'Queen' beyond feminism

"Queen"
Beyond Feminism

Generally, we see movies for entertainment. We watch the movie, enjoy it and forget it and then plan for the next one. But some movies make us to think, we cannot forget them easily. They have their strong impact on viewers.

‘Queen’ is also the movie which makes us to think. Generally, for any person, primary needs are love, marriage and settlement; and who get these successfully he/she feels him/her self happy, respectable and the most important ‘Lucky’. And if anyone failed to get these, the world is over. That’s why in India blessing of ‘અખંડ સૌભાગ્યવતી’ is given. And widow is the worst situation.

But the movie ‘Queen’ is different. It presents that ‘Love’ is not always life. The world is vaster than our surrounded life. And the need is only to ‘Fly’ from our surrounded life and think beyond it.

Sometimes problem with most of the viewers is, whenever there is any story of woman, we connect it with ‘Feminism’. But some stories are different, it can be relate with any person, male or female. There is not such difference.  ‘Queen’ is also like this.

In the movie some very wonderful ideas are presented than only one issue of ‘Feminism’.

The most important thing presented in the movie is our ‘thinking’, our mentality. The movie also indicates that what way our thinking changes. At the beginning of the movie, the central character, Rani is very much family oriented, who needs security from his little brother every time, who think that her marriage is her life. She is shy girl exactly, as her society wants. Like believed in arraigned marriage, believed that affair is wrong etc. but after went to Paris and Amsterdam she changes herself according to culture, the place where she lives. She lives with boys, roam with them, even she made friend a girl, Vijaylaxmi who is not married and has a lot of affairs and make fun with her.

In the first half of the movie, Rani feels sad and memories her lover even when she is in Paris, the moments which she planned with him of a happy life. But in the second half of the movie she forget her past completely which made her sad. Even when he calls, she rejects it. When he came to meet her, she does not feel any feelings, and happiness. She ignores him with giving not any importance to him. Because now in her life his love is become minor and it doesn't affect her. The supremacy is at the end, she rejects the thing happily for which she felt sad and gloomy in the past. Rani gives her engagement ring back to her faience Vijay with thanking him.

She rejects the thing which is her life in her past. She wanted love, marriage and settlement and at the end she rejects all these. At the end, Vijay told her that he loves her; he told that, his parents made another room at another floor for them. This statement indicates that, after marriage they have to settle at one place and Rani will not free to fly. Thus, Rani rejects these typical way of thinking and life without enthusiasm.

In our thinking, flexibility is important. The movie also indicates that. When Rani lived in India, her behavior and her style of living is according to her surrounding, culture. But when she went Paris and Amsterdam, she lived according to that culture. She does not keep aside her Indian culture and values but she never becomes rigid. She drinks, dance, and enjoy new culture without having ego and false proud of her motherly culture. She lives with three boys of different countries. 

It also questions that, what ‘modern’ really means!!?? Character of Vijay and his family is put to juxtapose with character of Rani. And the movie makes us to think about it that, modern means only newness in outer appearance or is it in our thinking. Even after visiting London Vijay cannot accept Rani’s acceptance to new culture (as she lives with boys or drink and dance with them...). He only changes his outlook not inner way of thinking, he is as rigid as before.

Other interesting idea, this movie indicates is that, language is not synonym of communication, it is not so important than feelings to communicate. In the movie Rani never try to learn French but she communicate with other people with her capacity and knowledge of English. She talks most of the time in Hindi even not in English. She lives with the three boys and they all don't know each others language and culture but living without any problem and with better understanding. In one scene she talks with Japanese boy. Both are communicating in their own language. They don’t feel awkward or irritate but enjoy it happily without any complain. It is the best scene of the movie.

As I said at the beginning, we make something so important that we cannot think beyond it. And ‘queen’ is beyond our something.  ‘Queen’ is full of enthusiasm which inspire you to live life happily even in gloomy. It shows that, your identity is not fixed or cannot be fixed by any person or society, it can change. You can do all the things which you never do in your life. It presents that, expand ideas, expand your way of thinking, expand your world and win your wishes.

‘Queen’ is beyond our typical mentality, rigid thinking, beyond only ‘Feminism’, it presents the world which is beyond our world. It is full of enthusiasm and life which inspire us to live life happily  in any situations.

   So, Watch it, enjoy it and start thinking.....

‘સ્ત્રી જ સ્ત્રી ની દુશ્મન’ અને પુરુષ....?

change your ideas about women on 'Women's Day'

‘સ્ત્રી જ સ્ત્રી ની દુશ્મન’ અને પુરુષ....?

‘ઔરત હી ઔરત કી દુશ્મન હોતી હૈ.’ એ વિચાર હવે એટલો જુનો થઈ ગયો છે, ચવાઈ ગયો છે કે તેને થુંકી નાખવો જોઈએ. એ વિચાર પાયા વિનાનો અને સત્ય વગરનો છે.

જેણે એ વાક્ય વેહેતુ મુક્યુ છે તે ચોક્કસ એકતા કપુરનો ખૂબ મોટો ચાહક હશે અને એની સિરીયલો જોઈ જોઈને મોટો થયો હશે!

સિરીયલોમાં સાસુ-વહુના ઝઘડાઓ જોઈ જોઈને કોઈ કહે કે, ‘ઔરત હી ઔરત કી દુશ્મન હોતી હૈ.’ તો શું પુરુષ પુરુષ ભાઈ ભાઈ? પુરુષએ પુરુષનો દુશ્મન નથી? ભારતની મોટા ભાગની ફિલ્મોમાં વાર્તા હિરો અને વિલનની જ હોય છે જે બે પુરુષ વચ્ચેની દુશ્મની દર્શાવે છે. ત્યારે કોઇ ફિલ્મ જોતા જોતા એવા ઉદગારો કાઢતુ નથી કે, ‘આદમી હી આદમી કા દુશ્મન હોતા હૈ!

ચાલો, તમારી જ પસંદનુ, પુરુષોનુ પ્રિય એવુ ઉદાહરણ લઈએ. ફિલ્મ શોલેમાં જય-વિરુની દોસ્તી અમર થઈ ગઈ પણ સાથે સાથે ઠાકુરસા’બ અને ગબ્બરની દુશ્મની પણ ભુલાય નથી. બંને પુરુષો વચ્ચેની દુશ્મની શ્રેષ્ઠ દુશ્મની નુ સર્વોચ્ચ ઉદાહરણ બની ગયુ છે. હવે આખી ફિલ્મમાં તમને ક્યાય ‘ઔરત હી ઔરત કી દુશ્મન હોતી હૈ’ વાળુ વાક્ય લાગુ પડતુ દેખાય છે? તમે બસંતીને અને જયાને ઝઘદડતા જોયા કે, “યે ટાંગા મુજે દેદો બસંતી” !?

ફક્ત ફિલ્મો જ નહી ટી. વી. સિરીયલોમાં પણ પુરુષોની દુશ્મનાવટ પ્રખ્યાત છે. તારક મેહતામાં તમે ગોકુલધામ સોસાયટીની મહિલાઓને એકબીજા સાથે કાયમ ઝઘડતી જોઈ? નહી ને? પણ જેઠાલાલને અય્યર અને ભીડે સાથે ઝ્ઘડતો જોઈ, મહિલાઓ સહિત સર્વ પુરુષો આનંદ મેળવે છે!

વળી કોઈ તમને એકતા કપૂરની સાસુ-વહુની સિરીયલોનું ઉદાહરણ આપે તો તેનો પણ મુહતોડ જવાબ હાજર જ છે. એકતા કપૂર વધી વધીને તો બે સ્ત્રીઓ વચ્ચે જીણી રકઝક કે ટી આર પી માટે બે સ્ત્રીઓનો પારિવારીક ઝઘડો જ દર્શાવે છે ને, પણ ફિલ્મોમાં, પુરુષો તો સીધા મારામારી પર જ ઉતરી પડે. હથિયાર ઉપાડી એકબીજા પર ત્રાટકવા માંડે ત્યારે થીયેટરમાં બેઠેલા બધા પુરુષો સીટીઓ મારી ચીચીયારી પાડવા માંડે.

હિરો ફિલ્મના વિલનને મારે એતો ઠીક પણ એકસાથે દસ દસ બીજા જાતભાઈઓને એક ઘામાં ઉલાળે. ને ઘણી વખત હિરો-વિલનની દુશ્મનીમાં બિચારા આજુબાજુના ચાની લારીવાળા, પાનના ગલ્લાવાળા, શાકભાજીવાળા કે ફુટ્પાથ પર બેઠેલા બીજા લોકો અંટાઈ જાય. બિચારાના નુકસાનની ભરપાઈ કોણજાણે ક્યો પુરુષ કરતો હશે?

આની કરતા તો સાસુ-વહુના મ્હેણાં-ટોણાંની લડાઈ હજાર દરજ્જે સારી, શરીર તો સલામત રહે!

વળી, અમુક લોકો સિરીયલના ઉદાહરણને સિરીયસ નહી માને. એટલે હવે તેમના માટે સિરીયલ માંથી રીયલમાં આવીએ... મહાભારત અને રામાયણની 'પૂજ્ય અનેપવિત્ર'  કથાઓ તો સાંભળી જ હશે. ભાઈઓ- ભાઈઓ વચ્ચેની લડાઈમાં ક્યાંય કુંતી અને દ્રોપદીને ઝઘડતા જોયા?!!! રામ - રાવણની લડાઈમાં તો લંકા બળી ગઈ પણ એમાં સીતા અને સુભદ્રા મારામારી કરતા હોય એવું વાચ્યું?!!!!  આ મહા(ન!?) ગ્રંથોના  પાને પાને પુરુષોના ઝઘડાઓ જ જોવા મળશે, એમાં સ્ત્રી જ સ્ત્રી ની દુશ્મન કેવી રીતે કેહવાય??!!   

‘એક સ્ત્રી બીજી સ્ત્રીની દુશ્મન છે’ એવુ જે કહે છે એ જ ખરેખર તો સ્ત્રીના દુશ્મન છે. સ્ત્રીને વખોડ્વાનો કે નીચી સાબિત કરવાનો જ્યારે બીજો કોઈ મુદ્દો ન રહે ત્યારે આ વિચારને ફરી ફરી વાગોળવામાં આવે છે.

જેના લીધે દુશ્મની થાય છે તે ઈર્ષા, અદેખાય, તિરસ્કાર એ બધા ગુણ માનવસહજ છે. તે કોઇપણ સ્ત્રીની સાથે સાથે પુરુષમાં પણ ઉપલબ્ધ છે. જો દુશ્મનાવટ વિશે કહેવુ જ હોય તો સીધે સીધુ જ કહી નાખવાનું ‘ઈન્સાન હી ઈન્સાન કા દુશ્મન હોતા હૈ’ એમાં પછી સ્ત્રી-પુરુષ એવી કોઈ સ્પષ્ટ્તાને સ્થાન જ ન રહે.  

Story of the first "Goddess"

Story of the first “Goddess”

      The time is of many years ago. There is an earthquake and existence of all earthlings is in danger. All most all the creatures died. But after long suffering for life, somehow very few survived.

     These survivors lived together at one place. None can remember his/her life of before calamity. They started living life with new way, without prejudices and beliefs. Men and women lived together with animals. They grew trees which can give them tasty fruits.

     There lived one man named Manu, they named as if they want (as we named our domestic animals), lived with his liked beautiful woman- Rati.

     Once, Manu find some ruined heritage at distance of their living which is not much ruined in calamity. He showed it to others.  They came and think together. And they were come to know, they interpreted that, that place might be the place of worshipping. There is an antique idol, beautiful with shining eyes and smiling face, Beautiful than all the people who lived there. The people might worship the idol as their “super power” at that place. And the idol is of woman “Goddess”

     Manu and other people also started to follow the idea of worshipping the “Goddess”. Not only men but women also started believing in their super power “Goddess”. They find the answer of their existence through the arrival of that Goddess. As she is supreme or super power, may be that Goddess made them – men and women both.

     After arrival of “Goddess”, like other men, Manu also started giving respect to Rati. They became very happy when they are going to become parents. Manu is very happy for that and his love also increased more, because he believed that after arrival of their “Goddess” he could get happiness.

     But he also confused and thought a lot that, if she is “Goddess” who made them, then who is her companion? He went to the place of worshipping; he started observing idol, all the broken walls and surroundings. After keen observation, he found that, there is sculptor of many figure on walls, the figures of men, beautiful but ancient and ruined, and not as beautiful as the idol. He thought that these all men might be Deities and Gods. He understood that they are not men whom made by “Goddess” like them but they are also God because of their figures which indicates superiority than human beings. Still, as other people of that place, have a faith in their super power “Goddess” much.  

     Time passed, once, Manu shocked to find Rati with another man. He could not blame Rati because there was no low of marriage or which says, that one man/woman has to love only one woman/man.

     But normal human feelings of jealousy, anger, hate, feeling of ego or ownership and feeling of to be deceived are raised in him. His respect was converted into insult; his love was changed into hate for Rati. He could not accept Rati’s any relation with others. Even after Rati’s defence that, she has no any relation with to that man as with Manu. And Manu was only her first love, first man, Manu did not believe in her words because he has faith in his eyes only. (Because he did not read Othello)

     He left away Rati, event he did not accept their child. He left away home and his legs reached at the place of worshipping. He saw beautiful idol, all the figures of Deities. He saw the face of Rati in the idol of ‘Goddess”. He lost his awareness, and started thinking, “may be this Goddess has many men for her love, may be she deceived her first lover, her first companion as if Rati did with me. And may be the child was not accepted as I did.”

     He thought that, they are those children who are rejected from their parents because of deceiving and hating. He became conscious, he pick the idol and destroy it with throwing it to the walls. He could not harm the walls. He didn’t know, either he was not capable to harm the walls or he has no wish to harm the figures of deities.

     After that, people of that place could not believe in the Goddess, because idol was lost from them, only figures and belief of deities’ remains. They started believing in deities in man “God” only. They find the answer of existence from deities. Thus, men domesticated women and destroyed the first “Goddess”.

           

       For many days we are thinking about the perspective and situation that if the God is woman. This story reflects the situation of woman God in general world. This fantasy story raise one important question that, if we transform the gender, if woman God is creator, can we accept her as ‘creator’ and not a ‘mother’?

Inception of Desires through serials

Inception of desires through serials

We find in our surroundings that most of the people are habituated for watching television serials. We watch T. V. serials for our entertainment or refreshment and we think that they are only stories which cannot affect our reality.

     But through serials, inception of ideas, desires and dreams are happening. If we observe, study serials minutely and viewers/audience of serials, we can find easily that, how serials affect viewers’ unconscious mind strongly.

     Because of the artificial and aristocratic portrayal of life in serials, viewers of that serials always have desire to become reach. We cannot find any serials where richness is not shown. So, most of the viewers forget the reality and started to desire of becoming reach and having luxurious life with having all the things like bungalows, cars and jewellery etc, all things which characters have. That way projection of desire to become rich is happen through serials.

     Characters are also affecting our mind a lot. Women viewers always want to become beautiful like the characters. They started to see dreams of getting jeweleries, big houses, servants, cars all the materialistic things which are shown in the serial.

      Today, if you ask any unmarried girl about her expectation from her will be husband, money will be in priority.

     Same manner, men viewers started to desire for their good looking body, love, respect and physical strength and having all the things which ‘hero’ has (Sometimes affairs and power also).

     Generally serials are women focused and most of the viewers are ladies. As they see serials, they want to become central figure as the heroine of the serial. The portrait of negative characters or villains affect human mind a lot. Female viewers project some person as villain in their real world also though they are not so bad.

     Accept all these wishes; the most important inception is “desire for love”. All the viewers started to see dreams of getting love –strong, platonic love as shown in the serials. They also started craving love from their real life and real characters also.

     Reason of this inception is psychological. Through the serials, which are imaginative, viewers’ hidden wishes (of getting love, money, fame, power) are fulfilled. And now they wanted it in reality also, which cannot possible. So, after watching serials, their desires started. That way, serials are become tools for incepting ideas.

     Because of this inception, fashion, beauty cosmetics, jewellery styles are blindly follows. And perhaps, loan system is also one effect of that cause.

     This inception has some bad effects also. Because of their desire to have more money, love and all other things which are going on with characters, sometimes drew them to imaginative world. And they cannot connect or relate their position of reality with original, real world. Because of their desires, their expectation from others grows more and more.  Thus, many problems begin.

     So, there are many desires, which we have, which we consider as ‘normal’, are incepted by widely seen serials. What a serious effects serials cause in our unconscious mind so unconsciously!!!

  

Art and Religion

Relation between Art and Religion

Generally, people put art and religion in opposite way. Artistic people always find problem with rigidity of religion o, they portrait art and religion different and art superior than religion.

Art and religion are not opposite or separate from one another. But we can find them together. Religion makes art more beautiful even we can say, religion is very artistic and art is often very religious, spiritual. We cannot separate art from religion or religion from art.

In Hindu religion there is a logo, “સત્યમ શિવમ સુન્દરમ” in this, ‘સુન્દરમ’ means beautiful or artistic. If we see any picture or idol of any God or Goddess it is always beautiful. Even we beautify them with human ornaments. 

 Even our god and goddess are very fond of arts. We cannot imagine any picture of Lord Krishna with not having Flute in his hand. And we cannot find any image of goddess Saraswati without vina. They are also giving us message to be artistic.

 







We cannot find any temple without having some sculptures and we can easily find sculptures of God and Goddess in any sculpture.

As Hindu belief, we made beautiful Rangoli in Diwaali which is religious festival. In Navratri we played Garaba. Religious festivals are itself very artistic and for enjoyment. Because of that religious belief, now we get art form as painting and dancing. So, it is religion who takes us to art and its beauty today.
 

If Mira and Narsinh Mehta are not so religious how can we get such a beautiful ‘Bhakti-Literature’ and how can we enjoy their heart-touching spiritual songs? We feel many times that, any good song give us pleasure, but when we heard good Bhajan it touches our heart and we feel aesthetic delight from it. Even some people started dancing while hearing these Bhajans. This is extreme pleasure that they feel.

Without religion or high spirituality our literature also cannot complete. Art also uses religion to beautify itself. Puranas and scriptures are also have a story and literariness, which people like to read. From old days to today, religion is very popular tool used by writers or any artist. Because of religion sometimes we become artistic and because of art we become religious.

It is not religion which smashed art or beauty but it is only rigidity of superstitions and superstitious beliefs that separate religion and art, which put them opposite side.

Everywhere, in every form we find art and religion together. Either it is ‘Garba’ of Navaratri (Dance), Rangoli of Diwali (painting or drawing), Krishna’s Rasleela or playing flute (music) or scriptures having interesting stories (literature) or sculpture, religion and art are always together. We cannot separate them.

With these examples, we found that art and religion are never stand opposite, but very near to each other.  And human beings can never separate them. They are interwoven and their relation is unique one.