The Alchemist

Finally got around to reading The Alchemist. Wonderful. There are passages that can bring lumps to throats of even cynical bastards like me. I am not as erudite as some of the bloggers i
have come across online, but what moved me was not only the simplicity but the language in which the simplicity was expressed. I had never heard of Alan R Clarke before, but i thought him to be no less than Paulo Coelho.

Coming to the point (my blog is always about MY point..i really dont care what happens in Bosnia, for example, if i dont have very definitive points of view about the same). Every book, movie, song, painting, whatever....becomes great if it has the power to tug at your heartstrings. And the more magnificient the work, I believe the more varied are the ways in which it can affect the person diving into it.

From the alchemist, what i took away was not the central concept - that some people are destined to do certain things, and if they have the courage to pursue their dreams then 'the whole world will conspire to make his dreams come true' (nagesh should have had the courtesy to mention the source when he included this line in Iqbal..as a 'serious' film maker, shouldn't it be his responsiblity to try to spread the WORD - things that have moved him?). What I took away was the other concept - live for the present. The past is meaningless, the future is not in your control, so fuck all that philosophy and take your life a day at a time, and make the best of it. My so called enlightened friends and bar mates can argue with me on this till Bush Jr learns the alphabet, but the crux for me was that he was describing the thinking of the nomads, bedouins and tribal leaders of Sahara. Those fuckers now snap their fingers and the Bushes and Clintons come running, while our Vajpayees and Manmohans with their 3000 years of heritage and culture go to the world bank with their bowls.

I am inspired. I was in my friendly neighborhood pauwa bar when I grasped this MAGNIFICIENT concept. I was watching Zee Music. Bips was looking gorgeous (dont get me started on her)..and since I have decided to live for the present, I am going to see No Entry tomorrow.

So, as the inimitable Cartman (South Park) will say..'screw u guys, i am goin' home'.