Ardh Satya - Be angry, be very angry!

Exactly 30 years back there was a landmark of a film that stormed the then status quo. It’s called ‘Ardh Satya’(Half Truth) directed by the awesome Govind Nihalani and written by noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar(I'd met him briefly in New York in 2003, without really knowing who he was, to interview him for a TV segment I was producing for a network). I had seen this film in bits and pieces before but today I watched it, as in really watched it, with a more analytical mind. I was and am dumbfounded. 2 reasons. One, the film has a raw gravity that tugs at you while unveiling the nature of human frailties. And two, the film can be seen today and yet seem every bit relevant to today’s society. The ‘system’ we live in right now in bloody 2013. Seriously, what the fuck is going on?! We are still grappling with the same issues(corruption, degradation of women, the disgusting political fabric, shady law enforcement, futile activism) that were being dealt with in the 1970s and 1980s. What does this really say about us? About our system? About our evolution as humans or a civilization? Something is seriously, freaking seriously wrong about the way we are moving forward. Because if we don’t have a paradigm shift soon, you can bet that in the next 30 years, we are still going to be the same situation or maybe even worse. The grey area of morality seems to become bigger and bigger every day with the concept of right or wrong seriously in jeopardy. Personally, we have met corrupt and rowdy MLAs, politically subservient police and many desperately misguided souls trying to wield power over the majority at any cost. It’s time we used our brains because we have the choice to take the baton and lead the next-in-line in whatever little way we can towards a more progressive future. And don't you fucking say that films shouldn't have a message. If you want to understand the context of what I mean, just go watch this. It really makes me angry!

THE FILMMAKING PROCESS!! JIGSAW PIECE No:10

You know why things go wrong? Because we'll know the difference when they're right. :) someone effortlessly said to me once..if you can take a "PRAISE" and an "INSULT" in the same sense..okay now, don't ask me how it is done..the person who told me this practices this too.. ..and then fell this piece..

Of radicals and resurgence...

A little excerpt from one of the many ramblings...

"There are a lot of things that's making me feel alive. I'd think twice about saying this out loud, but i think i'm evolving into a state which makes my foundational philosophies question literally just about everything. the basis of everything we've learned.

No specific goals in the horizon but this time i feel, is a time for revolutions, not of the gun-trotting kind but of something more infectious...more viral...more in times with the 'now' where everyone feels the need for change but not sure how to go about it. but i feel energized, a sort of resurgence within, which we hope to spread through the ideas within. for right now, thots are being made into celluloid reality through radical means for that is the way to go.

now i feel is a time, where non-conformism is the new conformism, where the darkness of shadow is the presence of light somewhere close, where the unheard voices will be heard, where the mind is without fear. coz that is the only way to break out of this godamn prison the humans have created for themselves. the alienation, the desperation for something as basic as love, the feeling of helpless doom where the soul is cornered into a seemingly irreversible blackhole. "

GLOBAL YOUTH ACTION NETWORK

The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is 501c3, not-for-profit organization, launched in 1996 and registered in the state of New York, USA. GYAN has regional teams in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Durban, South Africa, Beirut, Lebanon, and Manila, Philippines. Natonal Chapters are registered in Mexico City, Accra, Ghana, Paris, France, and a growing number of other countries. GYAN is affiliated to the United Nations Department of Public Information and holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic & Social Council (ECOSOC).

GYAN is a youth-led organization that unites the efforts of young people working to improve our world. The Network connects many thousands of organizations in over 190 countries and a growing membership is now helping to shape the future direction of GYAN..

A POSITIVE PEOPLE'S NETWORK

What does being Positive mean to you??
If you were to say something positive to a fellow human being, what would it be??
Do you think staying positive makes a difference? If YES, why?? and If NO why??

These are some of the questions we intend to ask anyone we see...anywhere..
give it a shot, ask people what they think about being positive and take down a few answers and post it to us...
We are in the process of starting a network of people who will come together and spread all the positivity they can in this largely chaotic and negative world where a majority of us still struggle for basic things like food and shelter...and where more than a normal majority struggle just to stay positive and Happy!
join us in this venture of making this world and universe a positive place to live on!!

Change of State - SDaS

Change of State Performance Project was founded in 2005 by Andrea del Moral and K. Qilo Matzen. The mission of Change of State Performance Project is to fuse improvisation, theatre, and somatic techniques to create precise and absurd live performance. As the vaudevillian duo careens across the dance-theatre spectrum, looming socio-political issues seep into the performance space. For more click here...
I met Andrea and Qilo at Gesundheit this June...the simplicity and genuineness in their dispositions inspired me...they are humans with a purpose to stir some inspiration into the minds of people watching them...their play TAKE THIS HOUSE AND FLOAT IT AWAY
was a many layered piece of art shared with us at the Summer School for Designing a Society
We had a good discussion on a lot of issues after their play...the many layers consisted of society's alienation with every single element, the disjointedness of humans with the community and themselves, the ignorance that is made to prevail in the minds of the existing society, how much humans are trained in drowning of their reason in almost anything they can find...etc etc
The world needs humans who dedicate themselves to a cause and make everyone realize their place in this magnificent universe...
keep up the loving work...humanity needs you to remind them of everything they have pushed to oblivion!!

Language...and its effects! SDaS

Gesundheit - SDaS 2007 - 5 : Social Activism

One of the humans who shared his knowledge with us was Robert Naiman..He is part of JUST FOREIGN POLICY.ORG...He is favoritely called the Economics Man (by one of the concerned citizens of the planet)...

How to produce more activism:

a) spend more time doing activism

b) be more efficient

c) recruit more People to be activists

Activism is the normal state of human affairs and although some people view activism as deviant social behavior they appreciate the results of it. Bob suggested that we attempt to break this view and recruit more activists. He said the best way to do this is start out on a personal level.

He used the example of trying to figure out how to help a blind person cross the street saying most people would not stand by and not help the blind person. And he uses this as an analogy that one doesn't pass by unthinkingly not trying to find a simple solution to solve problems.

Bob: Why do people push to get one the bus? When people see a bus half empty they are polite and let others ahead of them but when they see a bus is jammed... people push to get on the bus. A normal person would just say that people are rude and complain about it. But an activist would say: "We need more buses" (seeking an alternative)

Bob stated that "Language (words) are a major barrier for activism in the U.S."

Bob then returned to questions on public/private ownership?

When does something controlled by the government belong to the public?

He asked that we reformulate and think of examples... examples given park, sidewalk, library, hospital, etc.

Patrick, another concerned citizen of the world, pointed out the difference between belong and control. Is it a public park if it has bum proof benches and riot police?

Bob asked us once again to reformulate the problem, where we lower our standards to where something useful is taken away or privatized and asks would that make us upset.

Focus our attention that we should be concerned about socialism/capitalism and pointed out that there are some things controlled by government that belong to the public that we believe are ours and would fight for them if taken away.

Bob : Activism is a 'good' and more activism is needed.

Cassandra (another concerned citizen): There is the march against war, there are certain amounts of activists and what amount of activists is needed for the activism to be effective?

Questions you can ask yourself or others...

Activism is a good produced by Activists, are we producing enough?
How can we produce more?

Activism is the normal state of human affairs
How do we contribute?

Why do people push to get on the bus?
Why is money so annoying?"