Anupam- The Dreamer

What is the single most common desire that is present amongst all the living beings in the world, including human beings and other animal species? It is nothing else than the basic innate “desire to live life”! Almost nobody who is born in this world wants to die before living his/her own life to the best of their ability. This is “one thing” that unites us all, irrespective of our gender, race, religion, region etc. Conversely, it is the “fear of death” that is again found in common among all living beings. We all know that everybody who has taken birth has to die one day or the other. But, we live life oblivious of this harsh reality and most of us would even freak out if they come to know that they have a limited time at their disposal. This realization, if it comes to us readily, can make a huge difference in our world view and our attitude towards approaching life.

For example, there was a man called Randy Pausch, who was a professor at an American university. He was living a healthy life, until suddenly he came to know about his pancreatic cancer, and that he had only a few months to live! In his literally “The last lecture”, which he gave at his university (also later a book with the same name), he spoke about his feelings and how he handled those last few months with courage, positivity and strength. He recorded videos for his kids, made a home for his family and tried to secure their future even when he will be there no more. He had lived his life well and had no regrets, even when he knew that he had an incurable disease which would eventually take his life.

Similarly, if you have seen the legendary movie “Anand”, Rajesh Khanna came to know about his incurable disease called lymphosarcoma of the intestine, a rare type of cancer. He knew that his time is limited on this earth. But rather than lamenting about this fact, he wanted to live the remaining time to his fullest. Rajesh Khanna in his famous dialogues says to his good friend Dr. Bhaskar (Amitabh Bachchan), who was very worried and helpless looking at his friend’s condition, that-

बाबूमोशाई ज़िन्दगी बड़ी होनी चाहिए,लम्बी नहीं। मौत के डर से अगर ज़िंदा रहना छोड़ दिया, तो मौत किसे कहते हैं।  क्यों दोस्त? जब तब ज़िंदा हूँ तब तक मरा नहीं, जब मर गया साला मैं ही नही। तो डर किस बात का?

ज़िन्दगी और मौत ऊपर वाले के हाथ है जहांपनाह, उससे न आप बदल सकते हैं और न मैं।  हम सब रंगमंच की कठपुतलियां हैं, जिनकी डोर ऊपर वाले की उँगलियों में बंधी है।  कब, कौन, कैसे उठेगा, कोई बता नहीं सकता। 

These dialogues speak volumes about the temperament of Anand, who goes on to live the best time of his “remaining life”. You would have to watch the movie actually, to capture the true essence of the dialogues. These are not just dialogues, but rather a whole different perspective towards living life. And, how true Anand was! The life is so fragile and so uncertain, yet one must not worry about the death and try to make the best use of one’s limited time in this mortal world. The same fragility of life we all witnessed during the deadly times of COVID, where no one was certain what would happen tomorrow, and whose life it could claim next.

I think COVID was the nearest “near-death” experience that a vast majority of people in this world had. The ones who are living in the war zones like Gaza, Afghanistan, Ukraine, countries with civil wars etc. are still having such experiences for prolonged periods, yet in most other parts of the world, it is difficult to imagine a life where you don’t know what would happen to you in the immediate future.

Yesterday, I was watching “120 Bahadur” movie, which is a fantastic tale of the courage and sacrifice of the 120 soldiers of the Charlie company of the 13 Kumaon regiment in the face of huge odds during Rezang La battle of 1962 Sino-Indian war. These bravehearts had to face a well-equipped and well-planned attack from the Chinese army of 3000 soldiers, in the near bone-chilling sub-zero cold winters in the high-altitude mountains of Chushul area of Ladakh. If you could imagine yourself in the place of Major Shaitan Singh Bhati and his troops, they had the chance to retreat back to the safer place from where they could give a stronger counter to the Chinese army. The headquarters left the decision on the Major. If you imagine yourself at his position, you very well understand that you cannot counter 3000 strong army with just 120 troops in sub-zero temperatures with minimal equipment. You also know that if you don’t retreat, then one thing is certain by the next day i.e. “CERTAIN DEATH”! If you are faced with this dilemma between life and death, what would you choose? It is difficult to say! But salute to the bravery, courage and fortitude of Major and his troops that each one of them decided to hold their position in the duty of their motherland, and that they will not give their motherland on a platter to the enemy and instead fight till the last breath and last drop of blood in their body. And they did it valiantly and with fierce opposition. Estimates say that about 120 Indian bravehearts brought down nearly 1000 Chinese men, and became immortal in the annals of the history! When their bodies were recovered from the battlefield after 3 months when the snow melted, they still had guns in their hands, which signify the zeal with which they fought. But, if you observe their decision from a distance, it is very very hard to imagine the dilemma. How many of us can gather such courage and strength to embrace death with pride? It is easier said than done.

A still from the movie “120 Bahadur”

It is at such moments that you come to realize that the connection between the life and death is so fragile. And at times, nothing much is in our hands, like the case of Randy Pausch, Anand, COVID victims, or even soldiers! We must be grateful for what we have at the present moment. There are people, who have been very unfortunate and died in accidents/blasts/mishaps/stampedes/heart attacks/medical emergencies. They didn’t know what was coming and when they left their home in the morning they didn’t know whether they will return in the evening or not. Imagine these scenarios with yourself in them. It can literally send shivers down your spine!

And yet, here we are, unmindful of this fragility of the life and living as if we have unlimited time. My objective is not to scare anyone or to sound cynical, but this is the reality of life. It is rather our perspective in life what do we make out of this fragility. Anand (Rajesh Khanna) knew it, yet he chose to make the best of it. Someone can spend it lamenting about that the whole time. The choice is yours!

Till next time…..