Two headlines caught my attention post Diwali.
They are not related to each other by any stretch of imagination, but I found them to be most interesting.
One was the unveiling of a statue of Adi Sankara at Kedarnath.
Arguably the biggest influence on Indian thought in over a thousand years, the same thought that now echoes through the world as an oasis of calm in the midst of turmoil and conflict both external and internal…A seer whose teachings have steered a large chunk of mankind through the most turbulent times…such a towering figure finds a mention of a line (or two) in our school history books.
The Mughals, great or not, on the other hand, have one chapter dedicated to each ruler.
On one side, is a channel of thought that contains the elixir of life – answers to the existential questions that torment us even now, and on the other side…well never mind. The point being – is this justified?
Why do we have airports, roads and pavilions named after petty politicians, but not much visibility when it comes to proponents of our rich culture? It is saddening to see, as my master had once put it – people given diamonds but treating them like garbage.
And so when a status of such a great personality is unveiled, I am sure a large section of our society, especially the younger generation, would have been clueless as to who this person was and why his statue is such a big deal. Maybe I can do my own little bit to put it out there and give them a glimpse of the genius of this man? Let’s see. I pray that I have the time to get this done, and soon.
The second piece of information was connected with cinema. Related to a person who I share a Gregorian birthday with. “Ulaga Nayagan” Kamala Hassan, born on 7th November, shared the teaser of his new movie “Vikram” which has him (and am sure a lot of him) in the movie, along with Fahadh Faasil, the powerhouse of acting whom most got introduced to through OTT, and Vijay Sethupathi, another brilliant actor who has of late taken to sleepwalking through some very questionable roles.
That is three huge reservoirs of talent in one movie – with screen-time hogger extraordinaire (and we are not complaining) Kamal at the helm. Wonder how long the movie will be, in order to do justice to these three cinematic geniuses. The teaser looks wow though. I suggest that you have a dekko.
You may ask how one can think of Sankara and an actor in the same day, and in the same post. Surely the matter in a post should have some commonality? But it does, and the commonality is me. I, like every other human being, is a composite and complex mix of thoughts, some profound, some downright silly, on a variety of subjects and topics.
Life should be like that no? An eclectic mix of thoughts and emotions that lead you the individual that is you…
Anyways, it’s time to delve into the world of blockchain (see I warned you already). So see you tomorrow!