A happy ending

Of spaces and paces.

Of distance in the mind.

Of the hundred mental blocks.

Of the egotistical kind.

We are bound in our thoughts in the societal demands,

in the many twisted ways that is an adult find.

The child in me strives hard to break free

to step out and reach the many hands i see.

Are they for real, will they stay

or they are a forgotten memory which has come here to play.

I wish for a spring full of unbridled joy, of giving and receiving

of the most profound kind, of being carefree and happy and feeling like a king,

and humming a tune ting-aling-ling.

Some days it seems like i have spent a lifetime away from being a child. Those days tug at my heart and when i see a wee one playing i yearn to be a child again and experience the simple joys of life as only a child can. Life can be toiling and stressing at times and everyday chores can simply erase the act of being gleeful and sharing a giggle with oneself. This short verse is a reminder of sorts to let not life overtake the happy child in my heart.

So cheers to all things happy and simple!

Review : 12 Years a Slave

History is replete with the eras of slavery. The great domination of the white man in the United states of America over the blacks. The huge plantations with their slave pens. Adding to this plethora of information is the just released Hollywood movie “12 Years a Slave”. Another great creation by director Steve McQueen.

The story is set essentially in the southern states of USA, the land of the great cotton plantations. It however begins in upstate New York, where a free man called Solomon Northup is abducted and sold into slavery. The first scene shows a group of slaves at work under the oppressive summer heat as the overseer keeps them at the end of a whip. It shortly transcends into flashback as one sees a free, black man Solomon Northup. An extremely talented violinist eke out a decent, respectful lifestyle in the city of New York. Portrayed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, the character is truly that of an ordinary man forced into extraordinary situations.

The story travels at a very neat pace and never leaves a moment which is not shocking, the director effortlessly creates such a fabric that some parts are so intense it kind of gets under your skin.

The elements of slavery are very brutally and realistically depicted, whether it is the character being told that he must speak less and listen more. He must not reveal to his masters that he can read and write as that would warrant a 100 lashes.

 

The conditions under which the slaves existed wrenches your heart as if they were herded together like sheep and cattle and always at the beck and call of their ruthless masters. One scene shows how after a hard day’s labor as the slaves retire to rest, the white man comes knocking at their door and ask them to sing and dance to entertain him.

It is a gut wrenching story and every moment makes you shed a tear and feel the helplessness of the slaves, submitted to the whims and fancies of their masters. It unfolds through the experiences of Solomon and the atrocities he has to endure. The women he tries to protect but fails, the men whom he wants to trust but is betrayed each time. His efforts to escape and bring justice unto himself.

However in the end his endeavors pay off and he meets someone who believes his story of abduction and agrees to help him with the help of law.Solomon is rescued and reunited with his family, a tortured man who worked as a slave for 12 years.

Steve McQueen gives us a very vivid account of the system which prevailed  and the scenes are precise and realistic wih no melodrama involved.

However this is not a movie for entertainment, it leaves the viewer shell shocked, terribly hurt and touches the very core of existence. Freedom, the word brings in a whole new meaning. However it is an experience and should be watched just to experience fantastic and realistic cinema.

All images sourced from Google.

Quote. Unquote.

My daughter Mithai is one chirpy soul. She loves to talk and talk whole day. She even talks in her sleep. From the moment she wakes up till the time she goes to sleep she has loads to say, so much that she doesn’t have the time to listen, that’s exactly what she said. She is all of 4 years old , going to be 5 soon and i can’t help but note some of her priceless ramblings for later years, for both of us to laugh together.

a) Mithai badly wants to visit her neighbor Mairi, as she has promised her a craft activity. The neighbor is out. Mithai patiently hangs around the window waiting for her return. The taxi pulls up and Mairi returns. Promptly Mithai dashes out to greet her and reminds her about the promised activity. Mairi replies that could she visit her in 5 minutes as she has just returned and needs to arrange the items first. MIthai replies “But of course! You can have your 10 minutes of peace before i come in and we can do the craft work.”

b)Its time for the winter holidays to end and SCHOOL is opening shortly. Mithai wakes up in the middle of the night. Mamma tells her “Go back to sleep its not morning yet! You have to go to school tomorrow.” To which Mithai replies, ” But Mamma school is not one of my favorite place, can we just go to school for one day?”.

c)Mithai wants to see television but mamma refuses. Finally when mamma is busy in the kitchen Mithai enters to cut a deal. Mamma tells her ” Mithai please go and play i want to do my cooking peacefully.” Mithai says,” Mamma why don’t you put the television on, when the TV is on kids are automatically quiet and you will get your peace, aren’t i right mamma!”

d) Mithai is not yet 5 but she desperately wants to be. Her close friend Sahana turned 5. Mithai is all in tears but still wants to wish her. “Sahana i’m sad we were supposed to grow up together. Why did you turn 5 before me? Now that you have turned 5 just wait for me there and when i turn 5 we can grow up together. Ok. Promise.”

e)Mithai is watching some of Mamma’s wedding pictures, after the initial likes and approvals she notices that she is not in either of the pictures. In a very surprised manner she asks Mamma, ” How come you left me alone in the house and went and got married to papa?”.

I could go on listing and the list is endless. I love her chatter and its truly like a rainbow on a gloomy day. Mithai lives in her world of her own. She is my fiction, a daily dose of laughter and loads of fun.