'The Olive Farm' and Me

When ever we go for a vacation to places of bountiful nature like beaches, mountains or some remote destination, we dream to make house there and stay there forever but then reality bug bites and we immediately come out of our imagination. Provincial and Mountain life is difficult and we know it for sure. City people finds difficulty to adjust in that routine but Author of the book Carol Drinkwater who is 69, an actress, writer and filmmaker dare to make that dream come true. She is currently living provincial life in South of the France for more than 25 years out of her sheer love for farm and beach.

I read her first book The Olive Farm(2001) and I was hooked to it from the first chapter and was constantly dreaming to have my own farm house. An actress who left sophisticated life and fell in love with provincial life where she had to do everything on her own was intriguing. More I read about her journey more I was falling for her hard and serene life. She fell in love with man whom she hardly knew and both went to invest together in really big property and that is where the whole Journey begins. 

I find ‘The Olive Farm’ more of a spiritual journey of a person who have experienced almost all emotion of her life and she is prepared to tackle any obstacle without letting it affect her inner peace. It is a story about Possession, People, Family, Acceptance, Culture, Hardship and unpredicted Nature. I enjoyed reading this journey till the end. 

I felt I am cleaning her farmhouse with her(Carol) and her mother. I felt like I am there when her whole family is enjoying summer vacation together at the Appasionata farm house. I was hurt when her dog disappeared. Her dream was to create a house where every now and then family, friends, artists and tourists drops by. And yes every now and then somebody visits her place. Writer always need a solitary moment and Carol had lots of it. Most of the time she writes near window facing to the sea. I felt like I am witnessing the scene from neighbour window. To keep her dream intact she had gone through lots of ups and downs. At one point of time my heart skipped beating in fear of losing this Farm and House. But in every difficult time she was patient and there was some energy which was giving her strength and making things right for her. Her journey made me feel that you just need to visualise your life and one day it will become reality.

The Olive Farm was very light read. And nature lover, day dreamer like me will definitely lose their self in the farm. 

You really have no idea what is going to come to next in your hand. Just talking about books, at least I don’t know about my next read. I randomly picked up this book from travelogue section. Title  ‘A Memoir of Life, Love and Olive Oil in the South of France’ caught my attention. I just read that and glanced at author’s name. Twice I picked up this book and put it back in the rack because of unknown author and its subject- farming. I mean who would like to read about farming, right?And then I moved ahead and was about to pay for my another purchase but something brought me back to this book again and I read summary behind the book and that made my mind not to leave this book. 

DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD?

                 People ask very often that DO YOU BELIEVE IN GOD? And that time though they are not asking me but I would love to answer that I believe in mother. I don't know was god ever there when I was hungry, crying and in trouble? But in all this situations mother was always there. When you are crying she will wipe away your tears with her saree, when you are hungry she will cook for you and when you are in trouble she will put her hand on your head. All this moments made me realize that some energy is always there that lies within mother.
              When you are far from mother and missing her not being with you, you will definitely cross your ways with someone (looking at whom you say she reminds me of my mother) who would remind you of your mother. She can see your future. This mother's day, shut(close) your eyes and try to remember when you missed your mother most?

Why Girl Why?

Why can’t you think independently? Why don’t you use your brain Girl? Who the hell can say after listening to this story that you did microbiology and you are a working woman? ‘Fuck’ shouted leela in her mind.

 Leela and Jeena studied together and once upon a time they were considered to be good friends. But both went to different colleges. Jeena did microbiology and Leela chose some other course. Both had many things in common. Leela and Jeena, both had two sisters. The difference lied in the fact that Leela was elder sister and Jeena was younger one. Leela was good with Jeena’s sisters as well. Leela used to consult Jeena’s elder sister for her health issue as she was a doctor. That’s how leela became friends with Jeena’s elder sister.

Jeena’s elder sister got married and after a year Jeena too got married. But Jeena’s elder sister was unhappy in her marriage so she ran away from her in-laws. She used to complain Leela about her marriage and many a times confided in her the thought of running away. Very often she used to talk to leela. In public eye Leela became her good friend. But Leela never knew that jeena’s sister will create such big issue out of this.

Finally when Jeena’s elder sister ran away, Jeena called leela and asked her to come over her place. She started accusing leela that inspite of knowing her plan of running away she kept mum. Leela was not aware about when did all this happen. Leela honestly said that her sister often talked about her plan but when and where she never disclosed.

Jeena’s father didn’t know leela at all. But still he thought that leela played major role in the run away incident. Typical stereotype male dominant mentality came to conclusion that leela is a bad influence. So jeena’s father asked Jeena not to meet her. Jeena shared her father’s opinion with leela. At that time leela felt everything is normal because Jeena was still talking to her. But how long can jeena talk to leela. Eventually jeena stopped calling and messaging her. The girl who used to come to Leela’s place to meet her boyfriend, the girl who used to come to her when she broke up with her boyfriend, she forgot that shoulder and house too. And only thing she remembered was her father’s societal judgment.

More than a year later even Leela’s situations got all messed up. Leela refused to be a part of the society which she never believed in anyway and left her home for good. She didn’t run away she just left home in broad day light in front of society. Though she was and is being called a runaway girl. One more year passed. And one day Jeena went to leela’s place because she knew that leela won’t be there. Jeena was received by leela’s sister. Without knowing anything she started saying that she heard that leela ran away and did love marriage and asked for leela’s contact number. Leela’s sister knew everything about jeena so she didn’t entertain her and didn’t gave her number.

Leela came to know about jeena’s visit to her old home. She was furious and in her fury all her thoughts were leading to one question- Why girls can’t have their own thinking. Why the hell society influence them and they just become blind to see and form their own relationship. Why girl why.

This is For you Ami

Photo speaks thousands words.So no need to say anything.

Lots of thank you Maa on this Children's Day

       Today is Children’s Day. Friedrich Nietzsche said “In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play”. It is very important to keep alive the child in you. And who can do it better than your own Mother. Whatever your age be, 30 or 40 you will be always a child for your mother. She will take care of your all needs.

       

           She knows when you are hungry. She knows when you are upset. She knows what you want. The moment you are born into this world, doctor cuts the umbilical cord and you are detached from your mother. But you are always connected with her with an invisible cord.  When you are away from her she can sense that there is some danger looming upon you and inform you the same. She has that sense. We should thanks our mother for keeping us alive, loved and pampered. Every human being is a child from inside and this they owe to their mother. For that Love you Maa. Happy Children’s Day.

I want to be born

I want to be born

I was in heaven with god

God showed me beautiful world

I felt like to go down to earth

After month I was in market with my mother

I got scared by the crowd

My mother bought my favorite fruit

In a moment crowd dispersed

Police came and started searching for bomb

I could have been killed

My mother saved my life

I was watching TV with my mother

News was scaring me

I felt suffocated

My mother switched off TV

My mother took care of me

She read me a newspaper

It was same news I was watching on TV

Momma stopped reading

She kissed me with her hand

In few minutes I fell asleep

Momma woke up so early so do I

She started cooking for dad

She fed me first

I feel she loves me more than anything

Dad was scolding her

I didn’t understand relation between them

Momma didn’t mind that

She protected me from all bad things

Mother’s friend came to see me

She told my mother to take care of me

Outside communal riots took place

I was so young to understand Hindu and Muslim

God taught me only about human

He didn’t mention cast, creed, and discrimination

When I was with God

He taught me about love, care and humanity

Earth was so different than god described it to me

How can he be wrong in what he created?

My mother loves me that’s all that matters to me

She loves reading and so me too

Whole nation would be waiting for newspaper

National budget is important for whole country

She was so much worried after reading

But she didn’t let me sense her worries

She was worried about my education

Schools and colleges are costly

Without money and education

Earth is no good place to live

But she held her strong

She promised me to give a good life

I was walking in the park with momma

Old aunty told momma to take care of me

Last month one baby was kidnapped

He was found physically abused and dead

I got very scared and told momma

I don’t want to come outside

Momma consoled me

I agreed with her

I just came out of trauma

Second day I heard about woman atrocity

People from the globe were concerned

She was raped and killed

After few days again the same news flashed

Rape was becoming fashion

I was crying inside

Momma was trying to calm me

I love when she caresses my hair

Accused often turns freeman

Girl was poor she was unable to fight

If you are true than too you have to buy justice

I don’t want to be born

I don’t want to see this world

God I don’t want to go on the earth

Your creation would be other world

This is not the world you told me

I am in womb and I saw all this

What if someday I will be a victim?

Will you come for my rescue?

If you come to rescue people

Why all those have faced death

Why they all are helpless

From last three months I have seen too much

Everywhere Corruption, Atrocity, Inhumanity

I will be with you only

God convince me to stay some more days

I agreed with him

My mother was reading Gandhi

I understood the power of common man

She read about Abraham Lincoln

I understood justice and equality

People who changed the world

Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King

They influenced me to be born

You are very smart God

You are sending me to change the world

I am sorry I misunderstood you

I will change the world

And try to make it the way you have created

Momma has pain in stomach

She was worried about me

Dad took her to the hospital

Doctor checked and medicated her

She was feeling much better

I said sorry to my mother for hurting her

She said you are my life, you can never hurt me

Momma hugs me and we both fell asleep

Dad wanted to know my gender

Doctor denied revealing

Dad bribed doctor

Doctor said baby girl

I was so excited to be girl

Because beautiful creation of world

God made nothing as beautiful as woman

Thank you god

If I cannot be Gandhi or Lincoln

I will make my son Gandhi or Lincoln

I am woman

I can be Mother Teresa and Kiran Bedi

I suddenly heard some noise and woke up

Momma was on floor

Dad beat her

And I was the reason

I felt very bad, I am inside

I cannot help my mom

Momma told me that before you

Your dad killed two sisters of yours

Momma please don’t let me die this time

I want to be born

I want to change the world

God created many powerful women

And I am also one of them

I will never let you down

In the evening

Dad again shouted on her, beat her

My mother was so strong

But she collide with table

Dad doesn’t want me to be in the world

How should I tell to my dad?

I won’t be burden on him

I will help you in every way I can

Momma gets sick in the morning

She had to be admitted in the hospital

Dad talked to doctor

Momma was in sleep

She was taken in to operation theatre

I knew everything but unable to tell her

There were two nurses beside momma

I understood what they were trying to do

They wanted to kill me

I screamed Momma

I want to be born please

I was badly crying

Momma please wake up

They are going to kill me

I want to be born

I want to change the world

I want to give you good life

I will be good kid

I will be helpful domestically

I will be your baby boy in need

Please wake up and save my life

I want to be born

Momma they have broken my hand

It hurts too much

They broke my leg and it’s paining

They cut my head and put in the dish

Momma now I am no more in your womb

But I wanted to say

That I loved these three months

We spent whole time together

I wanted to be your daughter

But I don’t exist

They threw my body part in dustbin

I was scared of inhumanity

But I got courage to face it

I was not ready to go on the planet

But god convinced me

I cannot blame him

He sent me to change the world

But world doesn’t want change

They are used to insensivity crime

When they will need change

They will let me born

And believe me I want to be born

 Turtles Can Fly

     Thousand thoughts in mind, what to think and what to believe, speechless this could be your situation after watching TURTLES CAN FLY. Is it really war-drama film? Director Bahaman Ghobadi’s Kurdish war drama was released in 2004. It has huge impact of mind that you won’t be able to get rid of hangover at least for a week. I saw recently TURTLES CAN FLY and it inspired me to write this article.

     Story line is strongly engaging. You will drown into drama -feel emotional about the struggle for life. It could have been a beautiful love story.  But the fact is war never gives anything beautiful and never creates beautiful stories. It is always depressing and heart screeching. Why women have to suffer whether in war or in peaceful times? Sometime it feels that the beauty of woman is only her enemy or her ability to give birth to a child is a big curse rather than a boon. A woman who gets raped is ashamed for what happened to her but what about man who raped her. They don’t have shame or any emotion near to that. It seems that they are not human but some other species upon whom gift of emotion is not endowed by god Why only a woman is considered honor of the house in the society because she is the one who stays all the time in house and man all the time stays in others house? Even after centuries this old questions are unanswered and remained questions. The questions my friend are blowing in the wind...

      Do you think birth of child can make women mature and can develop natural affinity towards the child? Does it give natural maturity to one who mothers? What if girl becomes mother before she can understand what motherhood is? Mother-child relation is considered to be of purest form. Step mother is never considered to be a good mother but birth mother has always an eminent place in poetry and legend stories.  

Film took place at refugee camp on Iraqi-Turkish border. Main protagonist of film is 13 years old 'Satellite', who is the leader of children. He helped them to earn their bread and protest for their rights. It is amazing how little child is maturely leading his team with strong commanding skill. He is very much popular in his area because he can translate English news into native language.

     Satellite met Agrin, Hanglov and 3 year old kid riga in refugee camp. It seems that satellite is victim of love at first sight but Agrin is unable to reciprocate his feelings. All the time she is thinking about how to get rid of 3 year old riga. She abuses blind riga a lot. She doesn’t want people to know about her secret and that is the only reason they were migrating from one place to another.

      We feel there is hope for the love to blossom between satellite and Agrin. But our prediction is too futile here. Why Agrin hates Riga and tried to kill him. Why she never smiles and looks depressed. What is haunting her? When we come to know her secret we are bound to empathize with her.

 Needless to say that story, cinematography, direction, music and acting are marvelous. Ghobadi created a rear or real world.

       Film will leave us with so many questions like what comes first motherhood or society, humanity or insanity, war or love, creation or destruction… I would recommend this movie to all who love kids and movies.

      In one line must watch before you die…