Anand!!!

 The only movie that I am able to think about since yesterday is Anand! Probably the greatest movie in Indian cinema directed by the great director Hrishikesh Mukharji (Hrisha Da) and with couple of great actors of our time made this movie a timeless classic. 

The character Anand is someone I have been inspired by a lot. He was chatty, bubbly and so full of life. He lived life at a supersonic pace and laughed like there was no tomorrow. Behind all that was an ailing cancer patient who was coming to terms with it and while he was at it, lived wholeheartedly. The friendships he made along the way and the relationships he built were something I wish for everyone. 

There were some heart-touching scenes of relationship and bonding it makes you cry. The way he asks Dara Singh to help a girl and comes up with the work MukkaLaat instead of mulakaat :) Like when his friend's wife calls him bhayya, Anand says 'Kya aashirwad du behen, yeh bhi to bol nahi sakta ki meri umar tumhe lag jaaye'. Or his super chemistry with Murarilal the theater director who then introduces Anand to Rajani Ben 'Ben hogi teri :D'. And the time when Murarilal visits Anand aka Jaychand home and finds out about his cancer 'Mein dua karta hoon ke mein yeh shart haar jaaun' (with tears in his eyes, there is something about funny people when they cry, it hits you the most). Anand's conversations with the nurse who he calls mummy were heart-touching.

But the best was his bond with Babumushoi. Two completely opposite characters come together as best friends. Even the irritating scolding was fun and showed the connection they had. Anand cared for Babumushoi in such a different way. They lived and laughed together and shared a special bond. The strongest words was when Anand says 'Mein har din maut dhekta hoon, tumhari aakhon mein'. Then he goes on to say 'Babumushoi, zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin. Jab tak zinda hoon tab tak mara nahi… Jab mar gaya sala main hi nahi. Hum aane waale gham ko kheench taan kar aaj ki khushi pe le aate hai… aur us khushi mein zehar ghol dete hai'. So true isn't it, we overthink all the wrong things and screw up the small happiness we can find today.

The ending scene was probably the strongest of any movie I have watched. The concerns Anand shows during this last few mins about Babumushoi hit me, that is what true friends do "Dost Babumushoi ko sambhal lo, who mere bina reh nahi sakta, who bahut kamzoor hai". And then asks for the recording  which starts with a hard-hitting poem :

"Maut tu ek kavita hai…

Mujhse ek kavita ka Vaada hai milegi mujhko…

Doobti nabzon mein jab dard ko neend aane lage…

Zard sa chehra liye chaand ufak tak pahunche…

Din abhi paani mein ho raat kinaare ke kareeb…

Na andhera, na ujala ho… Na abhi raat, na din…

Jism jab khatam ho aur rooh ko jab saans aaye…

Mujhse ek kavita ka vaada hai milegi mujhko"

As the poem ends, Anand leaves us all with silence and void. Babumushoi returns home and yells at him to talk, then:

"Babumushoi, zindagi aur maut upar waale ke haath hai…

Usse na toh aap badal sakte hai na main…

Hum sab to rangmanch ki kathputliyan hai jinki dor upar waale ki ungliyon mein bandhi hai.Kab, kaun, kaise uthega … Yeh koi nahin bata sakta hai, ha ha ha"

The laughter at the end says so much about life and how to live and also engulfs everyone with grief and sadness. Probably that is what some people can do to you, make you fight for life and when they leave, give you such positivity that you can carry on for long.

Sadly, that is what happened yesterday when a lively bubbly fighter named Neelam lost her battle with cancer and passed away. She was wifey's cousin who I visited last month in Pune and was inspired by the way she fought it (there is a blog named "Satisfied" I wrote last month). We couldnt even visit to play our respect as she went from being alive to ashes within 6 hrs (due to complications, they could not wait). Not once I thought she will pass away, such was her determination and positivity. She had no friends, no husband/kids, no extended family around...and took total charge of the situation with her mom. Her constant smile and sparkle in her eye never gave an impression of an ailing person. I thought she will make it through just by her determination and had her in my prayers for the last 1 year. I am not even able to think of anything else since yesterday, forget releasing her from my prayers. I so wished she will be around to tell her story of grit and determination to the world, but it was not the case (probably I will do it for her). There is a feeling creeping in that if God really exists and if yes, what has her mother deserved to lose her mother, husband, and daughter to cancer at a very young age. I just hope Neelam has influenced her mother enough to continue to live life.

Today being Guru Poornima, I want to take this as the biggest lesson from Neelam. Life is worth fighting for no matter how low the chances are ('Jab tak zinda hoon tab tak mara nahi… Jab mar gaya sala main hi nahi'). And while we are at it. live it to the fullest without any regrets. Things could change very quickly and we have to be ready for any challenge life throws at us. And do not lose hope as miracles do happen. Spread this positivity around, you don't know who might be in desperate need of it.

All I can say today is 'Thank you Neelam! for being in our lives, for being part of our journey, for showing us how to face death (even on the last day she said she was not in pain), for showing us to hope and fight, and for the never-fading smile'. Hope I will live life to the fullest and face death with the same positivity when my turn comes. 

I will cherish that smile forever and Neelam will live in our thoughts. As Hrishi Da rightly said 'Anand mara nahi, Anand marte nahi!!'