The story of human sexuality is a story of the transformation of ideas and philosophy. In a society which was dominated by imperialism and fascist political class, we revolted for a new kind of freedom. The kind of freedom that gave the right to pleasure for an individual and the right to express his or her sexual orientation in an open-minded culture. Rajit Roy
The beginning of the Hippie movement in the 1960s led to a revolution of thought and behavior in American youth. Hedonistic lifestyle became a prominent symbol of dissent against the traditional bourgeoisie and the idea of ‘free love’ defined a countercultural perspective that was based on tolerance and common human feeling. With this came a new age philosophy which promoted sexual liberation of the individual. Increased acceptance of premarital sex, skepticism towards traditional moral values about relationships and most importantly, a diversion from staunch heterosexuality made waves across the west which was still emerging from the trauma of the World War and looking for ways to escape the pain of an existential crisis. Sex was fast becoming a symbol of individual freedom and empowerment of the youth. With the rise of feminism, the female sexual choice became a flourishing debate across the modern world. However, amid all this commotion there lay deeply rooted academic scholarship that was trying to understand the psychology and sociology of human sexual behavior. The superstar psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud began an analysis of human sex in terms of day-to-day behavior and bonding. He went on to define libido as a form of sexual energy that drives human behavior and society at large. The Freudian school laid an unprecedented emphasis on sex in order to explain broader impetus in human nature. Michel Foucault of France wrote The History of Sexuality in which he presented a detailed analysis of the evolution of sex as a cultural practice and its impact on society and politics of the age. “We demand that sex speak the truth [...] and we demand that it tell us our truth, or rather, the deeply buried truth of that truth about ourselves which we think we possess in our immediate consciousness.” This kind of thoughtful attitude towards sexuality broke the taboo that existed around it despite the ancient texts in the Oriental countries that celebrated the idea of man’s animal propensity, Kamasutra being the quintessential one. With this drastic transformation of ideologies, there came an increased acceptance or rather idealization of open representation of sex in culture and art. Pornography became a mainstream industry with revolutionaries like Hugh Hefner making it a household phenomenon in progressive cultures. Prostitution, though it remained largely obscured as it ever was, became a symbol of sexual independence in a society that was becoming more tolerant towards open relationships contrary to marriages. Today we are part of a new kind of sexual revolution where homosexuality and LGBT communities are no longer prone to judgments and insecurity, however, there’s still a long way to go. The story of human sexuality is a story of the transformation of ideas and philosophy. In a society which was dominated by imperialism and fascist political class, we revolted for a new kind of freedom. The kind of freedom that gave the right to pleasure for an individual and the right to express his or her sexual orientation in an open-minded culture. However, with this freedom, we are bound by a responsibility that transcends any caste or sex. A responsibility to hold on to basic human principles of decency and moral awareness. There are still miles to go when we reach that point of spiritual excellence where sex can liberate the human soul.
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Piyush Mishra is a true genius and "Gulaal" is one masterpiece of his literary ingenuity. A re-imagining of Sahir Ludhianvi's dystopian yet powerful poem, O Ri Duniya, which encompasses the whole concept of this film, is a song which reminds us of our descent into a corrupt and bloodthirsty world. It's surprisingly thoughtful and philosophical for a song from mainstream Bollywood and makes our hearts wrench with a kind of disillusionment that defines almost all of Anurag Kashyap's cinematic efforts. Read it, listen to it, think about it for a moment, and if you can, do watch the movie. O world, O dear world, O world of cups of kohl-lined eyes (from which one can drink), O world of rainbow-colored colors and Gulaals.. It's a world of flowers decorating sleepy beds, it's a world of lazy-stretching pigeon.. it's a world of truth sleeping (calmly) by its side, and a world of a temperament going mad.. it's a world of needs wrapped with wishes, it's a world of humans' dreams and their intentions.. World, o world, what's there (to celebrate) even if one gets this world.. what's there even if one gets this world.. what's there.. (there is nothing in this world that is worth).. The world of stories of (mothers') shredded love, The world of sisters' sobbing youth, A world of the relation of Adam and Eve, World of uninspiring words of poets.. The world of Ghalib and Momin's dreams, the world of those revolutons of poets like Majaz (Lakhnawi), World of Faiz (Ahmed Faiz), Firaaq (Gorakhpuri), Sahir (Ludhiyanvi), Makhdoom (Mohiuddin), Mir (Taqi Mir), (Mohd Ibrahim) Zauq, and Daagh (Dehlvi).. Within moments, things move on, within moments, nights go (as in, everything goes in a matter of moments) the one who remains, looks for the morning, looks for a place to live in the burning house.. Save this world, whatever is remaining in here, as it is, Think of it as your own, and pick it up (in your arms, to protect it), (else) it'll start burning in small-unimportant things, save this world, it'll be cut-bruised-beaten and will be living in nights (dark times), save this world.. O world, dear world, They say that the world is not this much (only), there are more world beyond the stars, It's not just us, there is Someone Else too everything about us is decided there only, (and) we don't have an objection to that anywhere, They're knowledgeable, virtuous, would be correct too, But this philosophy goes bad, when they say- The Intelligent says there is Eeshwar, The Virtuous says there is Allah, The Perfect one says there is Jesus, Then the destination says to the man, that- this world is yours, you only take care of it! This world of a few old, dying lamps, world of your dark intentions... (Translation by bollywoodmeaning.com) Aa kood. Isme khazana chupa hai! That is perhaps the most apt way to review the 1988 masterpiece by Kamal Swaroop called Om Dar B Dar. Released in select theatres only after 25 years of its making, Om Dar B Dar makes for a perfect study of Camus’ philosophy of the absurd. Though the filmmaker’s own familiarity with the Algerian philosopher’s ideas is not known, yet his movie evokes the kind of mesmerisation and nostalgia that erupted from The Myth of Sisyphus. Revolting against the orthodox style of storytelling and filmmaking, Om Dar B Dar challenges the very notion of style and form, in cinema and life in general. The dialogues are so random yet so profound subconsciously that you can’t help but wonder at the ease with which imagination flows at every instance of the movie. Gayatri: “Tujhe kaise pata barish hone wali hai ?” – “How do you know it’s going to rain?” Om: “Tu Kangi jo kar rahi hai” – “Because you are combing your hair.” It’s a cinematic experience that cannot be missed. Filled with the most weird combination of elements- Brahma, Biology, Rana tigrina, Non-cooperation by not breathing, diamonds, the story is like an “LSD trip”. Yet, despite the nonsensical narrative (which was intended) Om Dar B Dar brings forth a post-modernist philosophy that satires everything that ever stood for anything. It’s a deconstruction of meaning, of man’s never-ending quest for context and linearity, and eventually ends up giving the most elemental of sermons ever made- Man creates meaning by himself. The so-called story ends with one of the lead characters committing suicide by his lover’s side, revoking Camus’ central statement- There’s only one serious philosophical question and that is suicide. The whole film, in fact, seems to be portraying what Albert Camus said about the absurd- “Man stands face to face with the irrational. He feels within him his longing for happiness and for reason. The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need and the unreasonable silence of the world.” Watch it. Don’t try to understand it. Admire it. Feel it and watch it change your perspective. Aatankkari tadpole ne mendhak banne se inkar kar diya tha! (Terrorist tadpole had refused to become a frog!) (Acknowledgement: arthousecinema.in is a wonderful place to discover films such as these and their timeless impact.) |
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Rajit Roy
An existential romantic, an agnostic and a prospective biologist. Archives
September 2018
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