The Game, Is On

The game is on

What is it like to successfully help the government on a top-secret mission for years, and then be sentenced by the very same government?

What is it like to be forced into suicide, and have all your achievements kept secret for over 50 years?

Benedict Cumberbatch will give you a vivid image. In The Imitation Game.

What if machines couldn’t think — ? Well, the world wouldn’t be what it is today, that’s for certain.

Once again, I was stunned into silence by Cumberbatch’s performance on screen. But this time, it wasn’t only him.

Powerful, aren’t they? Words?

Every conversation goes deep into your soul, and makes you question yourself.

Why do people enjoy violence?

What is normal?

Why do people conform to normality, and punish those who aren’t?

What is indecency?

What’s a better marriage?

If you’re looking for answers, then the movie isn’t for you.

There are no answers in the movie. But you will find yourself wondering about everything society has ever taught you about normal. And that, can keep you awake for hours into the night.

I’m at a loss for what to say without quoting the entire script here. I enjoyed this movie like no other, and after a long time too.

Keira Knightley was beautiful. Which is not much a surprise. But what is, is that both Keira and Benedict had a wonderful chemistry on screen. A chemistry with the absence of fleeting passion and rapid breathing.

You don’t often see love depicted as in this movie. It’s both sad and nice, that two people who are so unlikely for each other, are perhaps best suited together.

“We’ll have each other’s minds. That sounds like a better marriage than most.”

For some reason, I could see a lot of resemblance to the Benedict’s characterisation of Alan Turing and Sherlock.

Arrogance. Soft chuckles. Total loss of sociability.

And, The Game.

You need to watch this movie, alone. To understand, to revere, and to appreciate the power of simple words.

And some badass acting.

The Gift

The neatly wrapped box sat atop a pile of garbage.

A heavily ragged man emerged from a nearby alley, limped purposefully towards the trash can, picked up the wrapped box and walked away mutely. As he did everyday.

Halfway around the city, on a pile of trash, sat another box.


A short story in 50 words. What do you guys think?

The Plan

After all the hype and all the changes in schedule, the weather forecast turned out to be completely wrong. Today’s Author

He re-read the schedule. Everything had to be perfect. Everyone had to obey orders. All had to go as planned.

He didn’t waver even when — without warning —  it started to snow. The others rejoiced, but he knew the plan had to go on. A lot was at stake.

“All right kids,” he called aloud. “Nothing’s stopping us.”

They looked at each other, mutely.

“Let’s do this!”

And he led the group to their deaths.

To Do or Not to Do

paulo coelho - university
I know a lot of people who regret not getting a college degree. It’s hard to not feel bad too, because all anyone’s ever talking about is what you do after high school, and after the first degree. Somehow, people have taken a liking to the idea of children living off their parents.
In India, in particular, parents are proud to spend for their child’s education – for as long as they want to study. Even though education has become one of the highest earning businesses in India, they hardly accept the futility of a degree.
So for everyone who regrets not getting a degree, Paulo Coelho has said it well. Besides, the world already has too many engineers, what it needs now is artists.

Letting Go,

letting-go

People protest

men argue

women clean

children wail

 

vast lands opening

shy grass peeping

decayed flowers rustling

stained corpses rotting

 

the sky’s alight

sun’s set deep

wails have died

conches have blared

 

veterans they’re piling

with bloods boiling

loud is the calling

of brethren crying

 

So, off to the rescue

mission’s not impossible

Heck, how hard can it be

to stand straight and shoot?

 

Man!

Did he who made the lamb make thee?


For no sane reason, it just popped into my head: “Did he who made the lamb make thee?”. What an iconic piece of writing by Blake. When I thought of ‘letting go,’ a lot came to mind, but one thing was profound: letting go of innocence. Growing up, realizing the true face of the world. And that’s when Blake crossed my mind.

The Tyger is one of my favourite poems, it depicts a fierce beast so beautifully that I could see it in my mind’s eye when I read it. And then comes Blake’s question: how can the same power create both the ever so gentle lamb, and such a contrasting beast?

It just doesn’t make sense.

So much like the world. Growing up, the world never really made sense to me. There were all these confused and contrasting thoughts among people. No one really is sure of what’s right and what isn’t.

Outgrowing your innocence is the hardest phase of a person’s life. But it happens to us all, and once it does, it will pass.