Anand(Film) –Hrishikesh Mukherjee - Ikiru, Love for life and few things to ponder

On a winter morning in Seattle, I was at the bus station peering into the OneBusAway app waiting for my bus to come. Early days in a distant unknown land has rendered me lost in thoughts. A bright beautiful angel on an umbrella, carried by a small girl, caught my eye. Hope reveals in mysterious ways. Small such incidents give hope and push.

Anand, a film directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee, talks about the love for life. “Babumoshai, Zindagi badi honi chahiye, lambi nahin” (Life has to be large and not long) – is the tagline for me.

Anand is diagnosed with terminal stage Cancer and he knows about his imminent death. He comes to Mumbai to spend his last few days at the care of Amitabh Bachan, a Doctor in Mumbai. Anand inserts himself into the lives of the people, including strangers. ‘Hey Murarilal – why did you leave me after two pegs that day near Qutb Minar’ is Anand’s tactic to befriend a stranger, who Anand feels a connection with. Anand’s philosophy is “Babumoshai, har jagah dost milta hai”.  (You get a friend in every place). Anand’s love for food, music, people and his efforts to spread love among the people sums up the basic needs of a contented life. How he spreads love, joy and hope through his disposition is the story.  

If Anand is a Social Drama, emphasising the basic tenets of a quality life,  Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru explores a man’s search of meaning in life at the face of his death.

Kanji Watanabe, a Tokyo Bureaucrat,  simply passing time without living his life. Kanji has been dead for more than 20 years now and is reduced to a mere machine that runs the modern society. Kanji now learns about his impending death. He is completely lost until he meets Toyo, a young female sub-ordinate at his office. Ironically his meeting with her happens when she comes into submit her resignation. She comes across as a whiff of fresh balmy air in the otherwise gloomy and mechanical office. Kanji meets Toyo outside after few days and learns the reason for Toyo’s passion and enthusiasm. Toyo shares she found happiness in her new job of making toys, which makes her feel that she is playing with all the kids in Japan. Kanji draws inspiration to do something significant and decides to fulfil the request for a playground. Before the knowledge of his death, Kanji was also part of the red tape that did not approve the playground. How Kanji drives hard to make the Playground a reality forms the rest of the story. His efforts inspire all the people around in the city council. Following his death, the bureaucrats vow to honor Kanji’s memory by following his example but fall back into the familiar patterns, after a few days awaiting another Kanji to happen.

Anand is inspired by Ikiru. Will the knowledge of one’s death make one let one’s guard down, push one to live life today and not reserve it for future?  Will a device, which can tell one about his or her death, make the world more endearing and a better place? How a single man can be a sliver of hope or a bundle of energy pushing people around towards a meaningful life forms the crux of both Anand and Ikiru.

One of the songs in Ikiru talks about the fleeting nature of youth and life. Lyrics can be found here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gondola_no_Uta

Hope we all find our Anand and Kanji.

Madhava Mamava Deva – Ragam Neelambari - On the occassion of Krishna Janmashtami

“உறங்கு வதுபோலுஞ் சாக்காடு உறங்கி விழிப்பது போலும் பிறப்பு”.    This Kural identifies death as one long sleep and asks one to not think he/she will be here for ever.   

Neelambari is a raga known to induce sleep. Ending with the following song in Neelambari on the occasion of Krishna Janmashtami.