It is the night before Holi and I am sitting in my room listening to sad songs, mostly Tamil. Since I don't understand a word of Tamil, I can imagine the lyrics to mean anything I like. This comes in very handy when you want to listen to a sad tragic song describing your situation but cannot find a song that really sums up your trauma.
For instance, in my Hindi playlist I could not come up with a song that would convey the pain and tragedy one feels after one's 'Save Water' campaign on Holi has failed and one has to watch 2000 liters of fresh drinking water being poured into a muddy pit for people to frolic in the next day.
As the speakers hum plaintively - 'Oh maname, oh maname' from Ullam Ketkume - my fertile imagination sprouts new meaning to the song.
o manamae Oh dear heart
o manamae dear fragile, keep right side up heart
uLLirundhu azhuvadhu yaen? what went wrong with the save water drive?
o manamae oh easily breakable heart
o manamae oh dear bubble wrap packaged heart
sillu sillaay udaindhadhu yaen? the silly campaign did not work, is it?
mazhaiyai thaanae yaasithoam 2000 liters of fresh chlorinated water
kaNNeer thuLigaLai thandhadhu yaar? were you not going to save it this time?
pookkaL thaanae yaasithoam before it was poured in that 8X8X2 feet ditch
kooLaan kaRkaLai eRindhadhu yaar? why did you not cut off the water supply?
It is easy enough if you close your eyes, do not watch the original video and have met a tragedy of similar upset value. It can be a healing process and help ease the pain. Unless of course if you are a film person. In that case, far from healing, you will start mentally editing a montage of visuals from the tragic episode, that best fit the song. You will weave a narrative of your tragedy in a healthy mix of interesting camera angles, cuts and pace.
In my montage I also like to include what could have happened. Just now I imagine jumping into that water filled pit from the 2nd floor with a loud crash. As the crowd runs for cover, some foolish ones stay back to challenge the say of an environmentalist who can kick butt too! Then I kick their butt.
There is an alternative emotional resolution too, in which I slash my arm and let blood trickle into the watery pit and proclaim - "Duniyawalon, yeh paani nahi; kisi ka khoon hai jo beh kar yahan aata hai. Aur aaj is khoon ke saath mera khoon bhi bahega". At this point people are already weeping and some of them give me a hug. Then we turn off the taps and celebrate a dry holi.
My favourite is the one where I dress up in black fitting combat gear, make blueprints in secrecy, train for a while then sneak into the municipal water tank. Here I cut off the water supply to the city for the whole week and bring poetic justice. Tadaaaaa! This one did not fit in with the sad theme of the song but I liked its radical angle anyhow.
Sadly like every song, this one too came to an end; and so did my random musings. In an unprecedented act of learning by example, I stepped out of the fancy world of my montage and drew the following conclusion. Change is not instant noodles. People will resist it. People will reason with it. People will, one day, adopt it.
Snap out of that sad song playlist. Get out of the fictitious montage making. There is work to be done, change to be brought. Happy Holi
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