Thursday 20 August 2015

What happens when we stop learning?


Learning is a continuous process, a process that one must continue till the end of life. To be successful in life, one must continue to learn. This is what every sane person will accept and every successful person says. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, a renowned personality in my lifetime, was always seen either teaching what he already learned or reading and learning what he didn’t know. He said "Learning gives creativity, creativity leads to thinking, thinking provides knowledge, knowledge makes you great". This is the process of life and evolution.

Then, what happens if one stops learning? When you stop learning, you are as good as dead. I would like to explain this with a recent example.

Virat Kohli, the famous cricketer and the present Indian test captain, rose to stardom very fast and everybody was expecting him to be the next super star of Indian Cricket after Sachin Tendulkar. He was selected as the captain of Indian Test Team that was to tour Bangladesh sometime back. When the team was leaving to Bangladesh, he was asked by a reporter, what new techniques he learned as a captain to beat Bangladesh, he replied “There is nothing more to learn. We have learned everything. Only we have to put in to practise, what we have learned”. India lost the series to Bangladesh, for the first time ever in the history of cricket.

Again he was appointed as the Captain of Indian Team for series against Srilanka. India was in commanding position in the recently concluded first test and was expected to win the test, lost the test finally in a shameful way. This is what happens when you stop learning or you feel there is nothing more to learn.

Sometimes, the rapid success makes people blind and over confident. When you are over confident, you fall. Rise requires lot of hard work and time, but a fall needs nothing and can hit you like a lightening and you are left wondering what actually happened.


This is high time Mr. Virat Kohli.  Start learning!!!!

Monday 13 July 2015

Bahubali. Hats off to James Cameron

I still remember the day I watched Avatar movie on the big Screen in IMAX. I was simply speechless at the spectacle and the imagination power of James Cameron, which has no boundaries. Particularly the scenes involving Sky Bridges and Dragon flying are breath taking.  As a person, who was involved in films and knows the ins and outs of making a movie, I still wonder how James Cameron can think, visualise and project his vision on to the screen.  There were many times, I used to think, why Indian film makers can’t think of these kind of films or use those techniques of film making.

Yesterday, I found the answer for my long unanswered question. The answer is Bahubali.  I felt the same kind of feeling when I watched Bahubali, yesterday. It is simply superb and a technological marvel. The James Cameron of India, S S Raja Mouli, is successful in transferring all his imagination on to the screen. The visuals, the sound, the selection of artistes and the way he manoeuvred his huge army is an unparallalled tribute to the Indian mind. The triumph of Bahubali and Bhallaladeva over Kalakeya looked minute to me when compared to the success of Raja Mouli. As an Indian, I feel proud of Raja Mouli. Go! Raja Mouli, there is a big world to be conquered.

This is all ok. Then why say hats off to James Cameron if Bahubali is a grand success?  There are 2 reasons.

First, James Cameron must be the inspiration for Raja Mouli to think of making that kind of movies, I presume. Second, James Cameron explored outer skies and water to create his films and left Earth alone, probably because he knows someone else is going to take over Earth. 

Relax James Cameron, Rajamouli is here to continue your legacy.