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Monday, July 12, 2010

The on-screen India

I’ve always been a proud Indian, I ‘ve loved India, I still do. Here is something I’ve noticed: every now and then, some video I watch intensifies this love. There’s something about them that gives me a feeling of belongingness to India. An emotional ingredient in such videos inspires me. It makes me glad I belong here. It gives me a sense of pride. It makes me smile to myself in genuine happiness.

It happens all the time; there is this sudden surge of patriotic emotions when I watch one of these Incredible India videos on YouTube. The music that goes with the video, the peace it gives, it is inspiring.

Is it just me, or does looking at India on screen, make it more beautiful?

Reading that India is the biggest democracy and that it’s got the second biggest something or the third biggest something else is not what I’m talking about. Nor is it the claims that, credit goes to India for the first wireless system and the concepts of surgery or the several others of this sort. It’s not such facts or statistics. I’m talking about the essence of life, that you can just feel, watching these videos.

It’s not just such videos. The other day I was cosying on the couch, flipping through the countless tv channels, grumbling about how monotonous the hols had become. I caught a glimpse of something that seemed familiar, I went back to it. It was As I passed Travel and Living- some show featuring the streets ofChennai, hosted by Meera Vasudevan, an actor and model. I went on to watch the show- An Indian Rendezvous- for more than an hour. The show, showed me Chennai in a different perspective, made me see what I see every day, differently. I don’t know why India on screen seems way more awesome, but I did give it some thought.

Some post-tvshow reflection, made me realize I miss out on the li’l, yet beautiful things that the show accentuated on, in real life. Time becomes too important a factor, for any to be left, for the small things that go unnoticed. The time I spent on hindsight told me I don’t take that extra second to look at the street side idli shop, or the throng of li’l kids playing cricket on the roads. I don’t even realize it when the resonant sound of temple bells ringing or the echoes of the evening namaz, fill the air. I’m just too worked up with seemingly important, but in point of fact, trivial things, to perceive the common, minute, but enchanting entities around.

My reasoning might not be perfect, nevertheless, the India I see on screen, is a different one from the one I see everyday.

5 comments:

  1. evn i feel exactly the same way u do wen i watch "incredible india" videos....and posters,the sudden surge f patriotic emotions...yup i've felt it :)...nice one ashu :D

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  2. argh.. i was about to update my blog with a similar article..i'm entitled to do it cos i'ma chennaiwala myself. and yeah, it's a lil different for me cos i'm an integral part of the minuscule community that makes it a point to taste food in every road side shop there is, play cricket with every kutti gang there is.. there is no long tym goal for me, i make it a point to enjoy every moment, make every second count.. anyway, well written article but i still think the one abt salem is the best

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  3. Thanks =). n post wateva on ur blog. wanna read it =)

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  4. To be honest,I've never paid attention to these things.I stopped observing nature and deriving pleasure long ago.How long?When my LKG teacher taught me the letter 'H' and eventually figured out that the next letter was 'I'.Do you catch my drift?
    But don't you think that slow motion,HD cameras are like 'salt and pepper' adding flavor to our bland lives?
    Like you said,do we've time to notice the 'unnoticed' ?
    To me,nature is 'Discovery HD' and 'NGC HD'.The attention given to detail is more than what a naked eye could perceive.
    I get easily distracted-A fight that takes place beside the Idly stand usually captivates me.And that's usually not portrayed in Incredible India.But isn't this the reality?
    Echoes of Namaz-That's one thing I experience on a regular basis.
    I've realized:Reel life doesn't chime with Real life!
    But my incapability to perceive these things shouldn't shroud the beauty.
    Not just India,Nature per se is beautiful.

    Awesome post.I must say,you've a unique style when it comes to writing.Some coaching classes,please??

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  5. awesomeness of India not lies only in the small pleasures u derive from day to day incidents but also in the diversity of it . temple bell chimes with the calling for namaz!!!
    anyways gr8 post!!!

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