Sau gram Zindagi

While on the bus the other day, I passed a spot where an accident had taken place. Usually most people stand up and crane their neck to get a glimpse of the scene. I am not one of them. I am sensitive in this sense, preferring  to move on rather than have a disturbing image affixed in my brain. Probably some poor guy must be lying in a pool of blood with many parts of the body broken and writhing in pain, or worse, dead. One split second before the accident, all was well and then Bang! His life just changed forever.

This just underscores how fickle life is. We fret and fiddle and plan and arrange, and then just out of the blue  everything changes. All that we think changes. All plans change. Life changes. This does not mean we should not think about our future - that would be plain stupid. I just want to say how, in particular cases, the best laid plan can go awry.

In case you are wondering if I am smoking pot, be assured that I ain't doing no such thing. Its just that I saw the movie Guzaarish some days back. The protagonist in the film is a magician who is afflicted with paraplegia after a complex magic trick goes horribly wrong. He spends the next 14 years on a bed, cared for by his devoted nurse, guided by his able doctor, and hosting a radio show. He becomes the inspiration of thousands through his show, and is considered a survivor and a winner. And then one fine day he requests his lawyer to file an euthanasia plea in court. Initially nobody understands why he does this, as everybody feels that he is not a person to do such a thing. But as the movie progresses, we understand his motivation, and are able to empathize with him. The lower court rejects his plea, but  they appeal to a higher court. I will not give out the ending here - but will say that its poignant and moving.

I particularly like the song 'Sau gram zindagi' from this movie. I take the liberty to copy the lyrics of the first stanza here:

 Thodi si meethi hai
Zara si mirchi hai
Sau gram zindagi yeh
Sambhaal ke kharchi hai

You can listen to it online here