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Good times, Bad times


Watched Ta Ra Rum Pum today. Its an average movie which recites the story of a family which does not lose faith in adversity and stays together.

Rajveer (never been to college) a numero uno car racer marries Radhika (joins the league by dropping out of college) an amateur pianist. They and their two kids live a luxurious life (the luxuries are bought either on loans or on installment payment). The story takes a turn when the racer hero meets with an accident on the racing track. He takes 1 year to recuperate and get back to the racing track. When he finally makes a comeback, at one of the crucial moments of his first race he gets reminded of the deadly accident he had in the past and his foot loses contact from the accelerator. He loses 1o races in a row and his racing contract is cancelled. The family loses everything (actually they didnt own anything in the first place). A series of events show the parents making sacrifices for the kids and the kids doing the same for their parents. The yesteryear's racer becomes a taxi driver (too late to go to college and earn a degree), while the woman plays piano at birthday parties, funerals, hotels (in turn paid a measly amount because of lack of a degree or a certificate). Finally, the racer makes a second comeback and wins the race this time.

Moral of the story:
1) Get a degree before getting married to an unqualified partner.
2) Plan and save money for the future.
3) What else???? (I m thinking).

Unlike many other movies based on sports (and i m not talking about Awwal Number) this one fails to show the passion for the sport. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander might have failed at the box-office, but the movie beautifully portrayed the zeal of 3 of its main characters. A father cum sports-coach trains his elder son so that he can make his dream come true by defeating the champion of the rival college. The elder son's wish is the same as his father's. The younger son, irresponsible spoilt brat, undergoes a transformation after an incident and lives the dream of his father. That was a movie!


Coming back to real life, all of us at some point of time or the other have suffered hardships and made sacrifices for our families. Movies sharing this theme (whether it is "Children of Heaven" or "The Pursuit of Happyness") always take me back to "such times" in my life.

The company my father was working for was going in loss and was about to shut. For a long time, my brother and i were unaware of the situation. Then one day my friend asked me whether my dad is getting his monthly salary since one of her family friend who also works in the same company is not getting paid for the past 3-4 months. Later i came to know that situation at our home was the same. That was the time when i had finished school and got enrolled in college. I was deported to my uncle's place in a different city.


I did my graduation staying with my relatives. My uncle did everything to make me feel at home. I used to get 2o rupees per day for the rickshaw fare from college to home. I spent 4 rupees and travelled by auto. Rest of the money was either saved or spent on college outings, gifts for friends and an occasional indulgence of an ice-cream or a pastry. I didnt like asking for money for these things or other requirements.


As a part of the course every year we had to do a project and submit a report. I didnt have any problem in the first year. I planned the work so that i could make my report while at home during my vacations. Due to some reason this could not be done in the second year of B.Sc. I calculated the expenditure in compiling the report. 30 pages. Charges of using a computer at an internet cafe: Rs 20 per hour. Cost of print-out: Rs 10 per page. The expected amount crossed Rs 500.

I didnt have that much money. If i would have asked my parents they would have told my uncle. And i didnt want that because of other reasons. The same year my father had an angioplasty done. A huge amount of money was spent on that (courtesy: my uncle). 500 rupees required for my project report would not have been an additional "burden". However, I decided against doing a project that year. I lost 60 marks allotted to the project. And my percentage came crashing down from 74 % to 67 % as i didnt do well in the theory exams too.


I dont regret that. On the other hand i wish i could do something "more positive" to make the conditions at home a little better. I wish i could earn money at that time.

Comments

AK said…
hmmm......

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