For a long time, I was the metaphorical polliwog or tadpole in a jammed pond. Born and bred in India and circumscribed within its territory, I wasn’t awake to anything beyond its geography, colours, textures, the tropical sounds, smells and tastes. As I grew older, I found within me a strange kind of restlessness, a sweet desperate ache to explore how the other earthlings live. Besides, I read in a book that “cosmic persons” don’t acknowledge “otherness” and see the universe as an extension of their own souls. When this is the case, one ceases to recognise race, religion, color or creed. Territorial boundaries become but a formality.
To cite a quote: “The narrow-minded ask ‘Is this man a stranger or is he one of our tribe?’ but to those in whom love dwells the whole world is but one family.” Didn’t Swami Vivekananda also espouse the concept of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (entire world being one family)?
I discover each day yet another hidden nook on the atlas and one more little nugget about the world of which I am but a speck. I’ve seen parts of three other countries apart from my own—a few days spent in Maldives recently taught me that waters could be crystal clear, and sands as white as snow. The surreal surroundings, notwithstanding, Maldivians are earthy and friendly, ever ready to talk about politics.
Another initiative I took was watch as many foreign films as time permitted. The movies may have been a distortion or exaggeration, but nevertheless some kind of a reflection of the ethos, ideology and make-up of the countries.
The Iranian film “Baran” (2001) shows the story of Afghan refugees living in Iran and the vicissitudes they face. Since the refugees are illegally employed and possess no identity card; their lives are a perennial ordeal of endless toil and caginess to avoid detection. In this stark landscape, love blossoms between Lateef, a 17-year-old Iranian who works at a tea stall, and Baran, a young Afghan girl.
The Chinese movie “Little Red Flowers” is a comment on the rigid, disciplinarian schooling system in China. The protagonist, a child of 4, turns into an unruly little renegade. “3-Iron” is a touching South Korean tale of empathy that develops between an abused housewife and a young, homeless hooligan with a heart of gold. “The Flower in his Mouth” gives profound insight into the workings of the Sicilian mafia where the main character arrives as a newly appointed schoolteacher.
My personal pick would undoubtedly be Israeli film “The Band’s Visit” that narrates the story of the Egyptian police orchestra stranded in a remote, spartan Israeli town which they reach by mistake. Circumstances force the band members to stay overnight in the houses of a few denizens of the near-deserted town. What follow during the course of the night is a glimpse into the lives of their hosts, and surprisingly an insight into their own.