‘It is written ’
If there is one thing that all you ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ lovers would have taken home after watching the Mumbai slums saga unfold it‘s the three words mentioned at the start. The film made you believe (at least for a brief moment) that some things are bound to happen in life. You can call it sheer luck, destiny, god’s will.....refer it by any name....it will still happen if it has to happen (sounds similar to Murphy’s Law...isn’t it? :-))
Arvind Adiga in his Booker prize winner ‘The White Tiger’ mentions that “The Muslims have one god...Christians have three...and Hindus have 36,000,000 gods....also adding Buddha to the list it makes a grand total of 36,000,005 divine forces to choose from” But I being a half-atheist will take the liberty to add one more to the list ...“Destiny”. Yes I think there is one supreme power that controls our life and is responsible for everything that happens with us.......I call it destiny.....probably others call it god..!
How often have you come across situations where you badly wanted something....you plan for it way in advance and then you see things going terribly and horribly wrong? You start to develop a lot of negative emotions: disappointment...even frustration. The “Why Me?” syndrome starts to bug you. But suddenly some stroke of luck comes your way and things seems to work out automatically for you...the way you wanted it and you are left with another mystery.......... “How on earth did this happen?” . That’s destiny for you...constantly posing unanswerable queries.
Most things that I have experienced were governed by my so called ‘destiny’....but I must admit most of these things turned out to be good for me...a blessing in disguise.’
I know people say......'You make your own luck’....’ Your actions
decide your destiny’....but I think (strictly personal opinion!!) if things were always dependent on you and if it were in your own hands then why would the word destiny find a place in the English dictionary ? But that does not mean we stop chasing our dreams...cease to put in hard work...discontinue striving to reach out to our goals and leave it at the mercy of destiny. That would be similar to stop enjoying and living our life just because we know that one fine day we will be going to the grave. We need to try our best always...accept what we reap from our efforts...and don’t crib about it (Pretty easy to write in a blog...I know :-) but worth trying..!)
I end this blog with quote by Douglas Adams; a famous British comic writer which I felt is very pertinent to the points mentioned above.....
“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be”
Hey Adi...thanx for showing your philosophical side to us..dint know u had one :P
ReplyDeleteVery well written..some food for thought..Quite agree with what you say..Its really not fair to link ones luck and fortune to ones actions..Do think there's definitely destiny
I completely subscribe to Adi's views. We may row the boat, but winds of destiny decide the shores we land upon! Destiny takes us to where we belong..
ReplyDeleteI do not believe in God, I truly believe in Destiny and also believe that you can make your own! I really do not know who or what God is(or people's perception about God and religion),so its not right on my part to contest that. All I know is that we are controlled by our destiny,and sometimes by the destiny of people around us. That any amount of effort we put, our destiny creates a glass ceiling, whether we can break it and defy it, is something that Adi could reflect upon in his next blog!
satej's comment made me feel like adi just delivered a guest lecture n satej is giving his usual ending presidential speech :p
ReplyDeletewell written! :)
Well....i can say...
ReplyDelete“Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.”
What would the mathematician call destiny? An eventuality?...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, you picked Slumdog Millionaire for its underlying theme - "It is written". Well, there was another cult movie in the early 1990's - Terminator 2 - Judgement Day. That one however buys the opposite line of thinking. The protagonist, Sarah Connor (who knows about the future annihilation of Earth), believes in two words - "NO FATE", as if to say, we make our own destiny (or most of it :))
And oh yes, Douglas Adams - The Father of comic science fiction. The author of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy...
Hey Adi! nicely written. I would take ths chance to say that"If destiny means you lose, give a fight anyways". Atleast you wouldn't have the regrets that u didnt try.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I would mention that Destiny surely plays a role in your life. But the one who uses this word frequently is the one who doesnot try at all. this person will never progress.
For me Success will be 90 % hard work and 10 % luck.
Keep writting. waiting for you next topic.
TC
God bless
An interesting thought u have poised.. u could try reading 'The Secret' by Rhonda Byrne.. its a completely different approach to the scheme of things that we call as life.. cheers!!
ReplyDeletehi adi, nice language,thought and climax..well written...
ReplyDeletefor me , i believe 50 % is luck or destiny as you say coz it depends on time of birth which cant be changed.. 25% - hardwork or karma .. coz if it wouldn't have been then nobody would have worked having superstious belief on destiny and 25% on the surrounding or elements of nature which supports (vaastu) one own karma n destiny . :)
keep writting
being a believer of "destiny" I couldnt help but agree with everything written by you :-)
ReplyDeletemy fav line from the post 'I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be '
great work AD :-)