My"Lady Of Shalott"

My"Lady Of Shalott"

Here's how a fun, easy to understand, short way of learning "Lady Of Shalott"

Apparently, there is this place called Camelot which just exists in England i think. And at a distance,(this is how the movie would start with cast)over the green barley and rye plains, past the hillocks and hills(this is when the cast is playing with mild, touching music, mostly irish or LOTR type), lies a forest with willow trees. A small path leads you to a fork, similar to a one in Robert Frost's poem, "Road Not Taken". Should you take the right one, you would come to a river( god knows from where its starting or ending. Let's just name it  long river). And a boat ride would come to take you to the other side. This other side is where lies Shalott! Some place miles from Camelot. This is a town/city/village or whatever with a fortress and towers with reach the clouds. Has a very rustic atmosphere. And this is where our bored lady comes in. She is the "Lady" of Shalott, but she is only known to farmers leaving early for work and returning late. By knowing, they don't even see her, only hear her sing! And she is a Lady of Shalott! Well, anyway, this lady of ours is cursed(as in every fairy tale). If she looks at Camelot, something would happen to her. At present, we do not know what. According to books, it is suspense and stuff, but frankly, i felt no suspense. Infact, i did not want to know what the curse was. Anyway, all that this "lady" uses a mirror to look at the outside world. luckily this is not a  "mirror on the wall" mirror, but an ordinary one (dimensions not mentioned). She weaves all her sighting of that day on a web. Speaking of web, this is the only thing that she does all day. One posture, one activity, spin, spin and spin web. This web is again, magical. It's never ending, they say. She often feels jealous of young couples in love and stuff like that. Basically, things involving relationships. So, one day, out of no where, comes a knight called "Sir Lancelot"( HOW DO YOU SPELL IT? Lance-lot or Lanc-e-lot?!), riding on a horse. He's riding,riding, still riding and riding.Apparently, the horse leaves a trail of light behind it.(Did you see "Avatar"?yes, the similar way). The poet describes his horse's bridles and his armour and shield........ Suddenly, this knight of ours, flashes in our lady's mirror. And god knows why, her mind goes into a frenzy, A euphoria of sorts.  There are better ways of explaining this situation, but its fine. She gets up in a jiffy and jumps to the window, to look at him( how did she do that? i get cramps if i move after staying in a posture for 10 minutes. she must've been in that posture for days!) So, what we should feel pity about, over here, is that she looks at camelot; And the curse has fallen. She rushes to the river, Scratches her name on the boat. Wait, thats no name! They don't tell us her name.Anyway, she writes "Lady Of Shalott". Like anyone may have done that. Whats the proof she did?! So, she sails all the way down to Camelot, no idea how many hours. but on the way, she starts turning into stone, and once she reaches the first property in Camelot, she turns completely to stone. Lancelot says something which depicts irony in the story.

AND they lived happily ever after!

THE END!

So Not Made With The Red Wine Of His Mirth...

So Not Made With The Red Wine Of His Mirth.

John Masefield wrote,

"God made Heaven and Earth for joy He took in a rhyme,

Made them, and filled them full with the strong red wine of
His mirth" said John Masefield in his poem "Laugh and be merry" .

How true is this verse in his poem? Think about it. Well , in my opinion,  either what he said was not true or he just was ignorant of the truth. What he said s totally contradicting to what i find in today's world. 

This is why i say so. Whenever i go out, i see such hurting things which devastate me totally. Things which do not seem like they were made out of his "mirth". For example, today i was walking, again. And this sight was rather different. From a distance, i saw a bus stop in front of the bus bay. A middle aged man, holding a cane, walked out. I just thought he was a man with some problem in the leg. But as i went closer, i noticed a bend in the staff, at the bottom end. When i was at a very close distance to him, i noticed he was blind. He was just groping his way with the staff, but seriously, did not know where he was going. He was not cared by anyone. Was a sad sight, that one. Me and some random guy were looking at him constantly. the guy on the bike was only chewing Betel nuts, i guess, by the look of it. Anyway, the blind man stood silently as some buses arrived and left. He seemed somewhat lost. i finally got over the dilemma in my head to go or not, went to him and was about to ask  and in fact asked "Which bus do you want to get on  sir?". Just then, i think he sensed my presence, he asked me how to get to a certain place.  i just seemed to be lost myself. i do not know why. but i quickly regained my wit. i told him that he had to take an auto to get to that place and that  it would be more comfortable to do that. He seemed to be.... feeling bad or sad. One of those. He asked me in a dull tone, " Can you please help me cross the road?". Well, i did what he asked me to. Afterall, it was a very small task for me; a definitely big task for him. After crossing the road and helping him find an auto, he thanked me dozens and left. i just stood wondering how he would pay the auto driver. How he would know which note he was taking out, i do not know. But all i could do was think. it was the end of that. it was a contribution to my feeling if what John Masefield said was true. later in the night, i went to a bakery with my friends. There, i saw a very old man, i may say he was looking ancient. He was sitting silently on a small projection out of the wall, facing the smoky, busy road, looking at people passing by. Hoping one of them would buy the handlooms he was selling. Or atleast waiting to be sold. It was a sad sight. Though, i may not be able to explain properly. It was a sad sight, as always. Me and one of my friend went and bought two handkerchiefs from him, not able to bear the sight anymore. He gave us 2 big ones, fine material, for 50 rupees. Well, if that price was fair, cheap or not worthy, i am not sure. But i definitely respected his intention. Atleast, unlike few, he did not beg. I felt like cursing his successors for them to this to him. No offence, if his successors are physically challenged, disabled, or not existing. But yes, he was respectful. 

All this led me to conclude " God made Heaven and Earth for joy He took in a rhyme,

Made them, and filled them full with the strong red wine of his mirth," but did he also, unintentionally or intentionally, poured in some mirk? Some dark sadness? i don't know. Its just perception....

Clouds!

       Clouds....

There are a lot of things a person likes when it comes to the sky. And the most common thing a person likes when he looks at the sky are the clouds. And clouds attract me too.

Clouds are something which cheer me up the very instant i look at them. Not because of their humongous size or anything, but for the mental activity which it gives us. Yes, clouds give me a lot of mental activity. they rejuvenate my imagination and thought process. Clouds are  such fascinating additions to this world that they pretend or assume the very shape you want them to, or, you yourself are looking at a cloud which looks like what you're thinking. however it goes, clouds are real cheerful creations.

and that does not mark the end of these clouds. they not only assume your favorite figures, but they are also available in different colours and sizes. these clouds are available is small, vague lines to huge, sky covering blankets or vaporised substances. when it comes to that, there is nothing better than such a cloud to cheer my day up. the other thing is colour. these clouds assume different colours during different times. sometimes they are as white as milk, sometimes glow gold-saffron at dusk and cool grey when they are dead heavy, Safffron and grey clouds being my favourite.  

Well, this is all i can say about them clouds. Nothing else can boost your imagination like clouds!!

"COOL"ness!

                                      "COOL"ness.............

the title may be enough for understanding what i am going to write about. 

The world that we now live in is filled with the "cool" dudes. And to be popular among peers at school or anywhere, one has to be "cool". Well, i would totally agree, had this "cool"ness  not been a result of alcoholic habits and show of highly irritable, frustrating attitude. Otherwise, i would totally agree with being popular by being "cool". Well, this "cool"ness  is like a huge heavenly body, pulling you towards it. it is a tough job to escape this pull. Its generelly, in my opinion, not for being "cool" but just to fit into the "alpha" crowd in the circle, only because these people look like they are having great fun and are the most coolest people are in that particular group. Each and everyone goes through this phase at some point of their life. And this is where, i feel, they are tested.

What these "cool" people have is CHEAP POPULARITY. Just by doing things which may look "cool" does'nt make them popular in the true sense. Well, there is a very thin line between both, but it is comprehensible, though i cannot explain it. Well, let me try. Cheap popularity is something where you gain it by being notorious and not naughty or mischievious, dirty but not clean and so on........ But when it comes to real popularity, you achieve it by pure and "civilised" ways. People really build respect for you and as it implies, you are respected by all. But, as already stated, there is a very thin line. People generally cross this line without knowledge, but by self-doing. And once they cross it, they never come back.

Well, the rest of them, who strive and try to stay behind this line, never achieve what the "cool" people do, but definitely achieve something better.

The Joker in "The Dark Knight" says "Madness is like gravity and all it needs is a little push" . Well i would like to rephrase it. " "cool"ness is like gravity and and all it does is pull". But, it is upto us whether to push against it or not.......

Walk...............

                                                Walk........   

Well, this is our world. One with different people and different mindsets and different modes of travel. But the most basic mode of travel was once, walking, and is still practiced by some people. Well, for me, walking is really tough. Why do you think i said this? Because i get tired? Because i don't like sweat? Because........? NO!! that is not why i feel walking is tough. In those terms, for me, walking is really easy. Why i feel it is tough is because, when one is walking, he catches the view of the WORLD. Not some world evolving by the day or something which is rumored to be ending. But one that is filled with people who are trying to get on with their lives in some way or the other. And sometimes, i just feel sorry for them. Because they are like that. they are pitiful. These are the people i am going to talk about in this post. 

I am a student and live closeby to my school. i like walking and i often prefer walking to any other mode of travel. The road leading to my house is a main road, one of the important ones in the city. This road houses some educational institutions, software companies etc etc..... and, it also houses destitutes. this is the sight that depresses me the most. i do not know why they became destitutes, but all i feel is sad and sorry. i often wonder why they became destitutes, but i think, only for 5 to 6 steps of my long walk. the rest is just messed up. i never found an answer. i ask myself this question everyday, the same result continues...

there is this one man, and old man, whom i pass by everyday during my walk home. he is a destitute, there is'nt a single pinch of doubt about it. But, unlike few, he does not beg for the money he required to survive, nor does he sell things(stolen or not stolen). Instead, he takes to drawing pictures on the pitch black tar road in front of him. they are not pictures of random models, sceneries, heroes and heriones,cartoons or something. they are drawings of gods from different religions. and he does not ask passersbyes money for viewing it, but merely looks at them at turns his head away to look at the speeding vehicles. the pictures are simply marvellous. he uses inexpensive chalk to draw. i first came across him 3 years ago, on the opposite side to where he is "living" now. he was then too nothing less than a professional artist. back, then i used to cycle home and did not find much...interesting about him. but now, after 3 years, when i started walking, he looks older, but i still do not know his name, nor who he was, nor how he did/does such beautiful art. all i know is that he is poor and not desperate for money. He is in need of it, but he is not desperate for it. he is so old, that he does not have control over his tongue, which generally hangs out, nor his legs, which just sway about, nor his urinals, which i do not wish to speak off. he just has that little control of his hands which he uses to draw fantastic paintings. This brings a sorry smile to my face when i see it, but occasionally, with great struggle, he tries to perform a contemporary dance in view of recieving some meagre amount of money. Although it is funny, it is also a sad, sorry sight. 

I always wonder why people publicise random pictures of some priceless art done by some well-off person, or publicise  pictures of their doodles and tattoos, but never a drawing of a person like this, who is in dire need of money. Well, whenever i think of taking a picture of it( i.e. always), i find myself short of a camera........