Do you watch animation movies? I do.
From Jungle book to the Kung Fu Panda, I would prefer them anyday to the normal human movies.
The first movie I watched was Jungle Book and I knew I got hooked. I laughed with Mowgli, danced with Babloo, and cried when Mowgli left the jungle to live with a lovely maiden.
Finding Nemo and Ice Age 1 were the other ones that had a tremendous impact on me. Finding Nemo was about a father fish's obsessive care for his son Nemo (topple it to get Omen), the son defying his father to do what he wants to do and losing his freedom to humans, and the father's search for his son across the oceans to Syndey. The character that stays in your heart is Dory, her short term memory loss, and her oft-repeated words to Nemo's father - "Let's keep swimming, let's keep swimming". It had more philosophy and life than any serious movie that was ever taken. Ice Age 1 was about a group of pre-historic animals (a mammoth) who in the time of ice age cross forbidding mountains of ice to reunite a human baby with its father. A beautiful movie that shows that pure love can heal grief. I have watched it so many times and I have cried so many times too...
The latest one that impressed me so much was "Kung Fu Panda". It is about the life of a big fat Panda who has a very honest and a recurrent dream of being a Kung Fu Master and how the dream blooms into a reality.
The story is set in the Orient where Kung Fu is the martial art. This Panda is a son of a duck, noodle soup maker. If you wonder how a panda can be a son of a duck, keep wondering. While the duck father dreams and wants his son to be the noodle master, the Panda dreams of being a Kung Fu master. While the Panda is dreaming, a competition is held in the kingdom where the best Kung Fu player is chosen as the master. The Panda wants so desperately to be a spectator for the event where the Kung Fu master is selected. The Kung Fu master is selected by Oogway - a tortoise who created Kung Fu. If you wonder how a slow tortoise can be a Kung Fu master, you will be convinced that no one can take his place by the time the movie ends. He is not just a Kung Fu master. He is a philosopher who believes that there are no accidents in this world.
And so, when our Panda almost reaches the gates of the event where the Kung Fu master is selected, the gates close. So, he lights crackers under his huge bottom and launches himself into the stadium and lands in the middle of it when Oogway was about to point his finger at one of the contestents who has performed the art before him and select them as the Kung Fu master. Oogway's finger rests at the bewildered Panda. Oogway's choice is made. His choice irritates the Kung Fu contestants who are trained by master Sheefu. Sheefu has trained five of his students for many years so that one of them might become the master. But Oogway would not listen to Sheefu's arguments that the Panda is an ugly riot and would never be a Kung Fu master. The only answer that Oogway has for Sheefu is that there are no accidents in this world. And to his dismay and shock, an obese Panda who has fought only in his dreams gets selected as the Kung Fu master.
From then on, this movie takes us through the Panda's journey into the world of Kung Fu. SheeFu is given the task of training the Panda. Something that Sheefu thinks as an impossible task. Sheefu successfully chases the Panda out of his training camp, only to be confronted by Oogway again who asks him to believe the master. And Oogway reiterates again that there are no accidents in this world before leaving the world by as a bunch of disappearing flowers. A scene so profound that you will either break into a smile or break down and cry. And then, Sheefu starts believing his master. A moment of self-realization.
Sheefu finds the Panda's strong (weak?) point. His love for food. And then, tempts and taunts him with food to train him in Kung Fu. Scenes where you will believe that nothing is impossible in this world. The Panda is ready to face TaiLong, the wicked Kung Fu hero who turned villain. TaiLong is a ferocious leapord who was brought up by Sheefu, trained by him, only to turn his back against his master for trying to learning the forbidden and all powerful secret of Kung Fu. Oogway on seeing TaiLong's wicked ambitions makes him immobile and keeps him imprisoned. But Tailong escapes when Sheefu sends a messenger to check on him. A wisp of feather from the messenger falls on Tailong's iron prison and this provides the key for Tailong's escape. It might be hard to believe that a feather can be so powerful to release someone from a hard iron prison. But it does drive home the point of the power of doubt, the misery caused by the lack of trust, and the strength of the wicked when goodness starts doubting itself.
Sheefu takes the Panda to the birth place of Kung Fu and trains him in the martial art. An impossible made possible and then, made perfect too. After Sheefu is convinced about the Panda's skills, he takes him to the place where the secret of King Fu is secured. This secret has been protected for ages by Oogway in a small flute like casket. When we wait along with Sheefu with bated breath to know what is written, the Panda opens the roll to see nothing in it but his reflection. He gives it to Sheefu who with much fear and a sense of guilt (no one other than the Kung Fu master should read the secret), opens up the secret fold of paper. Sheefu, just like the Panda and just like us, sees the empty page. He turns it around on all sides only to see his face reflecting back on the shiny surface. There are no secrets in this world. While we wonder whether it is a key to some other puzzle, it slowly dawns on Sheefu that the secret lies within each of us.
Secrets are nothing but empty spaces, waiting for us to write on it, to act on it, and to own it.
Will the Panda defeat Tailong? He does...:-) He destroys his powers and leaves him immobile for life. Though the fight resembled a typical fight scene from an Indian movie, it still deserves a round of applause. The evil is defeated and goodness prevails. It is not the strength of the body. It is the goodness of the heart and the trust in the universal truth that there are no accidents in this world.
The impossible is there in your mind and not in your heart - A Panda teaches us this beautiful lesson by making his Kung Fu dream come true...:-)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Life-cycle of a butterfly
Life cycle of a butterfly - One of the early lessons in Biology. When I did read that lesson, all I did was try drawing the life-cycle diagram as accurately as possible. The diagram carried maximum marks was what my teacher said. It was another lesson to get over with. Another diagram in my record.
But recently, I had the time to look at this life-cycle with interest. This interest started with my curosity on how silk was made. I have watched documentaries on how silk was made in doordharshan. The egg-like pupae of the silk worms are boiled in hot water and sik threads are made out of them. Till many years, I did not perceive anything violent in it. I liked wearing silk paavaadais (long traditional skirts) and sarees too. Though Sankaracharya has asked brahmins not to wear silk saree (the traditional maroon nine yards) during muhurtham, I had never looked into his request deep. I remember lamenting too that my nine-yards did not have lot of zari....:-( I grew up and so did my likes and dislikes. I now know that a lot of silk worms are boiled in their pupae stage to make silk. I stopped wearing silk.
The caterpillar is a repulsive looking worm. And so are many other worms. A slimy body with hundreds of legs crawling on wet surfaces. But these worms build a cocoon around themselves when they are fully grown and transform themselves completely into those colorful flying butterflies. I was interested more in this transformation that happens. The cocoon is called as a pupa. It is a white cotton like casket that completely masks the caterpillar. And all this is woven out of the worm's mouth! The worm goes into silence for around 2 weeks! without food, or maybe air too? It sheds its skin and numerous legs. It grows it wings and colors itself completely.
After two weeks what comes out is a colorful creature that does not have any semblance to the creature that went into it two weeks earlier. The same cycle holds good for any worm that belongs to the caterpillar family (if there is one). I recently saw a similar happening in Animal Planet where a worm under water became a moth which flew in the air. The water was home to the worm but for the moth that came out of the cocoon, the water was a grave. Their lives were so different that it tough to even perceive that they share the same heartbeat. But these moths came out of the water and flew into the air only just to mate, lay eggs in water, and then die...Their beautiful flying lives end in such a short span of time. The lives of the silkworms are even worse. We end their lives even before they find their freedom. What could be happening inside the cocoon when it is boiled in water?
How does a fully grown caterpillar know when it is time for it to build a cocoon around itself?
How does the caterpillar stay inside with all its pain without food or water or air too?
How does the worm choose its own death for the birth of another creature completely?
Are they more sacrificing than the humans around who, with their brains would even kill their kith and kin rather than sacrifice their precious self?
What kind of transformation is happening inside the pupa?
We can explain this scientifically saying that skin and legs are shed and wings are grown and so on...But there is something so profound happening in this silence. The change of forms... The letting go of the past and breaking away into the future... The act of supreme sacrifice of one form in favor of another...
Is this why the saints go into silence? Is this the form of meditation for those worms?
Or is this the enaction of Gita in front of us where Krishna tells Arjuna about the form and the formless?
All I can understand is that the silence was needed for those worms at that period. The silence to break free from their form so that another one can be born. The patience was required to wait for the right time to break free. The fasting from food, water, and air was needed to give birth to another life that can experience another level of joy...
Try damaging those spongy balls, and you will have released a butterfly with no wings. A butterfly that will not flit around the flowers dancing to the tune of the divine.
I don’t think those worms teach you a lesson on their life cycle. They teach you the art of letting go, the magic of silence and patience, the wisdom of form and the formless...
I surely wouldnt have gotten a pass mark for this inference. But I might have paved the way for my mind to break free...:-)
Aching to break free
Kalps :-)
But recently, I had the time to look at this life-cycle with interest. This interest started with my curosity on how silk was made. I have watched documentaries on how silk was made in doordharshan. The egg-like pupae of the silk worms are boiled in hot water and sik threads are made out of them. Till many years, I did not perceive anything violent in it. I liked wearing silk paavaadais (long traditional skirts) and sarees too. Though Sankaracharya has asked brahmins not to wear silk saree (the traditional maroon nine yards) during muhurtham, I had never looked into his request deep. I remember lamenting too that my nine-yards did not have lot of zari....:-( I grew up and so did my likes and dislikes. I now know that a lot of silk worms are boiled in their pupae stage to make silk. I stopped wearing silk.
The caterpillar is a repulsive looking worm. And so are many other worms. A slimy body with hundreds of legs crawling on wet surfaces. But these worms build a cocoon around themselves when they are fully grown and transform themselves completely into those colorful flying butterflies. I was interested more in this transformation that happens. The cocoon is called as a pupa. It is a white cotton like casket that completely masks the caterpillar. And all this is woven out of the worm's mouth! The worm goes into silence for around 2 weeks! without food, or maybe air too? It sheds its skin and numerous legs. It grows it wings and colors itself completely.
After two weeks what comes out is a colorful creature that does not have any semblance to the creature that went into it two weeks earlier. The same cycle holds good for any worm that belongs to the caterpillar family (if there is one). I recently saw a similar happening in Animal Planet where a worm under water became a moth which flew in the air. The water was home to the worm but for the moth that came out of the cocoon, the water was a grave. Their lives were so different that it tough to even perceive that they share the same heartbeat. But these moths came out of the water and flew into the air only just to mate, lay eggs in water, and then die...Their beautiful flying lives end in such a short span of time. The lives of the silkworms are even worse. We end their lives even before they find their freedom. What could be happening inside the cocoon when it is boiled in water?
How does a fully grown caterpillar know when it is time for it to build a cocoon around itself?
How does the caterpillar stay inside with all its pain without food or water or air too?
How does the worm choose its own death for the birth of another creature completely?
Are they more sacrificing than the humans around who, with their brains would even kill their kith and kin rather than sacrifice their precious self?
What kind of transformation is happening inside the pupa?
We can explain this scientifically saying that skin and legs are shed and wings are grown and so on...But there is something so profound happening in this silence. The change of forms... The letting go of the past and breaking away into the future... The act of supreme sacrifice of one form in favor of another...
Is this why the saints go into silence? Is this the form of meditation for those worms?
Or is this the enaction of Gita in front of us where Krishna tells Arjuna about the form and the formless?
All I can understand is that the silence was needed for those worms at that period. The silence to break free from their form so that another one can be born. The patience was required to wait for the right time to break free. The fasting from food, water, and air was needed to give birth to another life that can experience another level of joy...
Try damaging those spongy balls, and you will have released a butterfly with no wings. A butterfly that will not flit around the flowers dancing to the tune of the divine.
I don’t think those worms teach you a lesson on their life cycle. They teach you the art of letting go, the magic of silence and patience, the wisdom of form and the formless...
I surely wouldnt have gotten a pass mark for this inference. But I might have paved the way for my mind to break free...:-)
Aching to break free
Kalps :-)
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