Are we becoming ‘fat sheep with fingers’?

As always, something or someone inspires me to write a new post in my blog. This time it is an article in ‘THE HINDU’ dated Nov 17, 2006. This was an article reproduced from the ‘Guardian( newspaper)’. It was about computers taking over our brainwork. I particularly liked the line just below the headline that read – ‘if computers keep taking over our brainwork, soon we will be nothing more than fat sheep with fingers’. Now you know where the blog title came from!

The article is a must read for anyone who has thought, “Oh my God!!! Could I still write an impressive article or piece of text without MS Word?” I personally have thought about it a few times. And my husband told me that he has thought that way too. The writer struck a chord with this article because he drew a parallel of computers taking over our brainwork to how labour saving devices have given the medical fraternity ‘lifestyle diseases’ to deal with. He mentioned about how we hardly lift a finger to do any task and how software is killing music.

I was always proud about my convent education, which I believe has given me the English skills that I possess today. However, I must admit my English has deteriorated in the last few years to a level, which I am not very comfortable with. I think the downward journey has quite a bit to do with computers and also due to the fact that mediocre English is being accepted as a norm instead of an exception. I am sure the latter reason, may not be stomached very well by many people, but I had to say it (as always, speaking my mind!). But this post is more about the former reason. So, coming back to the point. I have many a times thought about how it is a shame that I have to rely on MS Word’s synonyms to get the right word that would express my thoughts. I have been caught between deciding if ‘labour’ and ‘favourite’ should be spelt with or the without the ‘u’. Sometimes, the more challenging task seems to be, deciding between re-writing a sentence according to MS Word’s suggestion or to leave it the way I think is the best way to express my thoughts with the flair and flamboyancy a complex sentence has. Now, that was almost like listing the evils of eating junk food!!!

Having said all that, I must admit that a PC and word processor are very much part of my life as my washing machine or my car. It is so true that human beings always look to make life simpler at the cost of losing sight of one’s direction in one’s life. And then there is the host of ‘side effects’ of such a kind of living. But, think a little deeper and you might end up concluding ‘What’s life without discovering new things, having fun, taking risks and savouring the journey?!’
But of course, we have to be mindful of the impending perils as the writer of the ‘Guardian’ article concluded saying ‘A mental obesity epidemic threatens’. Because, I am sure we don’t want to be contemplating between something like an Atkins diet for a better ‘brain’ or a ‘mindmill’ (similar to treadmill) to get our brain back in thinking shape!

Sagalakala Vallavan – Master of all Arts!!!

Hey everyone!!!! It’s been such a long time since I posted on my blog. It feels good to be back. Feels like a big achievement that after months of bad luck with my comp and lot of other personal lows, I’ve finally managed to sit down today to write something.

And guess what (or rather whom) I have been itching to write about??!! About this great actor and human being named ‘Kamal Hassan’! Whew!!!! Now that is so different from what I always write about. Or actually is it? You decide after you have read the post.

Before I start saying what I want to, let me introduce this guy for the benefit of those who have no clue of the Tamil movie stars (now that is a subtle way of saying my blog is read by people all over the world;)). Kamal Hassan is one of the greatest movie stars of this era. I am sure everyone would agree to that though many may not want to accept it publicly. He has acted in countless number of movies since his childhood days. He has won many accolades for his performances. He is 54 years old and is still re-inventing himself with every movie.

Now for the real story.

I have always been a fan of Kamal Hassan since my childhood. And when I say I am fan, I don’t mean to say I watch every movie of his or that I am there for the first show of his every movie. I am actually not even one of those fans who will swear that each and every performance of his and every movie of his is mind blowing. But what I do say is that this is one man who has made the profession of acting and the movie industry highly respectable in my eyes.

The whole idea of writing about how I feel about this human being occurred to me after I watched his recent movie ‘Vettaiyadu Vilaiyadu’. I am sure all Tamil movie goers would have watched the film by now. And I am also pretty much sure that everyone would agree that the movie was really well made and that Kamal has once again proved that he is a cut above the rest! I for one was so enthralled by the movie and by Kamal’s performance that I was raving about the movie(which included Kamal’s looks as well;)) for more than a week. I must also mention here that the director of the movie Gautham Menon moved up a few notches in my ‘favourites’ list. It was a mind-blowing movie, though many (especially men) did think that it was very disturbing as it dealt with the story of a serial rapist and murderer. However, I would say that the movie was made to be disturbing as it left some serious thoughts in the viewers’ heads long after the movie was over.

So, like I said earlier, after I watched this movie I spoke so much about it to my friends and everyone that after each conversation I started thinking a little about this person. I thought about how this man has dedicated his life to the art of acting. Many of his movies totally shock us as to what lengths he goes to in each of his movies to look the part he is playing. His movies also clearly show us that this is one man who has done his homework to almost become the character he is playing. In each of his movies there is something new. Sometimes it is the make-up, sometimes it is his singing ability that comes to the fore, sometimes it all the new technical stuff he has introduced in film making; the list is endless. Another important point that many people fail to recognize in his movies is the subtle messages each of his movies carries. Of course, in all the movies the hero plays the good guy fighting for a cause and the cause is pretty much clearly outlined in the first few scenes of the movie. However, in all of Kamal’s movies (especially the ones that he has acted in the last decade or so) have real important messages laced into the story, but it is not blaring enough for the masses to understand. Now, that is why Kamal does not command a fan following like Rajinikanth (the superstar of Tamil filmdom)! Coming back to the point about messages, let me mention a few. Remember this movie ‘Peiyar Sollum Pillai’ - the message there was about abolishing casteism. ‘Kurudhipunal’ was about the life ( the real emotions and tribulations) of commandos. ‘Mahanadhi’ was a very disturbing movie about the life of children who lose their parents, but one of the messages I liked in the movie was in a song which teaches the children about how not to fear devils and demons and how they are all just a myth. ‘Anbe Sivam’, my all time favorite movie (I personally think it is one of the best movies ever made) is about ‘Love’. It so subtly highlights the message that ‘Love is God’. I think it is a movie that every human being who really wants to live a meaningful life should watch and probably save a copy for posterity. Another recent one ‘Virumaandi’ was about the death sentence. I could just go on and on. But this not all that I want to talk about.

The most important thing that I wanted to talk about in this post is about how Kamal Hassan is an inspiration to people who want to make a difference in this world. Think about this. We all look up to extraordinary professionals such as Scientists, Doctors, Lawyers, Entrepreneurs, IT professionals, etc. and talk about how we want to be like them. But hardly does any parent show the example of an actor to his/her child to make them understand what it takes to be a successful and extraordinary human being. Including me, I think all of us just look at movies as entertainment and movie stars as glamorous people who do a job they are paid for. But think again. Think again about this guy named Kamal. He was a school drop out and became an actor to fulfill his father’s dream. But he chose to make a difference through the medium that God had offered to him. He dedicated his life to this art of acting. Though a school drop-out he is well read and highly knowledgeable and speaks impeccable English and Tamil. He is a great dancer, a great orator and someone who walks his talk. And hey, I almost forgot this one! He is amazingly good looking, even at the age of 54 (I am so fascinated with his looks that I was telling Ganesh that I wouldn’t mind marrying him at the age of 54, if I get a chance!!). The next one is a little dicey but I have to say it. I am sure many of YOU, don’t like the way he leads his personal life (frankly, who are we to comment on his personal life?), but think again. However flamboyantly you would say he lives his life, he has been very honest and forthright. Now that calls for some real appreciation given that none of us on the face of this earth is perfect and that many of us don’t have the guts to own up to our mistakes. Now tell me, what more does one need to make Kamal his/her idol and look up to this man to live one’s life more successfully and meaningfully?

I could go on and on about this guy. But it is time to stop as I guess I have exceeded all acceptable limits of a blog post!! So I will just conclude by saying, “Kamal Hassan for me is a person who has pushed the limit for something he believes in - the medium of cinema to share his knowledge and his experiences. And I sure would be proud to introduce him to the next generation as one of the greatest men to walk this earth!” I am sure I have stretched all your reading limits, but I have to say this before I go. I always think about this guy and say to myself, “If only I have half of this guy’s dedication to whatever my cause on earth is, I would be successful in making a huge difference to this planet I live in.”

Photo courtesy : www.vettaiyaaduvilaiyaadu.com