Anbe Sivam

Our lives are governed by facts and beliefs over a period of time that we have got used to these things; practices have been stamped with unquestionable beliefs. It is only a confined section of the society that tends to think on iconoclastic lines, and majority of us find it difficult to have our views matched with the minority section.

I run into a severe thought process; most of the times, they are about trivialities, and the rest, about the extremes. It is always a great feeling to know that you have complete control of life, and that you want to think and act independently. But, ironically, it gives us great comfort to think that there is a power vastly superior than us controlling the various stages of our lives. Who is He? is a big question, but it gives great comfort to know that there is a He governing our lives!

Last week, I happened to watch the movie Anbe Sivam once again (you can safely put the number of viewings to a double digit value). Some of my non-Tamil speaking friends hail this as one of the best Indian movies ever, simply because of the over-powering message that it conveys. This movie is like a book; every time you watch the movie, you walk away with a new message. The concept of humanity being the ultimate form of Godliness; a force that can influence you positively serves as the theme of this movie. The movie talks of everyone being a God in his own right. The message that the movie conveys is simple and profound. Anyone who is concerned about the well being of others is God. An atheist who does something good to others is better than an ardent devotee who always wishes to raise his stakes at the cost of another person's happiness. Most of the time, we are governed by the inner voice. A realization that we should not commit a mistake because we can get caught is different from the realization that it is morally wrong. The movie has influenced me so much simply because many times in life, we face a scenario of reality vs moral, and we walk away with a neat trade off between the two. This movie explains the distinction between the two without a moralistic approach. It is this simplicity that leaves a striking impact in you even after innumerable views.

In spite of the various religious dogmas governing our lives, we are in reality influenced by the pragmatic approach towards life. It is strange though, that even though we are faced with different practical aspects, we are hugely dependent on the religious structure that we have built up over many generations. We believe life is full of facts, but at the same time extend the beliefs to the complicated realms of uncertainities and expectations. Life is an illusion, and we love to live in it. It is this fascinating aspect of life that makes living worth everything. The realizations and counter realizations throw different challenges, and we walk on a tight rope trying to strike the right balance. The bottomline is simple. At the end of the day, we need somebody to watch over us without our knowledge. It is a source of comfort and hope. Imagine extending the analogy to your superior at work; all of us will be tearing our hair in agony!!!

Note: Images taken from Google image search for information purpose only.