“So what’s new with what you are doing?”
“We’ve started making announcements for film screenings on our weekly radio broadcast and we’ve had calls from villages we haven’t heard of or been to before. It’s exciting…”
“Film screenings??”
“Yes, of films we make for them- Sangha and bank linkages, Panchayat…”
“You make these films?”
“Hmmm.. yes and no. I teach other people to make these films. Currently Mahila Samakhya…”
“Co-operative filmmaking?!”, he cuts in.
“Not exactly…”
“So when are you making YOUR next film?”
“Well..”
“Tell me honestly, are you having fun with what you’re doing?”
I smile, and stare at him. Mona Lisa.
“You know what Chinnu, I think you need to get out of your comfort zone”
I take a sip of my Mango-Smoothie and look up at her. I don’t ask her why she thinks so. She smiles at me. Her cute bunny smile.
“Would it make a difference if I was doing the same work in Bangalore?,” I ask.
Why is it that cities that we live in determine if we fall into the “successful” category or not. Or even “progressive”. What is so progressive about mad traffic, air that kills if you breathe it, rents so absurd that you want a better paying job in order to afford a larger view of the sky… How is my life richer if I spend more than two hours of my day or night getting from one place to the next to sip a cup of coffee.
What is the lure of a place like that then? Opportunity? Interesting people? Challenges? What if I found all three in a small town.
I guess I would have trouble identifying them since my conditioning tells me these three reside not in smaller, less crowded, lesser known, relatively more peaceful places.
It is as if they are scared that I will forget to live my life. That I will grow roots here and turn into Ficus Mysorensis. Will I? And what if I do? I fear it too, and why?
5 comments:
The discomfort is with an unusual choice made and not seeing surely the path ahead that others see for themselves... but you will make your own story and your own journey...
This is quite interesting chin, I feel that we do have a peculiar notion about home and home town, say for example you were doing the same job in Raicur this question would not have come up.... Or say you are married then may be it would be different ... I am thinking aloud right now ... What is the stereotype here? Home means comfort and a place you should leave after you grow your wings so that you can come back with laurels ....
Three cheers to the most sensitive woman doing a fantastic job who is doing pioneering work and will make her home town proud :-)
ficus mysorensis has a nice ring to it. better than most of us fucus metrosensis, anyway :P
Only god can know such things..
Chinnu...you look prettier in your comfort zone..fat, but prettier ;-) uppas
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