आहेत आणि तो केवळ त्या निधीचा विश्वस्त आहे. हे पैसे मुख्यमंत्र्यांच्या स्वेच्छानिधीतून येतात ह्या विधानाला काही अर्थ नाही. कारण स्वेच्छानिधीतील खर्चदेखील सार्वजनिक हिताचा असणे गरजेचे आहे.

कर्तृत्ववान नागरिकांना पुरस्कृत करायची आपल्या गणराज्यात काही सोयच नाही असं मुळीच नाही. खेळाडूंसाठी अर्जुन पुरस्कार आहेत. जर क्रिकेटपटूंना असेच करोडो रुपये वाटायचे असतील तर हे पुरस्कार कशाला? आणि अर्जुन पुरस्कार असतील तर हे करोडो का?

खेळाडूंना गौरवायचे इतरही काही मार्ग आहेत. देशातील अनेक क्रीडांगणांना जवाहरलाल नेहरूंचे नाव देण्यात आले आहे. ते महान होते यात काही शंकाच नाही पण त्यांची क्रीडा क्षेत्रातील कामगिरी फारशी उल्लेखनीय नव्हती. अशा क्रीडांगणांची नावे बदलून त्यांना देशाचा गौरव वाढवणाऱ्या खेळाडूंची नावे दिली तर? पाटीवर नवीन नाव रंगवायला जितके पैसे लागतात तितकाच खर्च होईल. बंगळूरू येथील 'अनिल कुंबळे सर्कल' हे ह्याच दिशेने टाकलेले पाऊल आहे. शहरातील नवीन प्रमुख सार्वजनिक बांधकामांचे असे नामांकन का करू नये (अर्थातच शहरात नवीन सार्वजनिक बांधकामे झाली तरच हे शक्य आहे)?

असे इनाम देणे चुकीचे असण्यामागे अजून एक कारण आहे. ते देण्यात सरकार प्रशासक आणि जनता स्वतंत्र असण्याऐवजी सरकारचे राज्य आहे आणि जनता ही त्यांची आश्रित आहे अशी भावना व्यक्त होते. इनाम घेणार्‍याला आश्रिताची भावना येते म्हणून त्याचा स्वाभिमान दुखावला जातो.  ही विचारसरणी रुजली की अशी बक्षीसं वाटून लोकांची ताकद लुबाडता येते. बक्षिसांचे हे अर्थकारण भारताला असा देश बनवू पहात आहे जिथे वस्तू मोफत आहेत पण लोक मुक्त नाहीत. रमेश श्रीवत्स म्हणतात "लॅपटॉप फुकट मिळेल पण तो वापरून तुमचे मत मांडण्यावर बंधने येतील. टी.व्ही. फुकट मिळेल पण त्यावर तुम्हाला हवे ते बघण्याचे स्वातंत्र्य नसेल." त्यांना ज्या वेबसाईट्स तुम्ही बघू नये असे वाटते त्यावर ते बंदी आणतात. जी पुस्तके तुम्ही वाचू नयेत असे वाटते त्यावर बंदी आणतात. तुम्हाला शिक्षणाचा अधिकार मिळतो पण तुमच्या जवळच्या शाळेवर पटांगण नाही हे कारण देऊन बंदी आणली जाते. 

जावेद अख्तर ह्यांच्या दुर्दैवी विधानावरून लक्षात येते की इनामांचे राजकारण लोकांमध्ये कसे फूट पाडते आणि समाजाला प्रतिद्वंद्वी असहिष्णुतेच्या मार्गावर घेऊन जाते.

इतर कुठलाही बाह्य धोका किंवा आंतरिक समस्येपेक्षा ही विचारसरणी आपल्याला मागे खेचत आहे. इनाम देणाऱ्या व्यक्तीला जर तो राजा आहे असं वाटत असेल तर इनाम घेणाऱ्याला आपण आधीन आणि आश्रित असल्याची जाणीव होणारच. मग असा माणूस स्वतंत्र नागरिक होऊ शकत नाही.

The original post in english at: http://acorn.nationalinterest.in/2011/04/04/against-cash-rewards-for-our-world-champions/