appughar

The Tree of Life

In Uncategorized on January 19, 2012 at 10:34 pm

“The Tree of Life” is almost certainly the best film from Hollywood I have seen so far!

For me (and I believe it is true for a most of us) understanding of scale and time is always local. A story, an event, a phenomena is always grasped and understood by positioning ourselves in a very local space and time frame. It is such difficult mental prisons that Terrence Malik breaks, and he breaks them with some of the most breath-taking visuals cohered with grandiose music.

Film opens with the monologue :

The nuns taught us there were two ways through life – the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow.

And to a certain extent, I believe that such dichotomies and polychotomies (immaterial if they are true of not) are useful abstraction tools to handle the complexities of our lives.  But often, it is easy to get trapped (or be held hostage) to these imperfect thoughts. Loosely, the film is a recollective narrative of a childhood; a very personal, sensitive and spiritually aware depiction of 1950s Texan family. Just after the first few minutes of the film, something remarkable and unexpected happens! Film shifts itself into a cosmic scale and pace with images of exploding stars, planets in motion, evolution, and a benevolent dinosaur; whilst hooking (and contrasting) itself to the infinitesimal scale primary thread by subtle voice-overs. We later rejoin to the O’Brien family, back in the microscopic scale, but rich in emotion and deep in spiritual drama. This is really daring piece of film-making (and the only comparison I can make is of Tarkovsky’s Solaris), and deserves to be stood up and applauded!

The Feynman Algorithm

In Uncategorized on February 17, 2011 at 11:58 pm

There was this boy who wanted to solve many interesting computer science problems. He had a lot of ideas. They were sometimes simple, at other times complicated.

He had a friend. He was a good friend and was very learned. His name was called Google. Whenever he thought about something interesting, first thing he did was tell it to Google; and they talked and talked, whilst strolling endlessly through perpetual landscapes, where direction and orientation have limited meaning. Life was good!

One day, after walking for sometime, the boy’s shoulder started to hurt carrying his ideas around. So he decided to keep it in a neat corner, near a picket fence which marked the end of a meadow; and he along with his friend continued to wander and wander; deep into the forest.

But alas, the boy man did not notice the falling night and the brewing storm in the non-distant horizon. A powerful thunder startled him, and he fell down. Down he went and got stuck in a thorny bush. Whereas Google who was as light as a dried & crumbled leaf, (apparently due to the lack of soul), was swept away by a powerful gush of wind. His idea, which was solute, dissolved in the rain; formed a narrow stream and flowed away. However, one of the droplets, on its way down hill, got stuck in the eye-lash of the trapped man. The petrified man took the droplet, and stared into it; partially because he was scared and partially because the droplet was pretty and mysterious as a new born child. He was first overcome with sorrow and then a extra-ordinary sense of beauty.

The droplet started forming strange shapes; it was a free-form being with a mind of her own; a gelatinous fluffy substance. She teased and mocked him by making strange faces at him. He was perplexed, angry, but nevertheless grateful for her company. Then unexpectedly, she took the form of a pair of wings and attached herself to him. A strange sense of divinity started to glow across the newly formed combined being; akin to an arch-angle with a good-news message to share. In one elegant stroke, they flew out of the thorny, uncomfortable bush and took refuge under a tree. Exhaustion had overcome him by then. He went into a peaceful slumber. He dreamt about good things; chocolates, love and passion.

He woke up next morning, but he couldn’t find his droplet anywhere; but he realised that they have merged into a single being; like lovers do in their deepest moment of intimacy.

“It is much more easier, productive and way more fun to think things through; rather than running elsewhere seeking for inspiration.”

So traversed this thought through his mind in a path which exactly adhered to a Fibonacci spiral, devoid of any imperfection (at least to the measurable limits). Suddenly from the corner of his eyes he saw his old friend Google. Though a bit battered, he seemed to be in good health. The man told Google about the magical experience he had the previous night, but Google didn’t seem much interested. Then he told his friend about his post-script thought.

“Hmm.. Interesting!” Google said

“Do you know about the Feynmann algorithm”, Google continued:

The Feynman Algorithm:

1. Write down the problem.
2. Think real hard.
3. Write down the solution.

“Ha ha, that is interesting”, the man said.

The friends starting talking again; and they wandered and wandered. But the fragile spirit inside him who had gallantly rescued him, cut off from her much needed solitude, got squeezed from all sides by the endless and squeaky chatter. She slowly reformed her wings and flew away silently, unnoticed by the man.

New Blog

In Uncategorized on December 14, 2010 at 4:19 pm

http://runappurun.wordpress.com/

nothing more to say. :|

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.