We all have them, don't we? A bad decision, an unnecessary argument, the lousy boss, the nincompoop of a client, the stupidity of it all. Rat-race, visibility, boring meetings, desperate loud-mouthed participation in such meetings by know-it-all's, pointed questions with sarcastic undertones, business as usual, subject matter expertise, blah, blah and more yawnish blah. Sometimes, I just sit there, staring into the void, like a zombie, and recall a nice piece of music that I heard a long time ago, or a thrilling scene from Hitchcock's movies, or a nice dish my wife cooked for me, and more often than not, Limu's smile. And then, I just slow down and step outside the rat race. I watch as my fellow rats zoom past me, even those who I had left behind. And I say to myself, "I don't give an effin damn."
But not always do I manage to not let it affect me. I'm not aerodynamically perfect, and I cannot always dodge shit. Sometimes, it does hit me. On such particularly bad days in office, when I'm really down in the dumps, I tend to watch something nice on Youtube. I have noticed that I often go back to the same videos, and I thought I'll share these with you.
#Five: The sweetness of the Piano
I discovered this video on Youtube quite accidentally, and was immediately attracted to it. Why? Because it is perhaps the best rendition of a beautiful song by my favourite music director. I had always liked the Piano, as a majestic yet sweet instrument, and was amazed at how teachers would say, "Curl your fingers, like a tunnel." Look at how easily the artist plays the song, as if he knows the role of every single note of the piece. Not a single note is off-key or out of place. And the composition: I don't want to commit sacrilege by saying anything about it.
#Four: "Main to ishtick rakhta hoon"
He is a forgotten comedian. Seriously, how many people remember Jagdeep? But everyone remembers Soorma Bhopali. In a 3+ hour movie, his role must have been what, 10 minutes? But those 10 minutes are so precious, so neatly done, the comic timing is so perfect, the diction and intonation are so funny, that it takes my breath away, every time I watch this video. I particularly crack up at the expression on his face at 1:42 when he says 'haan bhai?' That singular expression has fear, anger, nervousness and sorrow all built right into itself. Absolutely classic!
#Three: "I keel you"
Look at the number of hits on this video to gauge its popularity. What's interesting is that a lot of people watch it for the laughs. I do too, but I am more amazed by the art of ventriloquism. I got interested in the subject by reading a short story by the great cinema director Satyajit Ray. Isn't it amazing how Jeff Dunham does it? The item itself has racist undertones, but if you can ignore that, this is a wonderful piece of pure art. To fully understand the context, also watch Dunham's items on another of his characters named Walter.
#Two: Putting my mind to rest
Roshan, the grandfather of the six-fingered Roshan, is the composer of this beautiful song, and Sahir Ludhianvi is the poet (now-a-days, we have lyricists, not poets). The words of this song, accompanied by the suitably soft music, act like a balm on my bruises, and I can literally feel all my pain going away. As an artist, I am an emotional man. But nothing stirs my emotion more than music. When I have had a particularly bad day in office, I listen to this song at night, without fail.
#One: "It's how the sailors used to find their way home"
[You have to, simply have to, watch all four parts of the video, the entire 20 min episode to understand what a powerful message it delivers. I found a lot of answers to my questions in this episode]
Can I tell you something? I don't watch this video often. Sometimes, when I have a really, REALLY bad day in office, and I mean a really not-good day, I watch this episode of Wonder Years. I don't watch it because it has such a tremendous amount of impact on me, that I fear I'll do something, like perhaps give up my job or something. It makes me swell up from inside and rebel. And curiously, it also calms me down. I end up making peace with life. I realize that everyone has bad days, and one just gets over it, and moves on. And every single time I watch this video, I remember my father. And then, I remember my son. Then, with a smile on my lips, I have a good night's sleep, so that I can go to office the next day.
Can I tell you something? I don't watch this video often. Sometimes, when I have a really, REALLY bad day in office, and I mean a really not-good day, I watch this episode of Wonder Years. I don't watch it because it has such a tremendous amount of impact on me, that I fear I'll do something, like perhaps give up my job or something. It makes me swell up from inside and rebel. And curiously, it also calms me down. I end up making peace with life. I realize that everyone has bad days, and one just gets over it, and moves on. And every single time I watch this video, I remember my father. And then, I remember my son. Then, with a smile on my lips, I have a good night's sleep, so that I can go to office the next day.
