ACHARYA – A compelling lifestory of living legend

ACHARYA –  A compelling lifestory of living legend   

                

Lucky is the man who knows what he wants and devotes his whole life for that single purpose.  And very few people in this world are very fortunate to live their lives as per their aspirations .  Maestro in devotional songs aka ‘bhajan shiromani’ Bhakta Raj Acharya falls in the category of such very few men although his life as we see doesn’t seem to be bed of roses.  “Acharya” venturing to give a fresh and different fragrance to the staleness of old and the same spinning loom of “romeo and Juliet” film making trendz , it is probably the first Nepali film based on the  life of living legend like Bhakta Raj Acharya.

This is the recent movie after “Pal” which has added an ineradicable hue in Kollywood ( at least I have the right to be subjective!!) . Films can be misleading and many times exaggeration as in the disclaimer’s note of most films  we see the  pleading claim  saying “ the film is the work of  pure fiction. Any resemblance to anybody’s lives are purely co-incidental’. What it implies is what we watch is somebody’s projection into the situation and may be sometimes the accomplishment of  repressed wishes, unfulfilled desires and utopian optimism that wud be like next to impossible in real life.  The happy endings as pictured in most of the films do not necessarily reflect the mystiques of life. And life as we know is not always  the happy ending.  So it is more assuring to watch the the factual events like a lifestory of some person than the truth extrapolating from someone’s belief and conception.

The journey starts from the fragile point of poverty, deprivation and loss. But in the mind of little bhakte the addicting fumes of music is steeling the passion to be a great musician . Then his whole life becomes the ups and downs keynotes of music.  Sometimes it pitches high with hopes, success , happy moments and accomplishment but then it is weighed down by the heavy note of poverty, hopelessness and irreversible turning in the life.

The filmstory can be seen in different perspectives.  Talking about the background of the story, it looms around in the abject poverty. It shows the poverty and helplessness  of the most Nepalese people.  The main compelling theme of the story is the aspiration of Bhakta Raj and his  unflinching attachment and determination towards it. What audiences can get sense after watching the film is that a man with true passion can always be in the lead no matter what situations one has to go through . May be there is not much money in the Nepalese music industry which can be clearly inferred from the constant, not- leaving decrepit condition of Bhakta Raj Acharya.  But his life goes on sailing with the satisfaction he gets from his passion.  Life is a full of bitter ironies and the one sudden irony becomes the irreversible turning point of Bhakta Raj’s  life. When he is in the peak of his fame and success, Bhakta Raj , after the unpleasant incident ,gets the tongue cancer. Then his whole career comes to sudden halt when  his tongue has to be cut .   The loose ends of the threads of life gets quickly unfastened. The momentary dream he had then becomes the pinching thorns of reminder  of his futile existence .The another notable thing in the story is the support  and unwavering attachment one should have to drag the life amidst the pitch darkness of hopelessness . When Bhakta Raj Acharya thinks of ending his life himself , it is his wife who gives him the hope and reason to live.  May be the providence of a human life is very dramatic than one can possibly think of.  The legacy of such legendary  figure as Bhakta Raj Acharya  is now in it’s  momentary gleam (though he cannot sing himself )as his duo sons , Satya and Swaroop Raj Acharya have dragged their father’s name establishing their own names in the Nepali Music Industry.  They have been very blessed sons for him as if they have been sent by the god to continue on his unfinished and incomplete passion.

The film has been a milestone in terms of it’s  technical aspect.  The film is very lively and riveting as  usual dialogue problems in Nepali films can’t be found in this picture. There is no phoniness, irrelevant sequences and scenes and impossible heroism and turn-out of events. Even there are no superstars or big personas. The lead role of Bhakta Raj Acharya is played by his eldest son Satya Raj Acharya  rightfully and very professionally. It proves that he’s not only a good singer but also a good actor.  It’s a simple story and the story-telling of film is highly appreciable.

Not only the Nepali  music fans but who wants Nepali films to be in the comparable position of Hollywood and Bollywood should grab the tickets and  get submerged  in the film.  Well I can’t take a guarantee for others, but after seeing this film my interest to the Nepali Sugam Music has been greatly stirred. Why only talk about others films only and be pretentious of being a smart ass (oh!!forgive my language) !! let’s be proud to talk about our own films also and be a true Nepali.

( i haven’t included the negative points about film cause the in my opinion there are only some negligible loopholes when included wudn’t account the relevancy and the good taste. your contradictory view on that matter  will be highly appreciated )

The Tremor of Death

The Tremor that Shook the Life out of me….

All over  Nepal, the people were still oblivion when the ground began to shift and soon there was hullabaloo, panic , uproar ans fuss… people shouting ,”earthqauke, oh my god” and moving out of their houses totally out of their mind made a scene of complete chaos.

I, with such anticipation which was out of bounds in my mind , was passing my time checking out the tweets. Then the chair began to rock suddenly. I wondered what was happening and I reasoned that the legs of it must have gotten weaken. But my mind soon leaped up when i heard the sound of my wardrobe  trembling with the quivering sound. Without further delay and contemplation i moved myself under the table. The death being near to me jolting hear and there to look out for me ,it  was the time in which i had never felt the want to live so strongly than before .

I never felt death so close at my heels as i felt at that moment under the table. It was like the feeling when you are put into the noose for the execution but the only difference was the freckle of hope that you might get over with this.  And strangely, the boy that used to be critical on the existence of the god and never wanted to believe something that some figure as godly ever existed ( but i am not  an atheist ) happened to automatically and involuntarily  mumble the prayers and recite the gods names repeatedly until the shake stopped.  My heart rushed the blood uncontrollably over all of my veins and the adrenaline rush stopped every other bodily functions and thinking . My mind was like a black slate looming over the fear to succumbed so young and so early. Through the midway of the quake, the shaking was increased and that point i felt like the walls around me crumbling  away ( actually it wasn’t, only my thinking) and i was numb with thinking that i would be dead. After a while i found the movement to and fro ceased and then i heaved  my long sigh of relief.

It was the astonished feeling afterwards that how selfish i was as i now remember that i didn’t care about others and only prayed the god for  my safe pass.   After i met up with my family members, i found them also in a serious mental agitation. It was  an one time, but never i would wish for another, horrendous experience in my life. Now, it gives me immense pain to think  about the victims that  were killed in the earthquakes before and are killed in this earthquake too  which otherwise  at other times were the subjects that didn’t demand much of my sentiment and concerns.

While it has not been even 4 hours  after the tremor, it would be wishful thinking that this may not come as a aftershock afterwards. It’s 10:30 pm and as i wrap-up i see the whole night vigil in front of me with the much unwanted anticipation of the aftershock that may again badly knock my unconsciousness into consciousness. With the hope of living again and the lingering watch of death  , i now sign off.

picture abhi baaki hai dosht ………..

YOUTH AS NATION BUILDERS

Youth as Nation Builders

– Shashank Bista

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‘You are young only once, and if you work it right, once is enough’, so said Joe F. Lewis.

Youths are referred to as the future of a nation. This to my mind is a fallacy. How can we forget that they are as much a part of the present? So it is said that youths are not only the leaders of tomorrow but also the partners of today. 

The term nation-building usually refers to a constructive process of engaging all citizens for social cohesion in a democratically inclusive manner to achieve the desired economic prosperity and political stability. Here it is important to note that skilled manpower is a sin qua non for nation-building. And this skilled manpower embodies the experience of trained veterans and the fresh exuberance and dynamism of youths.

A nation is built out of collective human intellect and concentrated effort. This can be confirmed by the fact that many countries are able to attain steady growth and development with limited natural resources through the intelligence of their people and the integrity and industry of their labour force. Youths are considered social assets and they occupy a crucial place in the unfolding saga of a nation. Their contribution is acutely needed and valued by every nation.

Young minds can work more ingeniously than tired minds. The pattern of new thoughts and ideas which spring up in young minds can bring about a wind of transformational change in our societies. Youths are referred to as the future of a nation. This to my mind is a fallacy. How can we forget that they are as much a part of the present? So it is said that youths are not only the leaders of tomorrow but also the partners of today. Overlooking the youths or ignoring their potential today by deeming them as assets of tomorrow only can be a ruinous mistake. Empowering them and engaging them in constructive pursuits today could very well be the harbinger of a better tomorrow for the nation.

Many scholars opine that time is not evaluated by what has been harvested but by what has been planted. They also say that investing in a child is the best investment. Thus and so, instead of drying out every little bit of natural resource, non-renewable more so in the name of progress, it would perhaps be wise to invest in the development of youths. Both the government and society at large have equal responsibility to provide avenues for the holistic growth of the population through total quality education and create opportunities for their individual improvement and collective national betterment. Here one can clearly feel the need for a comprehensive national youth development policy, national youth service scheme and such other youth related programmes.

A point to note, however, is the fact that policies and structures by themselves mean little if youths do not demonstrate the required purpose and inclination to make their best use. The younger generation must, therefore, be ready and willing to take any opportunity that might come their way. It is the reality of the world that all youths cannot end up occupying executive chairs and working in posh offices with state-of-the-art facilities. It is fine if white-collar jobs come your way. What, if they don’t? There is dignity in every labour. So it is important that youths be prepared to take up vocational education and train as junior level technicians in different fields and be the engine of national growth.

Any economy cannot be considered prosperous with the growth of one isolated sector. For the economy to stand strong, overall progress in every area is essential. And for this to happen every youth must engender in her or him the value that every job is important. Equally imperative it is for their parents to understand the fact that there is no work that is more or less important. All the vocations hold equal significance seen in the larger context of national development.

As per Pearl S. Buck, a Nobel laureate in literature, ‘The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible and achieve it, generation after generation.’ The significance here is clear: the youths are go-getters, they are achievers. And the nation advances on their achievement. So the effort put in by youths is invaluable for the onward march of a nation. If we are to imagine an ideal world, I believe it is one where adults and young – combined might of a nation – work together and build a thriving society from ground up where there is no hunger, no illiteracy, no discrimination but equal opportunity for every one and where there is no poverty but enough for all and where there no insecurity, fear and violence but peace. Youths hold the capacity to help realize it and therein lies the power behind the potential role of youths as nation builders. Viva la youth!

(The writer is the blogger’s best friend . The blogger is the big fan of his writing. I had got approval to publish this after insisting him to tap on his latent talent.. kudos to him for such a wonderful piece.. )