The Silent Anthem

I had seen a static clip of this on FB, but never bothered to watch it. But somehow, I feel fate has its way of bringing our way things that we MUST see. I saw this at the Ad Club of Hyderabad’s Block Buster 2011 – The Silent Anthem. The beauty of watching it on a 7-feet screen with music at its loudest best is inexpressible. I had goose bumps all over and my heart instantly attuned to the arresting staccato actions of the physically challenged. The anthem swept the 200-odd crowd off their feet.

I feel such a strong connect with this song, when I am in India; I wonder what reactions it would bring forth out of Indians who watch this clip in some other country. I am sure their hearts would swell with pride while tears inexorably rush down their cheeks. A wonderfully shot National Anthem! Yes, it’s truly a ‘’Mera Bharat Mahan!” kinds.

The Empty Chair

A man's daughter had asked the parish priest to come and pray with her father. When the priest arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The priest assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. "I guess you were expecting me," he said. "No, who are you?" said the father. The priest told him his name and then remarked, "I see the empty chair; I figured you knew I was going to show up." "Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man. "Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the priest shut the door. "I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the man. "But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. "I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest: Sit down in a chair and place an empty chair in front of you. In faith see Jesus in that chair. It's not spooky because he promised: 'I'll be with you always.' Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now.' "So I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm." The priest was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the priest that her daddy had died that afternoon. "Did he die in peace?" he asked. "Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head in the chair beside the bed. What do you make of that?" The priest wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I wish we could all go like that."

A Classic in its Own Right.

I might be little late on this one. But as the clichéd adage goes “Better late than never” I have decided to talk about the movie that left an indelible mark on my mind. If you haven’t seen the movie, “The pursuit of Happyness”, well, I can only ask on which planet are you living?!

I suggest you beg, borrow or steal a DVD of this movie, because it’s truly one-in-a-million kinds. Believe me; directors are not in a rush to dish out such classics. Besides, this is not a mushy-mushy sort of a movie where the ladies smudge their mascara or men hide their tears sneezing into hankies, but one that instantly strikes a chord. One, which tells that there is hope at the end of the tunnel.

The dialogues in this movie too are delicate, yet teasing. I especially liked the discourse between the interviewers and the interviewee (Will Smith). Let me give you the gist of it: in the movie, due to some inexorable circumstances, Chris Gardner (Will Smith) turns up at the interview in a vest and a pair of jeans with a bit of paint smeared on his face and hair. Initially, the interviewers are taken aback by his appearance, but nevertheless carry on with the interview. At the end, the big man finally asks, “What would you think if I hired someone who walks in with a paint-smeared face and a vest for an interview?” Christopher Gardner, without batting an eyelid, says, “I would think he must be putting on some damn good pants!” The entire room breaks into laughter. Chris lands the job. But alas! Without a pay.

Yep, I could go on telling lot of things about Chris, how he juggles stock broking, part-time job and a parent life. In fact, this story makes me recollect reading somewhere ‘When life throws a lemon, turn the tables around, and make a glass of lemonade.’ Interesting?! Well, one can easily take a leaf or two from Christopher on this theme. What comes across as pure icing is that this movie is actually an adaptation of a real life story. In other words, Christopher Gardner is not just a name of the hero in the reel life, but in real life too!

That’s what lends credibility to the story. Hats off, Christopher Gardner!