Do you belive in Miracles?

Miracle - Inspiring movie I watched yesterday morning on star movies. May be ‘Chak de India’ is inspired by this movie. Its a true story of Herb Brooks ( played by actor Kurt Rusell ) player turned coach of US Ice hoceky team who brings gold medal at the Olympics, Lake Placid in winter 1980. Soviet Union's powerful team is the winner for last 15 years and famous since they play as if they attack the opposing team. So somebody has to find out new strategies and courage to fight in this game not by defending themselves but by attacking them back. Main strength of the Soviet Union team is they skate with the fastest speed on ice. If you want to win you have to move fast, act smart and speed is the only thing you have to keep in mind.

Coach Herb Brooks was cut from 1960 US Olympic team and since then has only dream of making a well conditioned team for US ice hockey. Herb gets appointed as a coach for the national ice hocky team in 1979. He comes, chose a team of 27 different players who were college students and has old rivalry in mind and has different dreams for being selected in the team like being very popular amongst girls, being national champion, sign huge contracts etc. These various dreams, egos never allow them to work in a team. Coach Kurt Russel has acted so brilliantly to bring them together by giving few instructions and no explanation for his any immediate actions. Team has to follow what he says and at the end of 6 months he has to choose only 20 players. Team is getting trained under a doctor, and two coaches. But Herb is the only decision maker who explains briefly about how the game should be played, smart moves and rules. Half of the players laugh at him but nobody has courage to say anything against him.

Rest of the committee members questioned Herb from the day one, why has he chose such a team keeping best players out of the team and without asking any other committee member. But he says: ‘I’m the coach and I have made the best team possible for country to win the game. I don’t want national champions in the team. I have seen all recordings of every move of a player selected and based on them I have chose them. He behaves totally contradictory than the kind of person he is, just to train the college kids to emerge as US Olympic team. I was flattered by his every move to chase each player so much that he comes out of his comfort zone and becomes mad about winning the Olympic by playing his heart out in the game without worrying how many injuries he has got. I think, someone has said if you want a person to do a required thing you have to attack on his values/ emotions or tell them exactly opposite so you get the desired result!

All matches they play are breathtaking and speed and counting seconds is the only thing you understand. All Herb’s reasoning while eliminating each candidate to make the final team explains one has to do few things without compromising and keeping personal priorities aside if you have larger goal in front your eyes and have responsibility of representing entire nation in the Olympics. Few heated arguments are shown with his wife where she complains about being so involved in "teaching such a simple game"…but eventually she says : I KNOW NOW, HOCKY IS MORE THAN A GAME!

Before the final match he gives very brief speech to his team: “ GREAT MOMENTS BORN FROM GREAT OPPORTUNITES AND HERE YOU ARE IN THE OLYMPICS PLAYING WITH WINNING TEAM OF THE WORLD. YOU HAVE EARNED THIS MOMENT AND NOW PLAY FOR YOUR LIFE. I am tired of hearing their name for so many years. Play your game and show them they cannot win any longer. Things has to change. All the best!”

In semi final round US team doesn't allow to make Soviet Union team to make a single goal in last 10 minutes. When finally they win Herb says: All these chances are required in life to make you BELIVE in things. As per director Gavin O'Connor in the acknowledgement: Herb Brooks died after winning the game. He never was there to see this movie dedicated to him but he has lived the game already!

Interesting bus journey!

Bangalore buses are divided partially half into seats allocated for ladies and gents. Front entrance is for getting up and down for ladies and exit is for getting up and down for gents. No one sits on ladies seats in the bus, other women make sure that you get up from ladies seat. Buses are too crowded and mostly with women bus conductors. So I am standing in the bus and saw an old man sitting on a ladies seat and I knew what is going to happen with him after some time. Bus stopped on next stop and more women entered into the bus and forced that old man to get up. I could not resist and said why are you behind him ? let him seat he is old. You can stand on your feet. Later woman sitting next to old man got down in the next stop and nobody was ready to sit next to him so I sat and started reading a book. Old man started to make conversation with me, his was voice was loud. I thought one of the problems of old age.

Old man ( OM ) : What are you doing in Bangalore, you don’t look from here right?
ME : Yes and I'm working here with design firm and studying simultaneously
OM : Are you from Mumbai? Your English accent is different and what are you studying?
ME : (surprised by his observations) yes I’m and studying Product design from NID, A’bad ( I didn’t wanted to go in details, so started reading book again )

OM : Oh that’s something new I have heard. My both sons are engineers and working here with software companies. I myself was working in electric board of Bangalore and retired just now. My native place is Hubali. My sons have got new flat of 1,000 sq.ft. Here near Arekere gate. What exactly you are studying and where are you staying? What about your family?

( I was like this man is asking too many questions but I should give answers because he must not have spoken to anyone and just trying to have a conversation )
ME : I stay in south city. And my family belongs to Kolhapur and ( I explained in brief about my field )
OM : Oh, I come there every morning for walk. So will meet up sometimes. your work field is very interesting. Kolhapur is not far from Hubali, so you are Marathi.

(Then he started talking in marathi few basic questions and I was wondering why is he asking about my native place and what my family is into and all but I was unable to stop the conversation since my bus stop was still too far)

ME : Yes I’m. your marathi is very good! I don’t go for morning walk since I have to leave early in the morning. But walking path near Arekere is good.


OM : How long you will be in Bangalore?
ME : 2 months then I’m going to work with another company in Sweden.

OM : Thats great! even my younger son is going to London for work and plans to settle there.
My stop is coming near now. I will show my house from the bus… that peach colored tall building. I stay there on ground floor. This is my card, I am actually looking for daughter in laws for both of my sons. And I liked you a lot. You are very spontaneous and generous. Think about it. You come to my home, meet my both son and then decide. They both are good. All the best for better future and god bless you.


( since he was loud everyone who were standing close to me were listening to the conversation. And surprised by his last few lines and were looking at me. I was in a dilemma whether to accept the card or not. But I did accept. I don’t know why I did that. And the old man got down from the bus…)

Rakhi ka Swayamvar

I never thought of this kind of show can be also made in today’s age. Not a bad idea either. Most of the people whom I know were watching this show including my mother and myself (Though I was watching occasionally but was aware what’s happening in the show). I was watching to see if actually people are interested in this kind of a show and was curious HOW is someone actually going to CHOOSE somebody if front of entire nation or agreed to make a program out of it. I think choosing somebody is quite a personal affair but in an arranged marriage of today’s date also entire three generations decide which guy or girl to be chosen for respective groom or bride and that also depending upon how qualified, good looking and settled you are in life!

Once having marriage discussion with my European friend, I was explaining her how an arranged marriage happens in India. After listening to all the conversation she told me – “ we do it other way round Pratima, we look for love first and then caste ( we don’t follow it here), education, money, looks comes and I think you guys look at everything else and then try to love each other…“ I just smiled on her statement. I think when you love someone you willingly change or do compromises or change your priorities happily. I hate the thing of changing names after marriage, how come you expect some 25 year old girl having name Pratima for all her life will be changed in a day to lets say ‘Sudha’ just because you want to change her name. Her whole identity, signatures, passport, all official documents change to new ‘Sudha’.

Okay! I have change the whole topic …So I was writing about Rakhi ka Swayamvar and choosing a guy in front of public on a television show. That made me think how in earlier times princess used to CHOOSE the prince in front of everyone after completion of the REQUIRED TASK successfully. As per the movie - Rab ne bana di jodi - every love story is unique…I thought may be this is the good time to SEE such kind of thing happening on T.V. in a live show! Then I saw the news of some 67 year old gentleman is interested in getting married to Rakhi and he wrote 52 poems for her and also got them published for her but he wasn’t allowed to participate in the show. His son and his entire family were very supportive in this gentleman’s decision. That’s very impressive though.

I am doubtful about how long this relationship will last which was decided after series of various tasks and discussions amongst would be bride and groom. But its good that it ended on engagement and they want to spend some time more knowing each other and not to get married just by the time spend on a T.V. show together. It might sound funny that I thought in the episode when all interested guys were shown for the first time that she will choose THE TORONTO GUY which she finally chose in the last episode. The show was entertainment, dramatic and PEOPLE WERE WATCHING IT!! May be to some extent the program is successful in changing Rakhi’s public image also. People will remember her because no one has ever attempted to do such kind of a program. She is constantly in news.

I have seen a movie based on Indian arranged marriages " Sanai chowghade". Very well made movie in marathi and very very much in todays context. Many chanels have started shows for match making or providing a platform where would be brides and grooms should come and present themselves to a large crowd and may be they are succesful in getting the desired response. Another television show in marathi called " Jodi jamali re" is also similar like other shows but I watch this sometimes because its quite realistic to see how the genaral discussions between parents and candidates happens when they come together and small games and tasks reveal what kind of person you are...not in details but it gives an idea. Rescently they showed their first pair who got engaged and will be getting married soon after 50 episodes. Things are changing...These shows are reflections of changing society. So now I'm expecting few more shows like this if you are definitely going to get a right guy …may be the next show will be called “Pratima ka Swayamvar”:D

path

'Carry on, even if you are not sure now of what you are doing. God moves in mysterious ways and sometimes the path only reveals itself when you start walking it.'

Paulo Coelho, The winner stands alone